Two weeks of college have passed (Oh my!), so I would say I have a partial, okayish, understanding of “college life” and that I am qualified to provide some updates. So here it comes…
Expectation #1: Meet some interesting scholars
Reality:
JK. I have met some incredibly talented classmates. Why not start with my roommate? (1) He has dual citizenship in Israel (2) He can solve a Rubik cube in 18 seconds (3) He built his PC from scratch. I learn something new about him everyday. Fun fact: he eats olives as his go-to snack.
Others come from all over the world (China, India, France, etc). One friend I met has done research at Upenn. I met Harshal Deshmukh who is CEO of an organization that has taught over 3000 children in India computer literacy. Read more here: https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/article_63ac6248-8ad0-11e8-876e-3ff17af8845b.html. Another good friend of mine is founder of a company called NicNac Charities, Inc., which has recently received a quarter of a million dollars in grants. The list of fascinating classmates go on and on and I hope to interact with more throughout the coming years.
Expectation #2: Loads of free time
Reality: Not having enough time to make it to the first club meeting. Fun fact #2: There were three club meetings happening on a Monday night at the SAME EXACT TIME. I loved them all equally, but a choice had to be made. (That choice will go unnamed).
Expectation #3: Not enough time to sleep.
Reality: There is enough time to sleep, with one slight, minuscule caveat: that you manage your time effectively. I value sleep A LOT. I try to get at least 9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is like fuel for the body. I run on premium and only premium or else I crash. In college, pulling all-nighters is often glamorized, sometimes even seen as heroic. But the problem lies in the aftereffects of poor sleep: picture a groggy, moody morning where you can’t pay attention in class and then you fall behind and the cycle repeats. But, if you budget your time and make sure you get on your assignment as soon as they come up, you can make time for that wonderful 9 hour long doze. (More to come on the benefits of sleep in a future blog, so look out).
Expectation #4: Mean professors
Reality: Most professors I have interacted with are super kind and will bend over backwards to help out. My math professor announced on the first day with a smile, “There are no stupid questions” and inside my head I screamed, ”Thank YOU!!”
Expectation #5: You’ll have everything figured out pretty quickly
Reality: I thought by this point (two weeks in) I would know exactly what clubs I want to join, have a research position in a lab, find the perfect balance between social life and school work, have an understanding of the grades I can get in class, etc… But everything takes time. My dad always says, ”Things will always take twice as long as you think.” I should have listened to him because he’s right. But what I have come to learn is that taking things slow, not being overly ambitious, and realizing that things will take time is smart. Don’t worry, the time will come to do everything you ever wanted to do. But to be the happiest student and to ”kill it in class”, it requires patience.
In conclusion…
*Talk to more classmates because everyone has a story waiting to be heard.
*Sleep more!
*Don’t let your ego get ahold of you. Instead, start the semester off at a nice cruising, 25mph pace. Even 15mph won’t hurt.
I have a reputation of being Garfield among some of my friends in that I LOVE sleeping. I’m talking daily naps if possible and at least 8.5 hours a night. I am glad to find another person who shared my need for a lot of rest.
That aside – wow I love this idea for a passion blog, it is something I did not expect to find here, but I really love what you chose as your first post topic here. I appreciate the effort you went through to get those gifs live and to even find applicable photos for each expectation before and after. It was worth the effort I will say!
I do definitely need to just talk to everyone and anyone I see here though. I definitely can come across as pretty shy – though my writing styles don’t really match i guess – but wow our peers are awesome.
You ever just go around Atherton with people blasting music in their rooms or forgetting an umbrella out in the rain and think “yep that’s a valedictorian or person who did x, y and z….” just crazy to think about.
Hey, Matt!! Thank you for the kind words. YES, rest is so important. Glad you are getting the proper amount of sleep. It is crazy to consider the talent of this class. I want to learn more about other’s accomplishments/stories. But what I have noticed is it often requires building friendships first. And only once you have the friendships are those stories told. I wonder if there is any way to fast track this. I wonder if there is a ”proper/appropriate” way to encourage those unfamiliar classmates, who you are not quite friends with, to open up and tell their stories (without making them feel like they are bragging).
I can so relate to all the content in your post, my expectations based off of hearsay were nearly all wrong. College is completely different (yet better) than I had ever thought and I love that it isn’t just me who feels that way. Also, I absolutely love your use of gifs and I love the organization. Your blog is so easy and interesting to read! Great job!
Hi there! I’m super glad that you liked my post. Also, great to hear that you are loving college so far. Even though it can get stressful, I think it’s important to find the time to take advantage of all of the fun here at PSU.