TomServo

I figure that now a lot of lurking Freshman have had their first semester or quarter, we can talk about things that, after having attended college for a while, you found either didn't live up to the hype, or things that weren't hyped enough. This isn't a freshman-only thread, I'd be interested in anybody's input (if they're a college student or graduate).

Overrated:

-fraternities/sororities
-classes as a way to meet people (maybe I'm in the wrong classes being a STEM-major in male-dominated fields, but I find lecture-heavy classes with little or no class participation virtually worthless for making friends)
-textbooks (in HS you were used to needing the textbook to survive the class, as your homework often came straight from the book, in college you can often substitute and older book or go without it entirely and still do fine in the class)

Underrated:

-studying (in HS studying was something your parents made you do and didn't seem that important, they really need to tell incoming college students how important studying is, it's arguably more important than attending lecture)
-the used book/game/movie stores (having a new crop of brand new students every year means local used stores of this kind always have eclectic inventories with a lot of cheap gems)

Yakyu Spirits

Your parents had to force you to study? I guess your high school wasn't rigorous enough.

RoxSox

^Lots of people didn't even have to study in high school, including me. My high school wasn't rigorous at all, most people went on to community college after graduating, if they did at all. But lots of people from those types of high schools do really well in college, so the rigor of your high school pretty much doesn't matter at all unless you're trying to get into HYPSM or something.

Kalthar

Overrated
student-student/student-teacher discussions via smaller classes- basically turns into a "hey, check out all the insightful **** I have to say" or "hey, I don't know what i'm talking about, but look how good I am at rambling"

Underrated
having roommates- lot more fun than I thought it'd be

sciencenerd

^ I agree about the discussion thing. I was expecting more philosophical discussions in class. I have only seen this so far in one humanities class I have taken. Such a shame that such discussion is not fostered especially in STEM classes.

holden888

Not always, it depends on who your professor is. Mine used the textbook always and models his exams after the HW we have in the book

leolibby

underrated:
snuggies. yes, they are retarded, but if you wear one to class, the teacher will think you are slow and give you extra credit. If you wear it to graduation, you get a job already lined up.

overrated:
that guy in the mcdonald's jump suit who smells like pee. Dude, he's just a retard.. he doesn't have super powers.. and he can't hold a candle to the snuggie people

Skankinoes

Overrated:
-The sex/hook up scene. The only people that I know that get laid and hook up are people in relationships. Random hooking up rarely happens (maybe depends on school? I attend a man-castle so that probably affects things)
-Partying all the time. Kinda makes you feel like s**t after a while.
Underrated:
-Dorm halls and activities. I love hanging out with my friends at the dorms.
-Road trips! Be sure to take a spontaneous road trip at least once. Out of all the upsides of college, crazily enough a 200-300 mileish road trip was the highlight my whole semester.

DCHurricane

Overrated:
-The whole "you can make friends with anyone" thing
-The whole "it's so easy to get laid" thing

Underrated:
-You can usually end up taking some really awesome classes

ThisCouldBeHeavn

Why would you expect philosophical discussion in a STEM class?

October47

Overrated:

- the "college experience"
Getting in debt so you can spend four years living in a cell and eating crappy food? No thank you.

- going to school out of state
So many of my friends just had to go out of state to get away. Those who weren't forced to move back in-state because of financial reasons have no clue how they're going to pay it all off. Sadly, they don't seem too worried about it either...
Basically, go where you can afford to go.

- "financial aid" which usually means paying off loans for at least the next 10 years of your life

- sports

Underrated

- community colleges. I have no doubt there are probably some worthless community colleges out there, but there are also some pretty great ones. It costs basically nothing, especially if you can get state scholarships or some other kind of scholarship. I also got to take a lot of cool classes for my major right away, in my first semester. Just make sure your credits transfer.

- that said, the show Community

- internships and real-world experience

- preparing for finals before final week. Sadly this is still a bad habit of mine...

- majoring in something you're actually interested in, not what your parents want you to do or what *might* have you earning the most money

- electives and taking classes just for fun

clockwork

overrated:
dorm life - all 3 years my roommates have isolated themselves... this year my roommate probably hasn't even said more than ten sentences to me which were from me asking questions.
all gen ed. classes - always studied the day before a test the first year and a half of college and ended up with a 4.0
parties - they aren't hosted often here and pretty much consist of nothing but drinking games anyways
meal plan - sick of eating the same thing every day... cereal, sandwich, salad... ughhhhh... also, i definitely don't eat enough to even cover a third of the cost of the food i pay for (i know part of it goes to cafeteria workers for making the food, but i never eat the "home made dinners" as they're usually quite fatty, so this depends on the student).
professors - sometimes tell us incorrect information (opposite from what book says) and then give a test question on it and you don't know what the hell to do... have been having a problem with understanding some accents or having quiet teachers... also some professors that test you on material that hasn't been taught in lecture and can't be learned from the textbooks provided
making friends in classes - people are there to learn, nobody talks during lectures.
going to class - most lecture notes are posted online or you're going to learn everything from the book anyways (have to read for details)... that being said, i almost never miss class just in case...

underrated:
studying for higher level classes - take a break for a week (like not studying during thanksgiving break) and you might get screwed
clubs/activities - pretty much all social life surrounds these, best chance to make friends through these
laptops in class - fast notes, won't miss anything the teacher says, able to look something up quickly if necessary
sports - not too many people care about the games (i know this isn't the case for other schools); example: first time we're going to be in the BCS and there were still a lot of empty seats for the student section before the game... also, our record-breaking 89 wins in a row for basketball had fans show up, but all they did was sit around and watch (commentators were making fun of our lack of enthusiasm) in dead silence the whole time, not even cheering afterwards.

It should be noted that all of these probably depend on what college you're attending.

Arydesia

October47 -- I love Community!! You're the first person I know, other than my brother, who's actually seen the show and likes it. I can't laugh about it with my friends, because none of them watch it ;( Yay Jeff and Abed

TomServo

I think you win the thread. Not that small class sizes are overrated, I find it great to be able to ask a question during lecture. A lot of people who rave about the ability to learn humanities and so forth from in-class discussion just don't know what they're talking about. You get a lot more out of an on-line forum discussion on a humanities topic where you get to talk with people from all over the world who are interested in the topic at hand, rather than whoever is in your class room.

FWIW, in-class discussions in my experience turn into discussions about favorite pies or weird tricks you can do with your hands (and yes, that's instructor-led).

TomServo

?????? I don't think I'm familiar with that chap.