so THIS is college

Growing up watching movies about college and having an older brother, I had a lot of preconceived ideas of what college would be like. I also took a year off after high school and went abroad, so all my friends are sophomores, so I thought I knew EXACTLY what I was getting into.  Within the first few days I already had my own group of friends, with new inside jokes and party memories (or reminders of what happened) to talk about.  The fears of being alone and struggling quickly melted away as the week before classes slipped through our fingers.  Everything I had heard was true! I wandered the streets and there were parties everywhere.  I wandered the dorm and new smiling faces waited behind every door. Of course it wasn't ultimate freedom compared to my year off, but all things considered, it looked like a wonderful, easy, fresh start.  

Of course, that 5 day weekend HAD to come to an end.  I HAD to go to bed before five in the morning.  I HAD to get a notebook and pen.  I HAD to do school work for the first time in over a year, and thats when it hit me.  WORK?!? Why don't they do work in the movies?? Why did my friends only tell me about the amazing parties and not the all night study groups?? What had I gotten myself into? My first instinct was to run away.  I had tasted full freedom.  I want to travel the world helping people, not be locked in what appears to be a much larger high school with much larger windows and much better weekends!! Where did this class thing fall into my plans? Of course I came to school to learn, but not to take notes and be lectured.  How can we be expected to sit in a lecture hall five days a week? PLUS all the homework.  If I have to read one more section of one more textbook I just might lose my mind! 

One thing that I really can't comprehend is how I'm supposed to know now what I want to do with the rest of my life.  I'm nineteen years old I don't know if I want to be a businesswomen, a lawyer, an astronaut, or a flavor inventor at Soy Delicious Ice Cream factory! I don't understand how I'm supposed to know what I want to do in 20 years time! Can't i just take philosophy and sit under trees trying to figure out just how we can prevent the human race from committing environmental suicide? I guess that would be an option, if I didn't have to sell an organ to cover the cost of each class.  

Anyway, before I knew what hit me, my day planner was packed with homework assignments, I had been embarrassed in front of multiple rooms of people I don't know, and I'd decided my life's course will be in business.  What a busy week! All I think about in class is the weekend, but even then I'm worried how I'll ever get the homework done! Although the weekends are straight from the films, college should come with a warning, "Must Do Work Until You Loose Sanity."  I guess I finally really know what college is like.