Starting college can be an exciting time in a young person’s life. Long gone are the days where one has to wake up early for school, go to classes that are assigned, be allowed to eat lunch once the bell rings, or be confined to certain extracurricular activities.

Replacing all that is a completely new schedule of your own: which classes to attend, when to take breaks or eat lunch, which clubs to join that will fit in with your own schedule and who to meet and make friends with, not simply because you are confined in the same environment for four years.

However, the expectations and the realities of what college really is can differ greatly depending on the person.

Katie Mori, freshman biology major, expected college to be much more difficult with teachers who could not care less about you.

“My teacher in high school told us that you would either sink or swim in college because the teachers don’t care about what happens to you,” said Mori.

Attending Sacramento State and finishing her first year of college has changed her perspective and the echoing words of her high school teacher.

“I’ve discovered that the teachers are much more flexible and are willing to help you,” said Mori. “It’s a lot different from high school.”

Some begin their college career with expectations from movies and TV shows they have seen.

Joshua Dean, sophomore psychology major, said attending Sac State is a lot different compared to the depiction of college in movies.

“The movies make college seem so ‘posh’ with everyone only focusing on themselves and their studies,” said Dean. “But the people here are really friendly and helpful and very open.”

Jabril Miller, sophomore philosophy major, was surprised by the diversity of the building designs on campus and admitted it is harder than high school.

“You have to put in the extra care and attention to your school work,” said Miller. “The tests are a lot harder.”

Even those who transferred from other colleges were surprised and appreciative of the diversity of Sac State.

Christian Torres, junior bio-medical major, transferred from Solano. He said he did not carry many expectations before attending Sac State but was surprise to discover how hard it is to get into classes.

Even with the competition for the classes, Torres said new freshmen and transfers should take advantage of the different elective classes the college offers before declaring their major.

“Try different electives and find what you like or don’t like,” said Torres.

Tatyana Sarkisian, junior criminal justice major, was surprised with how involved and engaging fellow students are.

“I expected to not be involved or encouraged to do anything,” said Sarkisian. “But the people here are really engaging, they encourage your success and are really hands on.”

Despite the fact that work loads become harder as students progress in their college careers, many do their best to enjoy the experience college has to offer.

Amrita Singh, freshmen nursing major, expected classes to be harder and thought she would have to learn to be more independent.

“You have to be [focused] on your studies and firm in your goals,” said Singh. “You have to keep an open mind and continue to be positive.”