<p>Hey everyone, I'm applying RD to Harvard, and it's one of my top choice schools. I'm super excited to go, and everyone says that it will be the best years of my life....part me is kind of nervous that I'm getting my hopes up too high...and then I came across this article while looking through Penn's newspaper (where I'm also applying):</p>
<p>The</a> Daily Pennsylvanian :: Robert Hsu | Loving and hating the college experience</p>
<p>You are more likely to enjoy it if you don’t have huge, unrealistic expectations.</p>
<p>I completely agree with collegealum314, with one caveat.</p>
<p>Many students who were super-stars at their high school find themselves in the middle-of-the-pack at elite colleges. That’s true for UPenn, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and many other high-end universities. For the first time in your life, you are meeting, interacting with, and competing against uber-gifted students from around the world. And it can be demoralizing and depressing. If you’re like most students, you try what worked in high school – you re-double your efforts: you spend more time reading, more time writing papers, and more time studying. And to accomplish all of that, you have to spend less time socializing with your friends and less time sleeping – which makes you hate school.</p>
<p>The secret, which has taken my kids several years to learn, is that you must find a balance in your life. College should be about exploration, about finding your passion, your place in the world. It should be filled with friends and good times and learning and fun. If it’s just filled with the drudgery of school work, you will end up hating whatever college you attend.</p>
<p>As the college process wore on my D became absolutely certain that there were at least 30 schools where she could fit in, thrive and get a great education. Her attitude going in was that she was going to make the best of her situation and not expect perfection. As it happens, Harvard has been even better than she thought it would be.</p>
<p>Does the phrase “white peoples’ problems” come to mind?</p>
<p>Nervousness is fine. Trepidation is normal. But frankly, buck up and steel yourself. If you’ve been gifted w/tremendous academic potential, be ready to deliver. </p>
<p>Happiness is not your sole goal.</p>
<p>If you want college to be the best years of your life, I would suggest that you seek out a dreary life afterward.</p>
<p>Never trust “what college life is like” articles written by freshmen, especially first-semester freshmen. It’s common to hit exactly this kid’s patch when the shiny newness of college wears off but one hasn’t made forever friends yet–or even chosen one’s major! I’ve found things to generally improve as I get older.</p>
<p>@DwightEisenhower
LOL but you really think so? College seems like the best time in your life to make new friends and hang out with them. The part AFTER seems like the dreary part. Like, friends having kids. Eww. Friends or maybe even yourself living in suburbia. Eww. Working until death. Eww. (The friends having kids thing is the worst out of everything though. Like what’s the point of socializing with people with kids you know?)</p>
<p>You must be trolling. Nor are you funny.</p>
<p>In my defense, I was on little sleep. Actually though, yes, I am a little bit afraid of that part of the future. Call me crazy, but it would just feel awkward for me.</p>