There are a few myths that we need to debunk, before we prepare for our first year in college. For many high school students, college can be full of half-truths and pure myths. Here are some of them:
- There’s nothing substantial we can do until our junior year: This myth is often perpetuated by many academic advisors and counsellors. It is true that we won’t be able to pick a major until our junior year, however it doesn’t mean that we won’t have a clue about what major we should choose. The initial multi-disciplinary year should provide us with more clarity about what major we should choose. We should figure out our goals, before we got college. We should plan to take an internship or create our own major. We should know what we want before we arrive.
- We can only choose rigid sets of schedules and majors: College life can be highly customizable and in some colleges, it is even possible to create our own major. As an example, we may want to prioritize on 21st century terrorism and classes related to this subject may not be available. Independent studies can be quite awesome, because we can make it up. With tacit support of an academic advisor or professor, our proposed study courses could be approved. In this case, we set our own curriculum. It means that we learn what we want and write what we want. Many students really enjoy this kind of tailor-made learning experience.
- College is all about parties: Contrary to popular beliefs, many college students don’t have enough time to go to too many parties. In fact, if we don’t get our stuff done, it is very likely that we won’t be partying and having fun for very long. In this case, we should be aware that time management is essential in college. Students are allotted specific time for work and although there’s enough time to play, there are also significant commitments that need to be made.
- Living in campus will be really fun: For incoming freshmen, living on campus ground can be a really interesting prospect. In this case, they’ll get to meet many new people and they can live near classes. However, college life can also be overrated. Our roommate may not be a wonderful person and we may need to deal with noisy neighbours. Also, if we tend to be noisy at home, we will need to deal with complaining neighbours. In this case, students should learn how they can live with others with enough respect. It is important for them to properly immerse themselves in the school life.
- College will be prohibitively expensive: It is true that college won’t be cheap, but there are many opportunities we can choose to secure enough funds. We could apply for every scholarship and grant programs. We could also routinely fill out FASFA forms. If our parents are working in a bigger company, there could be a scholarship option for children.
College is a huge experience for everyone and by debunking these myths, high school students will become more prepared.