The college experience, already a momentous period of growth and change in a person’s life, has morphed into something even more massive by the expectations and conceptions of many. Whether these were conceptions established by movies and television shows or by family members at your high school graduation party, they have probably melded together to create some huge, distorted and contradictory picture of what college will look like for you. I’m here to clarify that picture for you and clear up some of those misconceptions about what it’s like to be a college student.
The first that I’d like to dismantle is that the core requirements are bad and useless and universally disliked. You chose to attend Fordham because of its commitment to a liberal arts education and a common core is an integral part of that. Students complain because they think that the core curriculum distracts them from pursuing their major requirements. But, the thing is, you have plenty of time and space in your schedule to take classes for your major, so you should try to enjoy the meandering subject requirements. You have the opportunity to learn about a variety of subjects from experts in that field — take the time to explore and appreciate them.
A related misconception is that once you’ve decided your major you’re stuck on that path until graduation. Most people believe that finding your major takes some trial and error, but that once you’ve declared, it’s all smooth sailing. The lesser-known side to that, however, is sometimes you’re not 100% sold on that decision. If you feel like you did not choose the major that is right for you, meet with your counselor to figure out a solution. If you took advantage of the core curriculum, you’ll probably have racked up a lot of baseline credits in a variety of subjects that can point you in the right direction. The college experience does not confine you to just one major decision about your course of study. You’re allowed to change your mind.
Another misconception is that college is either four years of raucous, fun-filled partying or long, stressful nights spent in the library. The reality is that college is whatever you want it to be. College is a microcosm of real life, and odds are the average person is not living exclusively on the polar ends of those two extremes. There is a time and place for everything. When you have an essay due on Friday, it is appropriate to spend Thursday night in the library writing. It’s also okay to celebrate with your friends on Friday night once you’ve submitted it. You can build your college experience to be anything you want, but just try to make responsible decisions for both your academic life and social life.
This last misconception is the most important, and it’s one I wish I knew sooner. During your first few weeks of college, you will most likely be caught up in the frenzy of making friends. College is a new chapter partly defined by new relationships, so this is a really important step. However, if you don’t come out of that month with a solid group of friends it can feel like it’s never going to happen, that everyone else who’s been looking for friends has found them and there’s no room for you. This is not true. You will make friends throughout your entire college experience, whether it’s someone down the hall in Martyrs’ or the classmate you sit next to in junior year. College lasts a long time, don’t count yourself out if you haven’t found your people in the first few weeks.
Ultimately, everyone entering their freshman year has wildly different conceptions of what college will look like.
Though I’ve tried to dismantle a few of them, the beauty of college is learning for yourself which expectations are valid and which ones only exist in fiction, and having an experience that is totally unique to you.
