About five months before finishing my senior year of high school, my math teacher said to me, “Make sure you do not give into senioritis within these last few months of school. It will only make college harder for you.”
I brushed off her comment, thinking that I would be fine. I went through all of high school waiting to be a second semester senior, when I could finally shrug off all of my responsibilities, as I would finally be committed to college and my grades would no longer matter. I also could not wait to finally be a college student, who, as I then believed, never had to do any work. At the time, I had a preconceived idea that college was just like a giant playdate, and school work was kept to a minimal.
Boy, let me tell you, I could not have been more wrong. College is filled with sleepless nights and sleep deprived days. College is filled with an endless amount of homework and studying. College is hard. College is not what I expected.
I had gone from absolutly no obligations to a sudden burst of responsibilities. Within the five months prior to move in day, I maintained a daily routine which consisted of little to no responsibility. I went to school and did as little work as possible, but just enough to get passing grades in my classes. When school ended, my summer was filled with going to work, and then home to either hang out with friends or watch Netflix in my bed.
Now, my days consist of class, studying, more class, cleaning my room/laundry, more studying, and then it all gets repeated the next day.
My responsibility level went from 0 to 100, real quick. Essentially, just within the first few days of being a college student.
Not only did my amount of responsibilities increase, my stress level grew as well. My stress-free second semester of senior year turned into a summer with even less stress, if that was even possible. The only stress in my life at the time consisted of picking out what bedding I wanted for my dorm room. Just like the amount of responsibilities I had, my stress level went from 0 to 100 real quick, going from a stress free summer, to being bombarded with a large amount of work just after my first day of college classes.
College is not what I expected. College is full of stress and responsibilities. College is filled with late nights, up studying and doing homework. But college is also filled with making life long friends and creating unforgettable, amazing memories.
Don't get me wrong, I have had the most amazing first two months here at school, but at the same time, I was blindsided with the amount of schoolwork I have had for my classes.
To any current high school student that may be reading this: college really will be the best four years of your life. I can attest to this, based on my experiences throughout the beginning of my freshman year. But, you need to be prepared for the work in college. Your course load and stress level do not suddenly decrease forever the minute you commit to a school. I am essentially writing this whole thing for you guys, so you are all prepared for what is in store. College is hard. But, college is also the best four years of your life.
