The College Life!

[Dr. GM]

I'm a Junior in high school right now. I have only one year left of being a child. And, like many others my age, I'm afraid of growing up. So I decided to ask around.

What was it like in college? How different was it from high school? Did you enjoy it? Was it memorable? Please answer for both me and everyone else my age who's curious about the same thing~!

 

[Pastellorama]

Yeah, please do =)! I am heading off this Fall, and I hear a lot about it from my big sister and my parents, but they aren't very specific. So, advice, funny stories, anything would be great to know =D

 

[Data_Error]

Here's one response, per question and in general, from somebody who's gone to a state university for engineering for two years. Since you're not being specific, I'm going to assume that you're referring to the USA educational system. Please note that everybody's experience is different depending on your circumstances, so things may turn out differently for you. Also, I'm still in college, so I really can't answer about the aftereffects.


What was it like in college?
Strange. In some ways, you have a lot more free time, and in others you really don't. Nobody is around to tell you what you do and don't have to do, so you have to manage your own time and keep track of your own deadlines - the new freedom is both a blessing and a curse. That leads into the next question, the one that will cover the most:

How different was it from high school?
Aside from what I've mentioned above about time management, be prepared for the classwork to get harder. You've probably heard this from other people, but it's VERY true. For example: in high school, I had the luxury of being involved in extracurricular activities due to the fact that outside of a few college-credit classes, I had never had to really study for my classes and could finish most assignments in a couple of hours. In college, you have to study if you want to pass - I went from only studying through homework to studying at least six hours for any major test. Projects can easily take upwards of twenty hours, and even weekly assignments can creep up to six or more hours of work per class. Also, beware of grading scales. Your test scores will probably count for more than half of your semester grades - and they're tougher tests than you think they will be.

At the same time, college will be a lot of fun. Whether you're more apt to go out drinking or go to activities organized by the student body (no judging either way), you're bound to meet up with a group of people that you really like - and no matter whether they seem like it at first or not, the people that live near you will end up as a similar group of friends, too. Since you don't spend as much time in class as you did in high school, you'll have a lot of time to be around each other, and they'll grow to be some of the closest friends you'll have had yet. You don't have parents over your head as much, so you'll be more open to do crazy things. Cut loose. Enjoy yourself. Just don't break the law.

It'll be a lot of fun, but you have to weigh that against your workload. If possible, get a part-time job or be involved with an on-campus organization. It actually helps a lot with managing your time - and if anything, that will be one of your major throwbacks.

Did you enjoy it?/Was it memorable?
Yes and yes. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it now, and I bet it will be later, too.


Oh, and shut your doors and window blinds on Friday and Saturday nights. Just a heads up.

 

[Pastellorama]

I hear that college is where you make the friends that tend to stay in your life. True??

 

[Mintaka]

I hear that college is where you make the friends that tend to stay in your life. True??

I support this; perhaps because you're likely to spend more time with those that study similar courses or are in the same major. Well, that's my situation, as most of the friends I made at college were in the same major or happened to take same courses for a couple semesters. Or are in the same school club.