The college myth

The first year is always the hardest; once you get past your freshman year, school is a breeze.

This is the same mantra that I have heard teachers telling students variations of since I was a freshman in high school. Although I guess it is true to some extent in high school—isn't everything easy then, it's not like being a freshman was really that difficult to adjust to—I wouldn't say the same for college?

It's not even that college is extremely difficult or unenjoyable, it's just the simple fact that it's not a breeze. The shows that you watch on ABC Family about happy college students who are all in one Greek organization or another and go to a different party every night of the week isn't really the typical college life—okay, at least not for those who want to graduate in four years.

Admittedly, my life is definitely not all that typical either. But, I'd like to think that most students, like me, are busy all day with classes, social and academic organizations, and jobs and then spend their nights studying and typing, what feels like, their hundredth paper of the night.

What about that seems like a breeze? Nothing.

As a freshman, I took mainly LAE's, wasn't nearly as involved in campus organizations as I am now, and had three fewer jobs than I do now.

I'm not telling you this to make college sound horrible, I'm just telling you that coming to college with the expectation of just flying by isn't going to cut it. The classes don't get easier each year—think about it, the course numbers are going up, not down.

You are going to have to learn to balance your time between having fun and being responsible, which only becomes more complicated as you become more involved and start taking classes where you actually have to study—unheard of, right?!

According to Muskingum University Registrar statistics from 2008, only 53 percent of students graduated or completed the programs they enrolled in over a six year period.

Think about it. Half of the students living in your hallway right now, half of the students you met at Muskie Preview, half of the students you see and share classes with every day—they may not ever graduate or complete college. How many of those students, like me and you, were told not to worry and believed that they could just sail through college in the same way they did high school? After all, college only gets easier after our freshman year.

And it's not just the teachers that drill that mentality into our heads. Movies and television shows have been coming out for years depicting college parties and newly independent students "living the life" and graduating from college in the top of their class.

I can't help but think that maybe too many students are closet ABC Family fans and think that college really does consist of joining a Greek organization, going to fun parties every night where nothing bad ever happens and no one gets busted, and rarely attending classes while maintaining a 4.0 GPA is the typical college life.

Hopefully you enjoy your college experience, but don't take to heart the idea that it will get easier every year. If you're doing it right, it should be a wild and crazy, busy time filled with struggling to maintain the balance of a social life while always focusing on succeeding academically. After all, you're paying to learn, not to party.