Things That Piss Me Off

Shitlist Topic #3:

In high school, I was beyond thrilled to go to college. I pictured a full-on Gilmore Girls aesthetic—crisp fall leaves crunching under my boots, ancient libraries filled with the scent of wisdom (and maybe a little dust), and classrooms where every lecture would ignite my soul like a coming-of-age movie montage. I was so excited I graduated a year early because of how much I yearned for this experience, boy was I wrong.

Sadly, college has lost it’s appeal over my three years attending NDSU. Why?

First: Campus is only pretty on the outside. The campus itself is nice, and from the outside, the buildings look about how I had expected, beautiful brick walls with big windows and grand entries. But step inside, and instead of warm, vintage classrooms, you’ll find cobwebs, dust bunnies, and mysterious smells. Each classroom feels like a blast from the past—not in a charming way, but because of the cracked tiles and stained drywall that seem to be holding on for dear life.

Second: Parking. Parking on campus is an absolute nightmare. Don’t get me wrong—there’s plenty of parking, but only if you’re willing to spend your life savings on a parking pass. There are six lots that don’t require a pass, but four of them are small and always full. Another is located on the far edge of campus, making it practically useless, and the last one has been under construction for as long as I’ve been here… and it’s still paid parking. That leaves students with three options: park in a restricted lot and risk the inevitable $10 ticket (trust me, they will catch you), find a friend with an opposite class schedule willing to give you a ride, or brave the brutal North Dakota winds and walk.

Third: Dorm life sucks. NDSU requires all first-year students to live in the dorms, and when I first moved in, I was excited to experience the full college life. I had seen pictures of my dorm beforehand (shoutout to South Weible), so I had a general idea of what to expect visually. But what I wasn’t prepared for was pretty much everything else—including, but not limited to:

• No A/C: The dorms were stifling hot until winter came and a window-fan did not cut it.
• Full-Time Partiers: Even though the dorms have a no-drinking policy, that doesn’t stop people—both inside and outside—from partying. I had to get used to loud music, shouting, and general chaos every day/night of the week.
• Wet Laundry: We had a laundry schedule, but if you were even five minutes late, your wet laundry would be dumped on the floor until you showed up to move it to the dryer. Whats worse? Several dorms didn’t even have laundry schedules, so you were stuck every week just hoping you’d get a chance at the washer.
• Dangerous Bathroom Situations:The bathrooms were new but only cleaned and restocked once a week. More than once, we completely ran out of toilet paper and had to—well—get creative. On top of that, the hot water was unreliable, which meant my Raynaud’s was triggered on a regular basis. That doesn’t even cover the dirty panties left on the ground, used tampons found in mysterious places, or just the ungodly scent of the room as a whole.
• Fans Falling: I lived on the first floor, and more than once, our window screens—and our fans—were pushed in. People would frequently try to talk to us through the windows or, worse, wander into the dorms uninvited. Overall very unsafe experience.
• So Many Stairs: At the start of the year, I was on the first floor, so moving in was pretty easy. However, later in the year, I moved to the third floor, and it became an absolute nightmare to carry groceries, furniture, and even myself up three flights of stairs multiple times a day.
• Parking Pt. 2: During my first year, I ended up getting a parking pass for a lot that had almost no available spaces. If there was parking, it was across the street, at the far end, and miles away (or at least it felt like it) from my dorm. That meant I had to trek across harsh terrain, hoping I wouldn’t get hit, and walk the equivalent of two football fields—several times—just to take in groceries.
• Guilty-Until-Proven-Innocent System: When I lived on the first floor, my roommate decided she didn’t like me and pulled a stunt that got officials involved. When the police heard her story, they were skeptical, especially since she was already on probation for vandalizing her high school. When NDSU dorm officials got involved, they basically placed the blame on me because I was the one being accused. As a result, I had to pay for the damages and move to a different room.

Fourth: 99% of college is homework. I expected homework—that’s a given—but I didn’t anticipate spending an entire school day’s worth of work on just one class, let alone doing the same for my other four. Lectures feel more like a formality, a way to say “it’s education,” when in reality, you’re paying to do homework, read a textbook you could have studied on your own, and take online exams.

Fifth: College becomes your whole life. Want a job? You’d better hope they work around your class schedule and give you extra hours off for homework. Want a social life? You might as well give up now, because you won’t have time for anything other than work, school, and homework. Sleep? Forget about it. If you want good grades, you’ll spend hours a day in lectures, hours a day on homework, and if you’re lucky, the rest of your time goes toward funding the other two.

Sixth: Extra-curriculars are a must, but they’re practically impossible. Despite having no time for anything, you’re regularly encouraged to get extra involved in campus life. It sounds great at first—joining a club, getting a schedule to follow—but then your classes just so happen to be scheduled at the exact same times, and you miss everything needed to really be part of the club.

Seventh: Major Stigmas. 99% of your identity in college is tied to your major. As psychology majors, we often hear that our coursework is easier than others. However, a peer in one of my classes, who is taking an entry-level psychology course, finds it quite challenging. I believe every major is difficult in its own way—it simply takes a certain type of thinking to excel in different fields. Despite this, many majors still face persistent stigmas.

College isn’t for the weak. Even for those of us who love learning, it takes literal blood sweat and tears to get through.