College. College. College. The thing everyone tells you to attend, but fail to tell you what it is like. These are just some or things I encountered while in college so far. As well as some personal experiences that I have gone through in my three years in college.
1. College is expensive
Every time I thought about college, I had this fantasy in my head. That I would party every weekend, but work really hard during the week to maintain good grades. Boy was I wrong! I started at the university scrambling to figure out how I was going to make up enough money to even pay for college. High tuition prices are inevitable almost everywhere. My dream of going out of state for college was out of the question unless I really wanted to gather unnecessary debt. So as I could not afford anything else I had to stay close to home and go college here. I had to (and still do) work many hours, while attending school full time, all so I can afford school. No time to even think about parties.
2. You will always want to give up
One of the many things that I did not except about college is the very intense desire it gives you to want to give up. Trust me when I say I want to quit college more than once a week. It can get extremely stressful and overwhelming to be an environment where essentially we are expected to learn everything and come up with assignments in a matter of days. To me one of the most important things when you are in college is to surround yourself with other students it will help you realize that you are not the only one thinking it.
3. Yes! You will definitely cry
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This is one that I really did not expect. College is hard and can be very frustrating when it doesn't go to plan. I can not tell you how many times my frustration led to tears. Receiving assignments or exams back when you worked really hard on them with a not so good grade does not go over well. It can be extremely discouraging to see a grade that you think should be better based on the amount of work you put into it. All I can say is try and stay clam as you can always talk to your professor (or cry at home).
4. You actually need to try
I don't know about you, but when I was in high school I passed classes very easily. The surprising thing is that I was a honor roll high school graduate with extracurriculars. Even with all the activities, I felt like I passed high school with no problem. Once I went to college this completely changed. I was bombarded with 14 page papers, calculus homework I did not understand, concepts I have never heard of, and grades that I had never received. I remember the first time that I failed an exam all I could do was sit there and try not to cry. For the first time in a long time I had to commit to studying and tutoring in order to receive decent grades.
5. It can be lonely
Entering college from high school proved to be extremely lonely for a person like myself. I consider myself nice, but not extremely social. Basically if you talk to me, I will talk to you. Yes, I had high school friends in college, but when you are taking different career paths its hard to find classes to take together. Looking back at my first quarter in college I was all by myself as I would not talk to anyone. For me it was tough as I worked a lot and trying to find school activities to meet people was hard with my work schedule. If you are like me just know that the person sitting next to you probably wants to talk to you as much as you do.
6. Not all professors are good professors
Birger Kollmeier Blackboard Professor PhysicsYou would imagine that if you are a UNIVERSITY teacher you would be extremely prepared for your job. Well I am here to tell you to think again. Before when students would tell me there bad experiences with professors I would completely ignore them as I usually got along with most of the professor students didn't like. Until one time where I experienced the worst class of MY LIFE! Telling you it was the worst class of my life is an understatement. This professor canceled class constantly, was never prepared when he did come, and I basically taught myself is what I am trying to say. I had to teach myself and almost read an entire biology book by myself. Moral of the story you should listen to your peers.
7. College can be extremely rewarding
Yes I know I said that it can be discouraging, but it can become extremely rewarding. When you get that grade back and see that 95% on your paper you can feel the relief come down on you. Its a feeling like no other. Working hard and getting the recognition and grade to prove it is an amazing feeling. College is hard, but just know that one day when you look back on it will be a major stepping stone in your life.
