“I don’t really care.”

I don’t believe my roommate. He definitely cares and wants college to be anything but a poor experinece.

Similar to my roommate, the other four interviewees placed some blame externally. The majority described coming in with high expectations and getting let down by the experience. Many expected change, including my other roommate who described this new experience as an opportunity to change his habits and become a different and more motivated person. My close friend also agreed, he thought this experience would change him, that he would suddenly become an adult, only to realize how much he wan’t one.

The other two guys I interviewed validated the experiences from the other three interviewees, but entered college already recognizing the danger of over-estimating the enjoyment they would soon have. It was their parents and siblings who already told them college wouldn’t be all that. That they may not make a ton of friends and may not enjoy every minute of it.

With each interviewee, I changed the line to questioning to then surround physical health. All five guys expected a healthier lifestyle in college. Time to go to the gym and eat those greens at the cafeteria. But time made all the difference. “Once you settle in, your old ways come back.” “I am healthy enough, I eat chick-fil-a, but I skip breakfast so I’m making out just fine.” “I don’t think my eating habits have changed at all but I wish I did eat healthier.”

Every guy was okay with their health, they accepted it. But it wasn’t their ideal. They all expected an easier adjustment to healthy eating habits, but ended up with what they viewed as the same, or even worse diets.

I have concluded, and believe every interviewee would agree, college changed them by the way it didn’t.