5 College Myths Debunked

Everyone has different expectations of college. As a high schooler, you hear input from all sorts of places: your siblings, older friends, teachers, and parents. Not to mention the numerous letters you receive everyday from universities you've never heard of claiming they're the best choice for you. All of this can be overwhelming. I know, I was there not so long ago - only about a year. So instead of adding on to that never ending list of college expectations and options, I'm going to tell you the 5 college myths that have (so far) proven to be untrue.

1. The Freshman 15 

I don't know if it's all the walking you have to do across campus, the free sports and activities, or what, but the Freshman 15 has proven to be a myth so far for me and many of my friends here. Another great thing about IU is that (except for Collins) our dining halls are not buffet style - you pay per item, which makes you more conscious about what (and how much) you are eating.

Warning! I'm debunking the myth of the freshman 15 ON CAMPUS. You will quickly accept any and all free food, so beware when you go home! You will miss home cooked food and your parents will miss you so much that they will bombard you will food. And you will happily eat it all.

2. College is easier than high school

I definitely heard this from quite a few people I knew in college. Now I'm not saying that college is more difficult than high school, I just wouldn't say it's easier. My word of choice would be different. I definitely have a lot more reading to do in college than I did in high school, but I also want to do it more than I did in high school. This is probably because you get to choose your classes, and therefore you can choose cool topics that interest you.

3. The food is gross

It's easy to get sick of a dining hall if you go to the same one every day. But if you get up the energy, try to check out some of the different dining halls! The Restaurants at Woodland (pictured below) are new, and they have so many delicious options! A personal favorite of mine is also the chicken pesto panini at Union Street Market

See all IU's food options here :http://www.rps.indiana.edu/menushours.cfml

4. You'll have giant lecture classes

Even though I had one lecture class with 160 students, most of my classes range between 20 and 30 students. My first semester of my freshman year, I had a gen-ed class with 6 people. Plus, even if you have lectures, you'll probably have a smaller, personalized discussion section.

5. You'll never sleep

There seems to be a general notion that you won't get any sleep in college. This simply isn't true. Unless you wait until midnight every night to do homework for the next day in which you also have an 8 AM, you'll probably get plenty of sleep. I haven't had an 8 AM so far, and hopefully (knock on wood) I won't have to. This means that most days even if I don't go to bed until midnight or 1 AM, I still get a good 8-9 hours of sleep before I have to wake up for class.

Want to know what others think about college myths? Check out these blogs:

• http://www.weareiu.com/blog/cat-huynhs-blog/6-common-misconceptions-about-greek-life-at-iu-and-the-truth
• http://www.weareiu.com/blog/meanwhile-in-bloomington/fact-or-fiction-the-biggest-college-myths