Before I started at Cornell, I had a whole mental list of what college was supposed to be like. Some of it came from social media, movies, personal stories, and a lot from the pressure of attending a big-name Ivy League school. Turns out, a lot of it wasn’t true. Here are a few college myths that some of my peers and even I believed, and what my experience has been like.  

Myth #1: “You have to know exactly what you want to do.”  

Before college, I thought the goal was to show up with a multi-step plan and stick to it. I worried that if I wasn’t locked into a major, professional path, or future career, I’d fall behind. But once I arrived, I realized that not only is it okay to be unsure, but it's completely normal.  

Cornell encourages exploration. Whether it’s through taking classes outside your major, chatting with upperclassmen, or just trying out different clubs. There are so many ways to figure out what excites you. I entered as a Global and Public Health Sciences (GPHS) major freshman year, but I still took so many classes my first year outside my field. I took some film courses, multiple Government courses, all of which I loved. I’ve watched friends change majors entirely after falling in love with a new subject, and others (like me) who found ways to weave together different interests into something uniquely theirs. The pressure to “have it all figured out” is loud. But college is where you’re supposed to do the figuring. And at the end of the day, no matter how long it takes you to find your path, you still walk across the graduation stage at the same pace.  

Myth #2: “Professors are too busy to care.”  

One of my biggest fears was that, in a place this big, I’d never get to really connect with my professors. I imagined massive lectures, distant instructors, and a whole lot of academic isolation. What I’ve found, though, is almost the complete opposite.

Yes, Cornell is a large university, but the faculty genuinely want to support students. You just have to take that first step. Whether it’s going to office hours, asking follow-up questions after class, or just showing interest in their research, professors respond to initiative. One conversation with my DNS professor turned into an ongoing mentorship, and now I’m considering joining her lab next year. It’s about showing up and showing that you care. And the professors care about you and want you to succeed, just take that extra step to further connect. They don’t bite.  

Check back tomorrow as I debunk two more myths!