Fact or fiction 101

Well, I am in college now. In fact, I have been here for about three weeks. Obviously, that makes this my first column. And while I have no idea what kind of thoughts will grace this space in the future, now feels like a good time to be introspective about my first college experiences. \nCollege definitely hit me fast. I was not particularly sentimental at graduation, and throughout the summer, college did not feel that close. A month or two ago, college was still just an idea to me. \nIt was definitely an exciting concept. Going away to school would mean more freedom, more responsibility, new friends, plenty of partying and perhaps, a great deal of work. College is hyped up to be a fundamentally transformative experience – one that will shape you into a new person and give you enough stories to make you nostalgic for the rest of your life. College, it seems, has an almost mythic reputation. It was a reputation reinforced by some of the calls I received from friends who had already made the jump.\nCollege sounded like a non-stop party, one inhabited by the wildest people one could ever dream of. That was certainly consistent with everything I had learned about college from the media. \nI know now that college does indeed have tons of parties. Theoretically you could party forever. You certainly have plenty of variety: frat parties, house parties, apartment parties, theme parties and costume parties. They are all pretty wild (though anyone will admit there are a few duds here and there).\nCollege will not be a non-stop party for me though; I could never handle that. So far I have found that the most honest college lore is that of the hours you will need to clock in studying. I know a few friends who would disagree, but I am thinking a few more weeks of this whole college thing will change their minds. \nUnfortunately, the image of college life in popular culture is about as accurate for some as its image of high school. Our college experience is corrupted by our image of what we would like it to be. \nFortunately, college is still amazing, probably because other parts of the college myth hold true. I have already made plenty of new college friends. Though ironically at least half the people I have met here are from around my hometown of Chicago. \nThe freedom and responsibility are also real, however; I think it’s the responsibility that is really satisfying. So far scheduling one’s life completely autonomously is pretty cool. Still, I dreaded washing my own clothes.\nIn truth, I am not really sure why I feel so good here. I feel like I kind of have this generic positive college feeling. It could just be the myth and all the expectations that come with it living on in my head. For now, I am hoping it just comes from the fact that college is legitimately cool.