What are American college like from day to day? I live and study in europe, but it wasn't really how i expected college to be like. I feel like I'm missing out on the whole "college experience". Just wanted to know how college in the states was actually like. So how is studying, social and general college life like there?
>walk to campus
>go to lectures
>go back to apartment
>browse 4chan
>walk back to campus for afternoon lectures
>go home and do homework
>>52555409
So, how is the social life then? Like, do you know everyone in your class or more like you have a group of people you know? Also, do you hang out with your schoolmates outside/after class?
>>52555486
Would also like to know how dorm life is like, since I don't live in a dorm either.
didn't do anything social maybe grab a lunch with friend or something
greek life was for the out-of-staters since they can live dorms
It really depends on the University though.
>>52555486
I'm a boring person so I don't do much outside of class. However, I know or recognize most people in my degree since we take alot of the same classes. Dorm life was when I did my socializing since its like 90 people on a floor
>>52555749
College here don't really have dorms. Just some scattered student houses where people from several nearby colleges live. So most socialising here is done at school. Btw, how was the dorm parties? We only ever have parties at our school pub, since dorm life don't really exist here.
>>52555749
Did college match your expectation of how it was? Did you feel you got the "college experience".
>>52556110
Dorm "parties" are pretty sterile considering RAs will break up anything that gets too loud. However, that's not to say we still screwed around like holding nerf battles or sliding down the halls with sleds
>>52556412
Really? Thought dorm parties had loud music with lots of beer flowing and girls hooking up with you,
>>52556594
Nah. The dorms are owned by the university so they don't like music at night or hard liquor. That's not to say you can have a couple friends in your room and drink with the door closed
>>52557063
Ok, but what about extracurricular activities. What were those like?
>>52557214
Numerous
>>52557483
So, in short, there is no real "college experience"? Atleast not how its potrayed in films and such.
>>52557871
If you are in a fraternity (or a house or apartment off campus, it is much easier to get alcohol and have louder parties - it's expected. It is true that dorms are owned by the colleges, and they have supervisors (older students) to enforce rules - loud get-togethers still happen of course, it's just kept under control a bit more. Dorms are also filthy.
When you live on-campus it is much easier to have "the college experience". I had a core group of 5-6 other lads I hung out with, and it was easy to hang out in other people's rooms.
It's also easier to get up to shenanigans. In freshman year, several of us walked around in the heating tunnels underneath the campus on multiple occasions. There were large sections of hidden, sealed-off space that we poked around in. This is called "tunnel hacking", and is a simple, common form of urban exploration.
>>52558320
To add to this guy's post, house parties get close to what you see in the movies
But it depends if you're in a college town or not. At mine, most students ranted houses close to campus
>>52558619
Kind of wished there were dorms here, much better than everyone just living scattered around.
>>52555247
I lived in a frat house. 10/10 experience, strongly recommend
>wake up no earlier than 10am every day cus I didn't register for any classes before noon
>roommate already gone cus he's a tryhard overachiever who wants to go to grad school
>shower in the communal showers, walk out on porch nice bathrobe to gaze upon the sun
>get dressed, briefly catch up on reading, start walking to class
>go to classes in different buildings across campus, total distance walked probably 4 miles each day
>go to the dining halls for lunch, eat with one of my frat brothers before we go to our next class together
>done with classes by 5:00, head to the library and study / work for however long I need to (unless it's a Friday)
>hitch a ride back to the frat house, if it's a Friday I'll help set things up for the party
>if there's no party, usually end up watching tv or playing calladooty with friends and smoking weed afterwards
>if there's a party, I'll try to convince a girl to come up to my room to "check out my aquarium" (it's a shitty one with a pleco in it)
>>52559579
Yeah dorms are a good way to meet people outside your degree early on
>>52558619
OH GOD dude you reminded me. Thanks. I have to tell the swede this story before I go out for lunch.
So at the end of freshman year, we were all moving out, and the rooms were opened up for cleaning and inspection. We noticed that a padlock for the roof access was undone, for the first time. We all looked at each other. ',:^)
So we go into this attic space, and it's just an attic. but at the end of the attic is a space, just outside an old fourth-floor unit. Then we saw it.
A large wooden panel, about the size of a door. Absolutely plastered over every inch of this panel, was vintage pornography. 1970's Playboy/Penthouse/Hustler material, mostly, I assume. It was the spank-wall, and someone actually built this thing and left it there. probably used it as well.
It hadn't been removed as of ten years ago, and is in a disused attic. I like to imagine it is still there, to this very day, resting quietly over the room of an unsuspecting feminist.
>>52555247
>"college experience"
>>52555486
>So, how is the social life then?
You have to make an effort to befriend people because there isn't any necessary interaction with your peers like there is in high school. Your social life in college depends on how much effort you put into it.
>Like, do you know everyone in your class or more like you have a group of people you know?
Group of people. Some classes can get as big as 250 people or so, it'd be impossible to know everybody. In upper level classes it's more common to know people in your class just because they're smaller and you usually have 3 or 4 similar classes a semester.
>>52555643
I can't speak for everybody, but my dorm room freshman year was situated like this: I shared a room with one other person, and the door to the bathroom connected us to two other people. It was kind of uncomfortable at times as you need to communicate what you want to do with your roommate. Even something as simple as going to sleep early can be difficult when you share a room.
Went to a pretty typical large privatw university
Would wake up and go to my two hour long classes a day four times a week. I would usually spend a couple hours in the library or conputer labs finishing homework during the week. In my free time I would play video games and go out in the city with friends once on weekends.
On something a little more unrelated, how much did college cost for you guys? Also, was there a pressure of succeding because of that? How did you pay for it?
>>52555247
Whats wrong with the european university life though?
No forced interactions, no social pressure, no one to bother you.
>>52562255
$120k total for four years, out of state tuition
That only includes rent or food for the first two years, doesn't include club dues, travel costs, or textbooks.
>>52562255
Everything (tuition, room, board, etc.) costs around $15k/year at a state school. I got a scholarship from my state government for completing IB, which gives me about $3k/year. My parents pay for the rest of it. I'm lucky in that I don't have to work a job or take out loans to afford college, but a lot of people aren't so fortunate here.
I'm doing well in a hard major so my parents don't pressure me too much, but I can't really speak for everyone. I am much harder on myself than they ever could be, but that's just me personally.
>>52562612
Thought this at first though. But, desu, the social interractions are actually pretty good part of university. I feel a lot of european colleges lacks this, or atleast it is a lot less than what the americans have.
>>52562614
>out of state tuition
why
