Here are some things people often assume about university that aren’t necessarily true:

1. Big changes happen as soon as you set foot on campus. Don’t get me wrong, going to university is a stretching experience and you will change a lot during the time that you’re there. But the reality is, a lot of that change happens naturally, because—NEWSFLASH!—you’re growing up. And hopefully, that means you’re also maturing J.A lot of this change also depends on the people you spend your time with, what classes you’re taking, and the clubs and causes that you get involved in. But you need to understand, this change doesn’t hit you like a body slam all at once. This is a time of change that will happen slowly, over a long period of time.You often won’t even realize that it’s happening, until you look back in a couple of years and remember where you are at right now. Trust me, it’s pretty cool to look back and see where you’ve been.
2. Your schedule is going to be like your high school schedule. Every semester, your schedule will be different. And every day of your week will be different.You may have one day where you have an early morning class, and then nothing until late afternoon. You may have a day where you are have three classes in a row, starting at 2:30 in the afternoon. You may have nothing all day and then an evening class.Something that’s really great to learn is the ability to organize your time in between classes effectively in order to get your assignments done.
3. University education is more of a formal experience. If by formal, you mean calling your profs by their first name and having the freedom to plan your own schedule based on your workload for that semester, then… sure!The truth of the matter is, your papers and work will start to become more polished, but you won’t be walking around in dress clothes every day. You have the opportunity to questions your profs and have mature conversations that are all about of your learning process.
4. You and your roommate are going to be BFFs. We always try our best to match you up with the best possible person as your roommate based on the information that you provide to us. (BTW: ALWAYS be honest on a residence questionnaire. Don’t put what you wish you were like, but what you really are like. Otherwise, there’s no telling who you’ll be placed with and you might not like the result.)Ideally, and in most cases, you get along really well with your roommate. And often, your roommate does become one of your best friends. The reality is, though, your roommate may just be an awesome person that makes a terrific roommate, but you don’t end up being the best of friends. My roommate and I got along really well. She was really the perfect roommate to have, and we became good friends. I keep in touch with her now, even though she moved away a couple of years ago. But we were never besties. And to be honest, that worked really well.
5. University is going to be so much harder than high school. Ok, here’s the deal: you often have more work in university than you did in high school. But, it’s completely different.While in high school, there were a lot of worksheets, and practice problems, in university, it’s all papers, research, projects, presentations, and exams. While in high school, you may have had 20-30 smaller assignments that make up your final grade, in university, you’re more like to have 2-3 large assignments, and 2-3 exams that make up your final grade. So the work load is spread out differently, and the assignments look completely different.And when you first enter University, you won’t be slammed with the expectation that you already know how to do it all. We offer supports and help to get you there.

There are so many other misconceptions, and maybe later on, I’ll do a part two. But for now, don’t believe everything that you hear and see on social media and TV. Everyone’s experience is different. Just get ready for some unexpected adventure to come your way, and know that it’ll be awesome in the long run.