I’m almost three-fourths done with my junior year, and I am proud to think I have finally uncovered many of the myths of university life.

First of all, whether a teacher’s assistant or a professor, those who teach us who we once believed to be omniscient are really just people too.

Teachers really don’t know everything. Some are actually pretty oblivious to a lot of things. For example, I have come across a fair share of professors who pride themselves on rarely handing out As or even Bs.

Little do they know, handing out grades like that isn’t a sign of brilliance in the profession, but of actually being an incredibly poor teacher. Having classes that leave students unable to understand the material is nothing more than a sign that the teacher actually just isn’t doing his or her job.

Professors aren’t hired to impress students with their scholarly accolades and jargon. Their paychecks are based around an ability to purvey information to pupils so these students can understand it and leave confidently knowing more subject matter than when they started.

If they were chefs, they’d be cooking amazing four-course meals and only letting paying customers smell them instead of sharing the flavor and nutrients those restaurant-goers are paying for.

Food for thought.

Those people who sit in front of the class who hold so very much power over us, are just that – people. They have good days and bad days. They shop at Wal-Mart and have families. They get colds and headaches. They, I’m sure, get frustrated with us. They (brace yourself) make mistakes.

Another urban myth I believed so confidently in is that I would attend a university and be surrounded by brilliant minds and intellectual conversation.

No offense to Eastern’s staff or students, but I did find something close to that in my semester at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. However, in my past two years here, those intellectual conversations have been few and far between.

I am certain there is more to my fellow students than they exude, but apparently they still haven’t grown beyond the “dumb is cool” image from their sophomore years of high school. I’ll admit, I enjoy the occasional class clown, but I’ve encountered far too many potential “life clowns” to satisfy my thirst for shared wisdom.

I also naively believed I’d go to school and be surrounded by smart, dark and handsome scholars (being 5’2″, I don’t exactly need the tall aspect) who would catch my eye, and we’d share our hopes and dreams over romantic dinners and foreign films.

So, while there’s quite a bit of handsome around the best I’ve managed to find in are lame pickup lines offering dirty expletives I won’t mention, (and am strangely curious if they’re even physically possible) complete with the promise of McDonald’s breakfast in the morning.

I’ll pass on that one.

Last, but definitely not least, I believed college would be way beyond stereotyping, prejudice and desperate attempts to attract the opposite sex.

However, the number of times I’ve heard gossip in the ladies room or heard ignorant comments from people of one race about another outnumbers the number of random acts of kindness or multicultural events I’ve witnessed.

It’s also more common than not to see my fellow gender parading around in sequins and lace, making out with whomever will get them more attention rather than carrying themselves with an ounce of dignity.

I’m not a cynic. I’m just using the power I have with this edit page to voice my concerns and hope it will make a difference.