when I click on googles sign in link, I get redirected instead to my college website!

When you refer to your Google sign in tab, is that a pinned tab you keep open from session to session, or a bookmark, or something else? Try loading a plain HTTP page like the following and see if you get redirected. That may indicate that you need to sign into your college network before you can get out to the internet: http://www.example.com/