Lies they tell you about college

Lies they tell you about college (Part 1)

So parents and staff are either delusional or have no real idea what goes on at a college campus. For instance I remember in high school how teachers and parents would say "College is so different. Everything changes at college. You’ll meet new friends, there aren’t any cliques, it’s a whole new atmosphere."

Well that is and isn’t true.

Yes, there are definitely attitude differences between college and high school. In high school if you didn’t go to class you were the only one who was penalized and the same thing goes in college only now it’s your (or your parents’) money on the line if you fail out. Failing is really expensive in college whereas in high school it was free (technically speaking). It’s also your butt on the line when your family finds out and decides they aren’t going to waste any more of their money if you’re just going to screw around. The professors are also likely to let you hang yourself by your own rope. It is not, nor was it ever, the teachers’ jobs to protect you if you decided to not go to class. They aren’t babysitters and the ones in college tend to be a lot meaner about this fact. If you miss an assignment that’s too bad for you, talk to one of your fellow students because there are going to be professors who won’t even speak to you if you email them saying "Hi Dr. Smith, I’m sorry I missed class X-day. Can you tell me what I missed?" Most of them will respond with "You need to get a copy of the notes we took in class from one of your classmates and turn in the assignment at the beginning of next class period." You of course are going to be wondering "What assignment?" The common reason for this is that your professor has 3-8 classes meeting any given day of the week. They cannot be expected to be responsible for remembering where each class left off on their notes or what precisely was covered. They aren’t going to talk about the same thing in each class or cover material at the same rate. They probably only have a general outline of what they want to cover and actually wing their lectures. It’s your responsibility to ask questions if you don’t understand something discussed in class. It’s also your responsibility to complete out of class assignments such as readings, which by the way can make or break you in a class.

And yes you’re going to meet lots of new people, people who will offend you, befriend you, confuse you, amuse you, and all around just blow your little mind. Don’t take any of it personally or you’ll just get stressed out. Don’t be surprised if you do notice a very ‘clique’-y vibe going around your campus too. Cliques still exist, sorry parents and educators but them’s the breaks. Sororities, fraternities, bikers, skaters, science-geeks, business elitists, artsy, English, the list just keeps going trust me. Yes there’s a lot of cross-over and the lines get blurred but there are going to be some of those guys and gals that are sticklers for propriety as they see it. There are girls on our campus who join sororities and keep the friends that they made before they pledged as if nothing has changed. Then there are girls who abandon all their ‘friends’ to spend every waking moment with their new Sisters. Guys do it too sadly but it’s not always as noticeable with them and doesn’t seem to follow as much of a trend. Maybe it’s because guys are involved with more activities whereas the females will choose one organization and devote their entire college career to it (as well as their first born child and their soul).

Here’s a quick list to help you:

–DON’T expect everyone you meet to become your best friend.
–DO treat everyone with equal respect, they’ll remember it.
–DON’T get stressed when people are rude or your best friend one day is ignoring you next week.
–DO become involved in extracurricular activities. These are great ways to meet new people and make new friends.
–DON’T over-involve! Taking on too many organizations on top of a heavy school-load can leave you frustrated and too busy to sit down and breathe!
–DO schedule yourself! Yes it sounds silly and anal but time-management can be a life-saver! Include time for yourself, justyourself to do something you enjoy and relax.
–DON’T stress if your schedule has last minute changes. Leave a little extra time between activities in case something runs late, which it will.
–DO be organized. Organization and time-management go hand in hand. It’s not going to do you any good if you make it to class on time but forgot your assignment on your desk in your room.

This is a blast from the past entry on an old livejournal account I had, I feel like transferring some of them over just for the heck of it.

Original post date: 10/08/07

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