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upcoming freshman in college

College: Expectations vs. Reality

CollegeChloe Gordon1 Comment

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, and for that I would like to apologize. Life has been crazy, hectic, new, exciting, and weird. I’m writing this post while sitting on my college campus. COLLEGE. CAMPUS. 

     Who am I? Am I old enough for this? Am I ready to be an independent and responsible human? Honestly, I don’t feel ready. I don’t feel old enough. I don’t feel like how I thought I would feel going into college. 

    I feel homesick. I miss high school. I miss having a set routine. I miss home cooked dinners. I miss my family, my friends, and my own bathroom. I miss the old. 

    I’m not trying to make college sound bad, because it certainly isn’t. It’s fun and it’s exciting, but it’s new. Very new. I came here without really knowing anything. I know a few people that go to the same school as me which has helped, but I honestly feel like I was just thrown into a Hunger Games style arena and was just expected to know how to survive. I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m just figuring it all out. But I thought today I’d share a few expectation vs. reality stories with you. 

 

So I guess, per usual, I’ll just jump right into it. 

Expectation: It’s so easy to meet new people and make new friends. I’ve moved enough in my life to be able to understand how the whole “new friends” things works. I’ll be fine. 
Reality: There are the super nice people that are easy to talk to and easy to get along with, but there are also the people who have no interest (or seemingly no interest) in meeting or even talking to new people. I don’t know if these uninterested people have simply already found their best friends and future bridesmaids, or if they just have no interest in talking to new people. Regardless, I’ve become great friends with the people living in my hall and I’m forever thankful for them! 

 

Expectation: Taking an 8am will be so worth getting a class out of the way and having the afternoon to relax. I mean, waking up for high school really wasn’t that hard. 
Reality: An 8am class is literal death. Every night is basically a sleepover and getting to bed before 11pm is impossible when the people on your floor are awesome and fun to talk to. As I type this, my eyes are practically closing because I had an 8am this morning. Currently regretting signing up for this class. 

 

Expectation: The food will be gross and I really won’t have to worry about gaining the Freshman 15.
Reality: The food is amazing. there are so many options, and the bottomless soft serve ice cream with sprinkles is really killing me. Seriously though, the other night there were jalepeño poppers (ie deep friend jalepeños) and I about over dosed on them. So. Much. Good. Food. So. Many. Options. 

So college might not be what I was expecting, but it’s fun. I can already tell that it’s not going to be easy, but I’m taking classes that interest me beyond capacity. I honestly was questioning my major (strategic communications) but my classes have made me feel 110% better about the career that I want to go into (marketing and branding). 

So sometimes life is different than expected, but usually this difference is what teaches us new things and makes us appreciate the old and the so called “normality” of our past.

pre-college is hard

CollegeChloe Gordon1 Comment

College is a topic that I haven’t really talked about on here. I don’t know why I’ve shied away from actually talking about it, but I think it’s mainly because I have absolutely no idea what college entails. I mean yeah, I’ve seen movies about it, read books about it, met my parents college roommates, etc. But, I’m the oldest kid in my family so I don’t really have a brother or sister’s experience to learn from. And quite honestly, I feel like I’m going in blind. 


Applying for college was way easier than the stage I’m in now. Sending in final transcripts, enrolling in classes, finding a roommate, figuring out housing and meal plans, finding a time to buy stuff to decorate my dorm room, and deciding what to take to school and what to leave home. It’s all so stressful. In fact, it’s so stressful to think about that I’ve been avoiding thinking about it all together. I mean, I’m doing what I need to do but I’m trying to keep most of it out of m brain completely. College is weird, I’m telling you. 

I’ve decided to compile a list of helpful websites that I’ll eventually get down to studying/cramming in my brain. But for now, I’m just enjoying the sweet, sweet summertime before I need to start really worrying about what comes after the daunting world of college. And if college is daunting, I can only imagine what adjective there is to describe the after college experience. Ya feel? 

A Compilation of Guides for the Unaware Upcoming College Freshie 
for decorating my dorm room like a boss
8 week guide from move in 
15 dorm room essentials 
ultimate college packing list / another awesome packing list
a personal reflection of a first year in college
how to get along with your roommate 
things you didn’t know you would need in college
some freaky and weird hacks for college… 
advice for college students 
first day of classes guide

There you have it, a guide of multiple guides to college help. Does that even make sense? No? Ok, whatever, I’m still keeping that sentence in. I hope this helped you out, and I will certainly be writing all about my college experience once it happens. But for now, I’m going to continue to not worry about it. 
xox
chloe