Freshman Lies Debunked

I was in your footsteps four years ago. I came to Utah State University as a freshman with a new haircut, brand new clothes, and ready to fully embrace USU’s awesome college scene. I just wanted my college experience to be perfect from the late-night dance parties to becoming BFFs with your roommate was going to be perfect.

I’ve been here long enough to be jaded and to know that you’re not going to have a picturesque college scene . All of the hope, optimism, and warm fuzzies you’re feeling right now is just a phase that’ll pass quickly. It’s all just a lie and a facade you put on just to avoid having a panic attack during the first week of school.  

Lies your advisers tell you:

1. You’re special. Truth: The university makes everyone feel like they are unique gifts to this Earth. But you’re not. You’re just one of many students to attending an average school to get an average degree and do average-people things.
2. You’re never going to procrastinate on your homework. Truth: It’s only 3 a.m. I bet I can watch just one more episode of American Horror Story before I have to pull this essay together by 10:00 a.m.
3. You’re going to be BFFs with your roommate thanks to your roommate chore chart you just made. Truth: By the end of the year, I guarantee you’ll be plotting to kill them with the very pot they keep leaving out.
4. You’re not going avoid the “freshman 15.” Truth: It’s time to bust out the yoga pants.  
5. The Marketplace isn’t that bad…….. Truth: Until you’ve eaten nothing but pre-processed Sysco food nine months and your fingers are swollen from the high amount of sodium.
6. You’re going to look Insta-stunning all semester: Truth: You’re going to slowly morph from a selfie god to a homeless person (in part because it’s so cold outside that you have to layer up.) By October, you’ll start to slip, a messy bun here and there will quickly become more and more frequent. By December, you’ll forego makeup and hair altogether as a necessary means of survival.  
7. You’re going to marry your long-distance boyfriend who went to Snow. Truth: No.
8. You must go to college because if you go to college, you’ll get a good, high-paying job. Truth: College isn’t for everyone and dropping out is totally fine. Even if you do have a college degree, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll make enough money to take care of yourself.

Life isn’t ideal, especially in college. It’s the toughest moments like late-night study sessions and pushing yourself to learn more and more that really make the college journey worthwhile.

Morgan Pratt is super senior studying journalism and communication. She loves her husband, her dog, and USU Student Media. She hosts the Aggie Morning Word Podcast for Aggie Radio.