College vs. High school: Is It as Bad as They Say?

Graduating four years of high school just to become a freshman all over again is both a drag and a difficult thing to do. You have to adjust your life and yourself to this new system at a quicker pace, all while maintaining your academics and social life. But, is it as tough as it is made to seem? Throughout high school especially my senior year, we were always given an expectation to what college was going to be. How the professors do not care, how the workload was horrible and how you would be running on only a few hours of sleep. Although these past few weeks into the college life have been challenging, they are not what I expected or imagined college to be. The most evident difference between high school and college are the teachers. Once you reach college, the professors are not going to hold your hand and walk you through every step of the way. You will have to learn to become more dependent on yourself with your school work. Meaning, getting the work done and in on time, taking the time to study and most importantly, constantly looking over the syllabus to keep up with upcoming assignments and deadlines. Compared to high school, most teachers keep their students up to date are more lenient if deadlines are missing. That being said, there are NO excuses when it comes to college, you either get it done and on time or don’t. Improving on your study and work habits are big points to follow especially your first year as you enter this transition. Being both an easy and tough transition, your class schedule throughout the week can be helpful change compared to high school. You are able to pick the times of your classes, what you want to take and maybe my favorite is not having your classes everyday some only once or twice a week. Having classes spread out makes the week run smoothly since there is more time in the day to do homework, study, relax or hang with friends instead of being stuck in school for 6+ hours being exhausted from a long day. Living on campus is definitely a plus as in between classes you are able to relax in your dorm, grab a snack, or catch up on work before the next class. Mainly for me in high school, getting to school on time was stressful. There was always traffic and crowded hall ways to get through before actually getting to class. That being said, being a resident has helped a lot with starting college. For me, in high school I was never involved in any school activities especially since my school did not offer as many clubs and activities as I wanted. At my university, there are a variety of clubs and activities to join which helps with being involved around campus and making friends who have similar interests. As high school prepares you for college, college prepares you for life beyond your years as a college student. High school is more of a preparation for your education, but college has many resources to prepare you for different challenges you’ll face in and out of school. With counseling services, career services, and many other resources to help and benefit you. The perspective of high school and college can be different for everyone giving them difference experiences and viewpoints. But, both prepare you for something in the future to succeed and benefit from.