Before becoming a college student, I always heard people say that college was way better than high school. I never necessarily understood why people said that, but now I completely understand. There are so many pros to being a college student, and I've narrowed it down to 5 top reasons why college is so much better than high school.
1. The Freedom
I would have to say that the independence is one of the best parts about college. In high school, you are still told what to do, and how to do things. In college, you choose your own schedule, and you decide what is good for. You choose when you want to eat lunch, do your homework, go to sleep, etc. You are able to make every decision by yourself without anyone telling you otherwise. I was so used to, in high school, living at home and running every move I made by my parents. In college, its no longer like that, and its pretty awesome.
2. The New Friendships
People always told me throughout my life that the friends I meet in college would become my lifelong friends. This statement is extremely true. College is a completely different experience, and everyone you meet is going through the transition of becoming an adult. The friendships I've made, even only after a few months, are so genuine, and I know for a fact that they are going to last. I didn't expect to meet so many amazing people in such a short time. Not to mention that you spend every day with these friends, especially if they are on the same floor as you; therefore, your friendships grow quickly. You get to choose who you want to hangout with and associate with in college, and there are so many different types of people. In high school, you are surrounded by the same people, some even since elementary school, and new friendships are hard to come by.
3. The School Work
I know this seems crazy, but even though the work gets so much tougher in college compared to high school, you actually feel motivated to do it. The work you have is dedicated to the career you want to spend your entire life working in, so you are motivated to succeed in every class. I think that the fact that you are paying for your classes makes really studying and focusing a top priority. In high school, you are forced to take certain classes, some being so far from what you want to do with your career later in life, that motivation is hard to come by.
4. The Classes
In college, you get to choose every single class you take, including the professor. You choose what time you want all of your classes to be, and classes aren't a consecutive 8 long hours. You are able to relax between them, or even catch up on homework. In high school, you have to get up early every single day, and you have the same exact classes, usually. In college, classes vary each day, and attendance may not always be necessary.
5. You Get to Figure Out Who You Are Going to Be
I have learned more about myself in my first year of college than I thought was even possible. I never lived on my own, and made every decision on my own before, and that was probably the biggest transition from high school to college. You are able to really try to figure out what your place in the world is, and where you are suppose to be. You are preparing yourself for what you are going to do for the rest of your life. I think that in high school, being an adult felt like it was so far away that no one really thought about it. In college, you only have four short years, more if you continue your education, to figure out who you are really going to be in the world. Although it's scary, I think it's beautiful too.
Once college is over, the real world comes, and being an adult is upon you. College is a wonderful time to really find yourself and meet amazing people along the way. Both college and high school are events in your life that you will always remember, but I definitely think that college, overall, is so much better than high school could ever be. "College is the reward for surviving high school."
