College Myths

Several college myths exist, though some are rarely true. Surely you have some sloshing in your brain right now. Round ‘em up and stick them into the attic. Let’s separate truth from myth.

A Highly Respected University has Top-notch Professors

Many U.S. presidents come from highly respected universities and we both know that they’re not created equal. Some are good leaders. Some are good followers. And some are just good at raising taxes for the people who can’t afford them in the first place.

Further, college administrators are reluctant to provide information about their schools since the media started ranking them. No one wants to get shafted in public for all to see, not surprising. Even still, the ranking of colleges by U.S. News is not verified and critics say that some “reviewers” falsify or sway data*. Some reviewers aren’t honest with their answers and, for example, donations from alumni count as a form of customer satisfaction. To cheat the system, some colleges have spread a single donation over several years to bring a college’s ranking up.

With that in mind, highly respected schools dwell in a society that’s not perfect. Therefore, perfection is unattainable. Still, they have to meet the demand for the several hundred, if not thousands, students who apply to their colleges each year. So they have to relax their professional standards with low-notch professors. Correction. They must lower their standards to meet with the demand.

Since the College has a Beautiful Campus, the Inside of the School is Divine

This is simply judging a book by its cover, although admittedly, some title pages beg for a slash through! A beautiful campus can be a sign that the gardener is paid well, but nothing else. Beauty is only skin deep, so ask yourself, ‘Would you rather have a lovely campus and lackluster professors, or a tore-up-from-the-floor-up campus and Nobel prize winning professors?’

Racism on the College Campus Doesn’t Exist

College students live in a world with the rest of us (okay then, most of us). Many come from different lifestyles, cultures and parts of the world. They bring with them their discrimination, prejudices and quirks. They suffer from the ills of general society–including racism–even at top schools. Racism on the college campus exists. During the writing of this article, a hangman’s noose was found on an African-American professor’s door at Columbia University in New York City, one of the top tier schools in the country**. No school is immune to racism, though most of them try to encourage student diversity on campus.

College Students Have a Higher Education Level than Non-college Students

Granted, the goal of a college student is not only to receive a degree, but also to receive an education. Students will be exposed to things that they hadn’t imagined like where the first writings appeared; the philosophy of Plato and Socrates; does global warming exist, and if so, how do humans play a role; and how to implement the Pigeon Hole Principle within a math-related class (don’t worry, it’s not as intimidating as it sounds).

Non-college students can read the same class textbooks and materials that college students read. That is, they can if they want too. The trouble is that most people don’t go out of their way to seek this kind of knowledge on a regular basis. They don’t assign themselves research papers. They don’t wake up at nine o’clock in the morning to review Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalytic Theory from a psychology textbook then tests themselves on it. People tend to read what interests them and toss the things they dread. It’s completely normal. College students can’t do that because professors will make sure they don’t.

College Students Gain 15 Pounds Their First Year, the “Freshman 15″

Some students gain 15 pounds in their first year of college. This is known as the Freshman 15. Food in the cafeteria is not exactly home cooking. It’s fast food. If you’re going to cheat on your diet, the food should be divine, not taste like a chamomile tea box, like the food in some school cafeterias.

Students don’t have to gain the “Freshman 15.” There is no rule that says students can’t eat off campus. Some fast-food joints have grilled meats and soup and salad alternatives. But eating healthy doesn’t mean not eating. It’s a lifestyle choice. And unless you cut out eating at a restaurant altogether, forever, you have to be in a position to choice wisely.