In class September 22nd, Counselor Essie Aucker spoke about perception of Penn State student drinking.
We learned that what we believe isn't always true. Can you share an experience
about a perception that turned out to be incorrect...and how it changed you, or
not?
I had a very negative perception about how my first year of college would be. I was nervous because I wasn't used to the Idea of living on my own or with someone I didn't know. I quickly learned that it was a completely different experience then what I thought. I quickly made a lot of friends in the same boat as me. They helped me get the hang of college and It doesn't impact me negatively anymore
ReplyDeleteSince being in college, I have had the perception that the majority of students drink. After the presentation with Counselor Essie Aucker though, I was proved wrong. Surprisingly, there are a descent amount of college students who do not drink. This came as a shock to me because I always had the impression that the majority of students drank. This shows that everyone does not need to drink in order to have a good time. We learned some valuable information from Essie and I now have a better understanding of alcohol and how to be more careful with it.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that in college everyone drank, and that it was going to be hard for me to not drink and stick true to what I thought was best for myself. From my own experiences here, it depends on what kind of people you surround yourself with that really determines your well-being. If you surround yourself with the kind of kids that accept your choices to not drink,(like many students choose to do based on the data we were presented), you will be successful in staying true to yourself.
DeleteSince being in college I really thought that everyone drank but thats not the case at all. From the Stats that Counselor Aucker presented in class not many college students drink which to me is very surprising but college isn't all about just having fun. People are here for a purpose so drinking could be the last thing on their mind. Alcohol is something a person can't play around with because you see and read on the news how kids are passing away and hurting themselves by consuming way to much. I've had a friend who passed away from drinking to much. In all honesty if you surround yourself with great people you won't have that pressure to go out and drink you can do whatever you want.
ReplyDeleteSince I had started college, I thought majority of students (especially at PSU) had drank a lot. However, after the presentation given be counselor Aucker, I saw how majority of the students here don't drink. I knew alcohol could be dangerous but I never realized how bad it could affect someone's life. I now have a better understanding of how to handle certain situations when alcohol is involved but I also know ways to have fun without needing to be drunk.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my time in college, I had always assumed that the large majority of my peers were out drinking most nights of the week. I put so much extra stress on myself trying to figure out how everyone was getting their studies in with all this partying and how they were getting to class in a seemingly constant hangover. I'm not going to lie and say that I never go out on weekdays but it's not an everyday occurrence. I was surprised, especially being at Penn State which consitantly ranks in the top party schools in the country (and obviously not the same but I can't imagine the stats being extremely far off from University Park) , at the numbers that Essie showed us of students here that don't drink, or the number of times students have blacked out in the past few months. I definitely overestimated my numbers in judging my peers. Although I love to go out and have fun just as much as the next girl, it's kind of nice seeing that students are staying in and studying more than I thought.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started college at Penn State, I did have the perception that a great majority of the students drank a lot. After the presentation from Counselor Aucker, I've realized that isn't true. There are a great deal of students who choose to refrain from such activities and that group is larger than I had thought. The presentation was very informative and to hear it from a different perspective was refreshing.
ReplyDeleteComing to college as a freshman I thought everyone drank and before going to that class I even thought that everyone that attended a party drank. Going to class that day I wasn't aware of the numbers of students that didn't drink. I also started to notice around me that they really don't and my perception of college made me single minded on the idea of students who drink. I was also close minded to how dangerous alcohol really could be and how it could negatively affect your life.
ReplyDeleteBack in my country there is no drinking age. So we started drinking as early as 13 or 14. It is pretty common for us to see people get wasted and lying beside the road.
ReplyDeleteafter the lecture i've learned that here we have to call police for help if we see people lying on the ground. It makes a safer environment for everyone especially girls. Another thing that i have noticed through class discussion is that people here won't force others to drink on a party. In china peer pressure is very common on parties. People are forced to drink. i feel more respected and safe here.
Transitioning to college is nerve wracking enough, but entering a college with a partying reputation as famous as Penn Sate's adds even more stress. I was very worried about balancing my social life and my studies. I came into college thinking everyone drank and that I could not have a meaningful social life if I didn't involve myself in that kind of pass time, but after hearing the statistics presented in this class, I was very relieved. It was surprising to see many students don't partake in drinking and partying and I have noticed from personal experience that I my peers and I can focus on our studies and have safe fun in our free time.
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ReplyDeleteComing to my first semester of college, I thought that I would be overcome by stress because my academic life would be too important for me to have any free time to myself. Although it did take a while to adjust, help and advice from friends and older students I was able to keep my grades up while still having time for myself. This helped keep down my stress levels and have more time not just to socialize but to enjoy relaxing hobbies.
ReplyDeleteAs this is my 4th year in college I have certainly seen the differences in my fellow students in the levels of consumption of alcohol and drugs. I think during my first semester I thought that there were certainly more drinkers than there was in reality, but that perception was quickly changed. I never was a party person, so it did not really effect me either way.
