College is the first time in your life when you are in control of what you do and how you spend your days. You get to meet new people, grow as a person, and learn countless life skills. It’s the time to learn about yourself and figure out what you want to be. I knew these things coming into college, but now that I am almost done with my freshman year, I understand what college can really be like underneath all the stuff we are told about it growing up. There’s so much I wish I could go back and tell my high school self about college, but since I can’t do that, I hope I can help others who will soon be making the big transition.
It’s over-romanticized
The words, “college will be the absolute best 4 years of your life”, were constantly drilled into my head while growing up. I remember being in high school and seeing college kids on social media who looked like they were having the absolute time of their lives, and I couldn’t wait for that to be me. I came into college with such high expectations and was shocked when I got there and realized that it wasn’t as fun or as perfect as I thought it would be. Everyone around you may look like they are having the time of their lives, but in reality, many of them are also struggling. Don’t compare your college experience to someone’s highlight reel on social media. It won’t do you any good as these posts are mere moments in someone’s college life, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes with these people who look so happy online. You hear all the fun stories of parties, sporting events, and other stuff like that but nobody tells you about the struggles you may face. There are extremely common struggles like roommate problems, homesickness, friend issues, and trouble with schoolwork that never seem to come up when someone talks about their college experience. Of course, people only want to talk about the good parts, but this gives people such a false sense of what college is like. Most college students are bound to face at least one of these struggles at some point but whatever it is won’t last forever and you will get through it. It’s always ok to get help when you are struggling and there are so many people that want to help you work through your struggles and see you succeed. Lots of people have a good 4 years in college but it may not be the “absolute best 4 years” for everybody, and that’s OK! College is such a small period in your lifetime, so why is it expected to be the best years of your life? You have so much life to live after college so don’t stress out and think that you’re doing it wrong if it isn’t the best years of your life.
there isn’t one “RIGHT” college experience
One of the phrases I have grown to dislike this year is “the college experience”. Especially when used in ways like, “if you do that, you’re missing out on the college experience”. “The college experience” is often stereotyped to be that you go to a big school, live in a dorm, go to lots of super fun parties and sports games, and meet a ton of friends that you will last a lifetime. People whose college life doesn’t look like this may think that they are missing out. Your college life is what you make of it and what YOU want it to look like. The only thing that matters is that you are happy so don’t worry about what you’re college life is “supposed” to be like. Just do whatever works for you! Everyone has their own college experience and one experience isn’t superior to another.
establishing a routine is key
Adjusting to a new environment is difficult for everyone. It can be pretty overwhelming being in a completely new place surrounded by strangers, and I remember not knowing where I should go or what I should do at first. Instead of sitting in your dorm when you aren’t in class, explore the campus and find your favorite spots to eat, study, and hang out! Doing this early on is really helpful as it gets you out of your room and will get you adjusted to your new area quicker. Also, be sure to check out the different clubs on campus that you may be interested in, it’s a great way to meet people who share the same interests as you. It may be tough to get yourself to do these things at first, but I promise you it will become second nature in no time and it will make your transition to college a little easier and more enjoyable.
you really won’t know what you like until you are there
You can tour campuses and do all the research you want but there’s no way to truly know if something will be the right fit for you until you are actually experiencing it. It’s common to have a field of study in mind while applying to colleges, or maybe you’re already super set on what you want to study. If you are stressed about your major choice and wondering if it will be the right fit, don’t! You aren’t going to know if it’s right for you until you actually start taking classes for it. Go in with an open mind no matter what, and remember it’s extremely common for college students to change their major, even more than once! Just know that you will figure it out eventually and everything will fall into place, and that happens at different times for everyone. If you get to college and discover that the academics, social life, or location of your school isn’t the best fit for you, it is completely normal and ok to make a change. This is scary to think about, but it’s something that is so common and isn’t talked about enough. It’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and you should never beat yourself up over choosing the wrong school because you really can’t know until you get there. Just make sure to give it time before you decide to make a change. It’s common to be unhappy at college in the beginning since it’s such a big change, but this will probably subside and you will end up liking it! And if the unhappiness doesn’t end up going away, that’s completely normal and ok as I said before.
have fun!
And of course, the most important thing to remember is to have fun! No matter what your college life looks like, you do only get to do it once so enjoy yourself! It really goes by in the blink of an eye, and before you know it you’ll be graduating. School is important and should be your main priority, but always be sure to make time for fun and relaxation. It’s healthy to have a balance between studying and leisure time and remember that you always deserve to give yourself time to have fun, no matter what!
It’s hard to be fully prepared for college no matter how much advice and stories you hear. It’s important to remember that every other freshman around you is in the same boat as you. All of you are just trying to figure everything out. It will be tough at times, but the good times after the hard times are always so rewarding. You got this!