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College is not the real world

This winter has been crazy so far. A few early closings and snow days, and thanks to Punxsutawney Phil, we have six more weeks of winter. All of these school closings that we have had and the ones that are to come have me thinking about what we will miss after we graduate. Yes, in a few short months we will be graduating and fleeing away to the real world. Believe it or not, college is not real life, and there are some things that we will have to get used to.

First, we are going to have to start paying for everything ourselves, and I mean everything. If you’re part of that 99%, then you will be ever so lucky to have loan companies calling you up after that six month grace period. Do you think your parents will continue to keep you on the family plan? No way. They are counting down the days when they don’t have to pay for your unlimited 4G (thanks, mom). Are you still on a meal plan? Yeah, that (pretty much) vanishes once you receive your diploma. It’s time to hit the stores seniors — budget cuts are real.

Have you enjoyed your winter, spring, and for some of us, summer breaks? Say goodbye to those as well. I don’t know about all of you, but I know that I have spent unhealthy amounts of time binging on The Sopranos, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Archer thanks to Amazon Prime Instant Video. When we get out there, we will be lucky just to even get a break to play a game of Trivia Crack. Cruises, trips to Vegas, and those ski vacations are going to have to wait just a little bit longer as your boss needs you to stay through the weekend for the Johnson account.

Speaking of breaks, I know that almost all of us are guilty of skipping classes. Are you still hungover from Biergarten on Tuesday? Then just stay in bed and nurse it with some pretzels and half pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Besides, your Intro to Sociology professor just posts all the notes online anyways. But when you’re employed, you will have to pop a couple of Advil, chug a few bottles of water, and tough it out through the day. The only reason for you to skip work is if you have crippling pneumonia or are dead.

These are only a few of the differences between college and the real world. I feel that we are sometimes pampered here in college, and that to me is unnatural. The college environment feels so artificial when you try to compare it to what living outside of our community is like. But for now, let’s just continue to take advantage of every single thing that is handed to us, like the free food at events, not paying for the heating bill, and watching all of Avatar: The Last Airbender on your smartphone.

 

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