10 college myths debunked

My time in college can be very much likened to a role-playing video game. Every time I realized something was a myth to my own benefit, I felt I genuinely leveled up, with my health points increasing after every social and academic struggle. Professors were boss fights, while chicken strips from the cafeteria served as potions. Moral support from mom and dad? Elixirs.

So here it is, a list of myths that I’ve come to debunk over my four-year stay in college. If it’s your first day of your first year in college, this could be your ten-strong potion to your new life as a freshman.

1. MYTH: You’ll gain the inevitable “Freshman 15” pounds. (Fig. 1.1)

REALITY: The “Freshman 15” myth once referred to an “amount (somewhat arbitrarily set at fifteen pounds) of weight often gained during a student’s first year at college due to increased alcohol intake, consumption of fat, and carbohydrate-rich cafeteria food.” The truth is, you might even gain way more than 15 or lose 15, depending on what kind of friends you hang out with. But it’s all up to you. Physical education, gym availability, oval tracks, ultimate frisbee teams, running to and fro your classrooms, the overall stress of being a naïve child, and peer-induced vanity are all chances to stay in shape — and people are actually able to do so.

2. MYTH: College is not the real world.

REALITY: While some group projects may only simulate a legit business venture, exercising your social skills and learning from your errors can actually qualify for real-world exposure. Some of you might even get into orgs where event management and public relations become skills you end up honing. Some of you might even put up your own food stand and earn a profit. In the end, whatever course you take in college exposes you to real people in real situations. So go ahead and challenge yourself — and by challenging I don’t mean hoard a dozen orgs.

3. MYTH: Conyo people are stingy and full of themselves.

REALITY: It doesn’t mean that if you talk English 95 to 98% of the time with boat shoes (Fig. 1.2) to match, you are automatically a well-off asshole who takes people for granted. The point is you’ll definitely get to rub elbows with people who grew up with English as their native twang, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be nice. Besides, show-offs can take the form of average non-conyo folks as well. Your best bet is to hang out with people who are chill and considerate non-psychopaths — hard to find, yes, but that’s why college is fun.

4. MYTH: You can’t shift, or that it’s difficult to do so.

REALITY: Of course you can. Shifting to a different course or even school isn’t the taxing task you’re used to hearing. Certain courses will require interviews and a certain grade point average, but once you know that course is right for you, then there should be no stopping you.

5. MYTH: Hot girls will ignore you.

REALITY: The hottest and cutest of girls (Fig. 1.3) will not only mind you, but they will ask for your number (which you’ll write hard on an awkwardly torn piece of Cattleya filler paper to make sure she gets every digit), text you, call you, take you on a random tricycle ride to a salon — all for the purpose of consulting you for homework. Or, they could be into you but don’t know it yet. You never know. On the whole, college really is one big soiree with ashtrays. Boys will have to work with girls and vice versa for group work and the like. Scoring her number, though, doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend waiting for her in the cafeteria during breaks. But I’m willing to bet that her boyfriend might even look just like you. Creepy, but possible.

6. MYTH: Probinsyanos are dorky geniuses, majoring in something with applied chemistry.

REALITY:  Of course, there’s some truth to the myth — usually the ones who go to the big colleges in Manila are the top students in their high schools. But the truth is, your seatmates from Cagayan de Oro or Leyte are just like you and as such, you can never really fully tell what they’re like until you get to know them.

7. MYTH: Jocks are jerks.

REALITY: Semi? Some varsity players might be the type to borrow a.k.a. steal your Philosophy notes, while some might even be the ones who save your group during a Philosophy oral exam by way of pure charisma. Some might even end up as your best friend. (Fig. 1.4)

8. MYTH: You can party every day and get away with it.

REALITY: Obviously, some people can, while the rest absolutely cannot. A student I know, for example, had party-puke aftertaste in his mouth yet still passed a long test he took at 7:30 a.m. the next day. Rolling that way can sometimes take forever, not just practice. Besides, parties don’t happen all the time and when they do, they can be pretty dorky and sweaty (Fig. 1.5).

9. MYTH: Becoming your teacher’s pet won’t work this time.

REALITY: Just as students have favorite teachers, teachers also have favorite students. Oral exams and essays, for instance, are still based on a teacher’s personal bias, meaning pets are likely to score an A more than your aloof, book-smart non-pet. This doesn’t hold true for every class, though. Some teachers are righteous and prefer no pets.

10. MYTH: Top universities will give you a top career.

REALITY: It depends how far you take your course, regardless of school color. Bagging that internship, finding a mentor, and joining the right org are all chances you can take to turn your strange lengthily-named course into a package that future employers will not only like, but will find good use for.