As my freshman year comes to a close, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting. In this process of looking back, I often think about the advice and insight I was given before arriving to campus. If you’re a rising freshman to the University of Michigan, or any college for that matter, here are some pieces of advice that turned out to be both completely useless and surprisingly accurate.
Insight NOT to listen to:
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College classes are so much easier than high school classes.
WRONG. Yes, if you select the easiest classes on your course guide you will most likely receive an A. But, you could’ve chosen to take the easiest classes in high school too. However, if you are taking classes that interest you without purposefully taking the easiest classes you can, college is hard. Coming from a challenging boarding school where I definitely had my fair share of sleepless nights, I have still struggled in most of my classes here. Sorry to break it to you, but that 4.0 GPA is a lot less attainable than you might think.
2. The biggest adjustment to college life is handling all of your free time.
Excuse me, what is this “free time” you speak of?? Yes, if you choose to only attend your classes and then retire to your room for the rest of the day, you may have some time on your hands. However, if you choose to actually involve yourself in the community, you’ll honestly be searching for time to BREATHE. For me specifically, I have class for most of the day, take the time to do my work for aforementioned classes, spend time with my friends, and involve myself in multiple clubs. So, if you choose to be involved, the issue of having “too much free time” truly doesn’t exist.
3. Greek life is full of cliquey, mean people who don’t do well in school.
Most incoming freshman have many ideas and doubts about Greek Life that are simply untrue. Yes, Greek Life is a community that those who are not a part of could feel excluded by. However, sororities and fraternities are essentially just a big network of friendships. I have met the nicest, caring, most passionate people through greek life and have never felt anything but welcomed by this community. Also, even if you are not in a greek organization, you are still welcomed to any greek party or event through knowing someone in the fraternity or sorority. People in greek life enjoy meeting new people and building close friendships, and are not closed off or mean. Second, those in greek life are typically very smart. Sororities have high academic expectations for their members, and according to USA Today, members of Greek organizations are 20 percent more likely to graduate from college than those who are not affiliated with a Greek organization. So, if you’re thinking about rushing, by all means do it. You won’t regret it.
4. Faculty at a big school don’t care about you.
I couldn’t even tell you how many high school faculty at my small school tried to convince me of this “fact.” However, it is completely untrue. Even in a big lecture, it is so clear that faculty are there to support you and help you. The only catch is, unlike high school, you have to take some initiative to get to know your teachers. But, there are a lot of opportunities. Most teachers hold office hours every week, and if you attend they will know who you are. If you sit in the front row, even in a lecture of 400 people, your professor is likely to recognize you and begin saying hello to you in the hallways and around campus. Everyone at U of M wants their students to succeed and wants to share their knowledge of a topic they are so passionate about. I became personally so close with my English professor that, after meeting with him about a paper, he told me that I should be an English major judging from his many conversations with me, my participation in class, and reading my writing.
5. You will gain the freshman 15.
This is not necessarily true. Actually, facing the busy days of college with back to back classes, I often forget to eat. If you continue to eat healthy, and even treat yourself on the weekend, it’s really unrealistic that you will gain a tremendous amount of weight. Most of my friends and I have actually lost weight. So don’t kill yourself working out all summer, the freshman 15 won’t really hit you unless you decide to only drink tremendous amounts of beer at every party.
Insight that is helpful:
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You can reinvent yourself if you want to.
The beautiful thing about college, and especially going to a big school like U of M, is that no one has an impression of you yet. Nobody knows about the weird things you did in high school or your embarrassingly long fat phase. You can be whoever you want to be, and everyone is just waiting to meet you. Go get em.
2. Boys are not suddenly mature adults; they are still more or less who they were in high school.
When your mom tells you that you still will encounter creeps and deal with heartbreak and will not, in fact, meet the mature, respectful men of your dreams, LISTEN TO HER. Although college boys may look older, they are certainly not wiser. Many boys are still very much in the “casual hook up” mindset, especially freshman boys with their “frat boy” mentality. This is not to say that you won’t find a boy you absolutely adore, just don’t expect a major shift in their mindsets from high school to college.
3. You will meet friends that you will keep forever.
Although I’m merely a freshman, I can confidently say that I have already met some of my bridesmaids. You will find friends that care about you and share your interests, and you will become so close that they feel like family. There is something about living away and experiencing all the twists and turns of college with your friends that makes them feel so much closer to you than many of your middle and high school friends ever did. Get ready to meet the most amazing people.
4. You will find something that you are passionate about and wish to pursue for the rest of your life.
Although this one may be obvious, since every college student eventually must pick a major, it is important to note. It may seem unbelievable that going into college with no plans for the future that you will come out knowing roughly what you wish to do for the rest of your life. However, it is easier than you think. College gives you the opportunity to, for the first time for many of us, explore whichever courses you want to. After just merely two semesters of exploring different courses and activities on campus, I already have a rough idea of what I want to become. So, while it may seem crazy now, you will leave college with a long term plan and the tools to complete it.
5. You will still miss home.
While you are technically an adult when you enter college at 18 years old, it is still normal and expected that you will be a bit homesick. You may not cry and call your parents every couple of hours, but there will be certain things that make you miss the comfort of home. It is important to stay connected to where you’re from, and all aspects of home will still be very close to your heart.
College is a wild ride, and hopefully these truths and myths about college life can help you prepare for what is about to be the best four years of your life.
Image courtesy of: College Counseling Culture.