That's it?

I was always under the impression that college meant big things. I could go out and "be what I wanted to be." I could change the world: cure cancer, end genocide, et cetera, et cetera. But at almost any university a young adult could end up at, this is not the case. You still take classes that are both unenjoyable and inapplicable to what you wish to study. Those who claim to be older and wiser still delineate what you can and can't do. And though these rules tend to be more lax than those instilled by one's parents, these "adults" lack the authority of the adults who raised us. A legal adult should not still be restricted by a group of jerks who claim to be "more adult" than the college students they torment. After waiting so long to be considered an adult, to be treated like an intelligent human being who can make rational decisions for his or herself, all I can think after a year in college is: That's it?

Maybe it's just me but college wasn't so huge of a change. Sure I had to do my own laundry, scrounge up my own food, and get my ass to class on time, but this wasn't such a change from my time in high school. The idea that some kids could become so overwhelmed, so homesick that they'd need to leave, seems somewhat pathetic to me. What's the big deal? College is fine. It's not some fantastic experience where you go crazy every weekend, but it's good. I get to spend less time in class, less time on homework, get up late, skip class, and have no one watching my every move. You pick what you want to study (to some degree), pick out how you want to spend your free time, and voila: that's your newfound "independent" life for ya. And I can't help feeling a little underwhelmed.