10 Of The Biggest Lies Students Hear Before They Get To College

For many students, your college years are supposed to be some of the best in your life; the peak of intellectual inquiry and social opportunities.

However, many students find that once they get on campus, the reality does not match their expectations. We found a Reddit thread — titled “What was the biggest lie told to you about college before actually going?” — that gave some people the chance to voice what they saw as the biggest falsehoods about college.

We’ve collected some of the best answers below, with a few edits for clarity:

That professors don’t care about students.

“That professors won’t care about you. Even in graduate school, some of my professors are quite accommodating and caring.” — lisadisa

That there are no multiple choice tests in college.

“My AP English teacher said that the multiple choice questions we had on a test towards the end of the year was the last time we would have multiple choice questions on a test. Couldn’t have been farther from the truth.” — kfuller515

That your major doesn’t matter.

“‘Your major doesn’t matter.’ THIS. Everyone told me to major in something I loved, now I’m saving up to go back to school to do something that will earn a living.” — amkamins

That you’ll gain the “Freshman 15.”

“‘You would gain 15 pounds from drinking.’ False. You would gain 30 pounds from eating a buffet every day in the dorms.” — ivegotagoldenticket

That you have to buy all your textbooks.

“Biggest lie in college: This book is required.” — HappyMusicc

That you’re special.

“That I was smart. I’ve come to realize in university that I am exceedingly average, possibly less than average in some areas.” — Readys

That the workload is heavier than it is in high school.

“I had an AP [teacher] in high school [who] would give us hours of homework a night and she said it was nothing compared to college classes. It was a government class for god’s sake. I minored in History and Government in college and I never had that much work from any class.” — AfghanHokie

That you can wait to declare a major.

“That you don’t need to declare your major until a couple years in. While you can technically wait to declare a major the longer you wait the less likely it is that you’ll be able to finish it within 4 years.” — Rtgfvbnmjhyu

That you’ll meet your best friends.

“That I’d meet my best friends for the rest of my life. I graduated two years ago and have only seen my two roommates/best friends from college once each. Don’t get me wrong, I met a lot of great people, but no one that I would consider a life long best friend. I hang out with my best friends from high school way more frequently and they both live at least two states away.” — BrokenPug

That you’ll be busy all the time.

“‘You’re going to be busy and won’t have a lot of free time.’ I should have been told, ‘You’re going to have a sh*t load of free time. Time management is the most important skill you will need to learn.’” — TrollinForDownvotes

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10 Of The Biggest Lies Students Hear Before They Get To College