I’m a second semester freshman — already.

It’s strange to think how time passes so quickly, and how the same fear and excitement I had almost a year ago while visiting this campus has either amplified or evaporated. My perception of being a freshman college student versus actually being a freshman college student has shifted completely. 

With Admitted Student Days spanning through the months of February to April at the University, I cringe at the fact that I’m almost going to be a sophomore — a grade level which is often known as the “awkward” year; we aren’t considered babies who are fresh to campus, but we aren’t experienced juniors or ruling seniors. We’re just, there. Living on campus and experiencing college life for almost a year, though, has taught me a lot. Many of the myths my peers and I thought were true have transformed.

Myth 1: No one takes attendance in college — so you don’t have to go to class.

High school had always been an endless torture of avoiding tardies and absences. As a high schooler, I used to look forward to being a college student — being able to make my own decisions of when I want to go to class. A lot of classes on campus, however, have teachers who do take attendance. Even in big lecture classes, we have i>Clickers, which tally who is there and who is not. And even if you do not care about i>Clicker points, because participation is a small grade, you definitely will not absorb the material in the same way as if you went to class. After all, textbooks and lecture slides are completely different for many teachers, and you will only break down the lecture slides in class. Personally, the guilt kills me when I don’t go to class. My parent’s are paying thousands of dollars for me to attend, so by sleeping in and missing my macroeconomics class, I’ve just flushed their money down the drain.

Myth 2: You don’t get enough sleep.

I’ve spent many of my high school days with groggy eyes and a messy attire because I only got four hours of sleep the night before. And while it’s true that this happens in college too, there is something wonderful about not taking back-to-back classes as I did in high school. Nothing is more satisfying than going back to my dorm and being able to nap. According to the Center of Advancing Health, just 8 percent of high school students get enough sleep. Most college students, on the other hand, get between six and seven hours of sleep per night, which falls within the range of the recommended six to ten hours. With the flexibility of schedules and proper planning, it is possible to be awake in your classes and function properly during the day. By keeping a planner and timetable, you can schedule in hours to work, hours for break and hours to sleep. If you have major exams coming up, you should get a good night’s sleep instead of cramming information last minute. Regardless of a college student’s busy schedule, getting enough sleep is possible.

Myth 3: You’ll be pressured into drinking.

We’ve constantly been told in high school, through our health education classes and parents, that we’ll be pressured into drinking. While it’s true that we are exposed more to drinking culture, it’s not true that if we don’t succumb to it then we won’t fit in. Of course, if a student is trying to befriend a certain friend group who does these activities, then it may be tough, as social pressure might get to them. But it comes down to choice and sensibility. We are put in such environments to test us and see how much we have learned from these lectures about drinking we’ve received. But in all honesty, I haven’t been pressured at all to succumb to any of these drinking activities. In fact, none of my friends have. If people want to drink, they’ll drink, if they don’t, then that’s acceptable too. It is a personal choice.

Myth 4: You don’t learn anything in large classes.

It can be difficult to learn anything in large classes. In fact, that’s why I avoided choosing some universities over others after hearing their class sizes. However, I’ve come to realize that that’s not the case. In every large class I’ve had at the University, I’ve had TAs who have discussion sections in which we go over class material. Professors also have office hours in which you can discuss questions and concerns. We also have technology where one email can clarify any misconception. Learning is up to you and how much effort you put in, but there are resources available at college at the end of the day.

Overall, freshman year has been an experience — however, any of the preconceived notions I’ve held have changed, if not reversed. College is about personal choice and building your own lifestyle, one that fits you.

Simran is a freshman in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].