ReplyDeletePenn State does do a pretty good job informing students about the good samaritan law and penalties for getting caught drinking, which I am thankful for.
I had the stereotypical view that all college students did was drink and party every day all day. Now that I am a junior in college, my perception of college life has changed dramatically. College is 99% going to class, doing homework, studying, and 1% free/leisure time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was coming to college, my mother always told me not to drink and my dad was the exact opposite telling me to "live my life and experience what college was like." Neither of my parents telling me what to do had been to college so how could either of them really know? I remember thinking that like high school, there were groups of people. There would be the nerds, the pot heads, the drinkers, the people constantly having sex, and then the super involved. I can say that although these cliques sure do exist, they are not all the parts of a person. Everyone is made up of many different things. There were the pot heads getting 4.0s and the nerds having sex. By coming to college I realized that there was so much more to people than a label and that there was a lot more behind the hard cover of all these books. Stereotypes that we were surrounded by in college were all starting to blend together and become the people we were all meant to be.
ReplyDeleteBeing a second year in college, I learned things in this year that I didn't quite catch in the first few semesters. Some misconceptions about how college actually worked and how much to study, socialize, exercise, and of course sleep were some things that I've tried to improve upon. I now can somewhat better use my time and get things done when I can. (Yes, I have posted quite late so there are some things I do still need to work on)
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ReplyDeleteSince I came to college, I was really scared and thought i would have been judged by a lot of people because i was a kind of person who do not drink or party. I honestly thought when people went to college it was just mostly about parting, drinking, and having fun, but after the presentation with Counselor Essie Aucker I was proved wrong. I learned that it was a completely different experience then what I thought. I made a lot of friends that was in the same in the same situation as me. My perception of college life changed dramatically. There was a huge amount of college students who do not drink. This came as a shock to. This showed me that everyone does not need to drink in order to have a good time. I learned some valuable information from Essie and I have a better understanding of alcohol and how to be more responsible with it.
ReplyDeleteIn my memory, when I was a freshman in college, I was nervous about people who around me, and I have not been familiar with the college life, I start to drinking to reduce my pressure. However, when I listen to the speech that I know there are many ways I can do instead of drinking. So I am quit drinking and do some health exercise.
ReplyDeleteI had a perception in high school that only the jocks where cool because I played sports, I then realized that was just my perception and that there were plenty of people that are cool that don't play sports. I am now a much more open and friendly person then I was in high school due to the changed perception.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I came to college my thoughts of not fitting in the cliques that I never fit in, in the first place would be a problem for me. This happened to be the exact experience I went through the first couple months of college. I found myself changing my actions and holding my comments and thoughts back just to fit in. I at one point believed that everyone is the same and if you aren't able to fit into their click than you are better off alone. My perception of every college student being this way was proved to be very wrong when I met some of my closest friends at the most random time. I now understand that even though you don't have the same outlook as someone or get along with a group of girls/guys that doesn't mean it's something wrong with you or even them. Everyone has their place in life and you find it in the most spontaneous times.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I came to Penn State, I thought majority of students had drank a lot. After the presentation it was clear that it was much less than we all expected. I knew alcohol was bad for you before the presentation but I now have a better understanding of just how dangerous it could be and the long term affects it could have and how to handle certain situations safely and legally. I also know how much is safe to drink and how much could kill someone. the presentation was very informative
ReplyDeleteMy perception of college turned out to be very wrong. I based how things would be on movies and none of that was accurate. College takes more work than I first thought. In high school I could get by with minimum studying but that's not how college is. If you want good grades you need to put the time and effort into it. College for me turned out to be more about studying and less about partying.
ReplyDelete"Judging a book by it's cover" is one of those sayings people should take into consideration about all matters in life. I think the fact that I took time off, until I was 20, before I started college was one of the reasons that my perception of Penn State had changed from when I first applied at the age of 18. That being said, coming from a different country and culture definitely makes for a perception change. I had toldmyself not to have expectations but regardless, what I encountered here was different. Not wrong, just different. Even though most students may not drink or admit to drinking, most of the kids I have met only binge drink when they go out.
ReplyDeleteWhen I came to college I thought everyone drank. I thought that you would only get the college experience that everyone talks about if you went out and partied every "Thirsty Thursday". After talking in class and being my second year as a college student, I was wrong. Not everyone drinks and it isn't the "cool" thing to do. A lot of people can stay in and hang out with friends and not drink and you can still get the same college experience.
ReplyDeleteMiranda Van Houten
I was surprised by the number of people who didn't drink at school. I came to school expecting almost everybody to drink but there seemed to be just as many people who don't drink as there are that do. Most of my friends don't drink and the ones that do are legally allowed to and don't drink that much.
ReplyDeleteBefore I heard Counselor Essie Aucker speak I thought that Penn State had a reputation for being a heavy drinking school. I thought it was interesting that many students don't drink and still have a positive college experience.
ReplyDeleteBefore coming here I thought drinking was almost a crucial part of fitting in. But, i learned that's not the case. my friends and I don't really drink and we have plenty of fun.
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