What's College Like, Really?

A lot of people get their memories of college all mixed up with their memories of being between 17 and 23 years old. They recall getting pledged, going to mixers or beer bongs as essential to the academic experience. Back in the previous ice age, when I had my freshman year twice, my mother and I had the idea that really nice clothes were key to attracting a husband, which was a serious part of the college plan for many young women at the time. It shouldn't be a surprise then that so many of my contemporaries say I must be having a lot of fun now that I'm back in school.
A lot of entertainment is built into the student schedule. Late night sports events featuring music, food and door prizes are set up twice a week, in addition to dances, talent shows, intramural sports, fund-raisers, and a whole lot more, plus the opportunity to do some volunteer work. If a student planned carefully enough, he or she could spend all the time outside of class having a lot of fun and meeting a lot of people.
Fortunately, all that is optional, including the hip-hop soundtrack that accompanies most organized campus activities. I love my fellow students, of course, and I enjoy spending time with them, but I'm doing a lot better academically now that I see the dividing line between being a student and being a young adult. That line has a lot to do with what I want to be once I graduate: being an adjunct professor requires higher grades and better relationships with my professors than my previous goals did.
When I was focused on becoming a disc jockey and later a journalist, nobody cared if I got a few Cs, except for my parents. Having a good time was considered part of the required life experience for the upcoming career. Now it feels like I am preparing a transcript for review by a committee of Vogons.
Thank God that so far the classes have been both interesting and terrifying enough to keep me awake. Despite the 700 pages of reading that was required over the holidays, I am having fun being back in school -- and this time, I can remember what I did Friday nights.