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I’ll become a college freshman this upcoming September. On the threshold of a new life, I feel super excited yet anxious about what lies in the near future. As the day of departure draws nearer and nearer, uncertainty about college life grows stronger and stronger in my mind, and all kinds of thoughts jump into my mind. What is American college like? What does college mean to me? What challenges will I encounter? —I don’t know, honestly.

In my childhood, I first encountered the idea of American college when I heard about the well-known story of Liu Yiting, a high school girl from Chengdu who was admitted to Harvard in the late 1990s. I was too young to even understand the concept of college at the time, but I had a vague notion that studying abroad in America is something “good”. If not, why does the mere mentioning of the name “Harvard” or “Yale” grab so much attention?

As I grew up, I heard all kinds of sayings about American education; some based on personal experiences, yet most just rumors. But ideas like “Math is always a piece of cake for Chinese in America”, “Americans don’t work very hard”, and “Americans are very open and people go crazy at parties” were ingrained in my mind.

In high school, there was much debate over whether to attend American college or Chinese college. More and more new concepts emerged. American colleges allow and even encourage you to be undecided about your major when you first get into college—this idea holds great appeal to me. And “liberal arts” is another amazing concept which stresses the importance of general knowledge and the ability to think critically. Academic freedom also draws my attention. During high school, I made up my mind to go to an American college because I remained firmly confident that four years of college education in America will make me a better person.

Now when I’m just about to go to college, I start to question all my beliefs and notions about America. And pieces of advice from parents and senior students add to my confusion. Some urge me to learn to drive, but some say that I won’t need to drive during college. Some say that it is important to learn Chinese cooking, yet some think that I can live with American food. Some advise me to work hard in order to keep up with my studies, but others say it’s very easy to earn a high GPA.

My head is now full of various kinds of ideas about America and suggestions about college life, but I wonder how many of them will prove true to me after I experience everything myself? Different people speak so differently of the same thing. I guess all of them are right, but only right from their own perspective. Just like the saying goes, “One man’s meat is another another’s poison”, people hold different views about America, and no one could provide you with a comprehensive answer.