What's it like being a college freshman in today's world? Well, I'll tell you. I'm positive that college now is very different from college back in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. For starters, I'm almost certain that back then, students didn't have half as much homework and projects as us kids today have. I know for myself, I'm only three weeks into college and I've already had a bunch of homework and projects to work on and turn in. Not to mention all the tests and quizzes I have to study for as well. College now for students is very stressful and sometimes we just want to scream.
No, our teachers aren't given enough time to teach us everything nor do we get enough time to learn and comprehend it. Our teachers have to cram so many lessons, tests and projects into a small time frame and half of us learn it, but we don't retain any of the information. The rest don't get it at all and fail. My college experience so far has been exciting, tiring, confusing and new. It's been exciting because I'm officially an adult now, I'm getting more responsibility, and I've started a new school. It's been tiring because I've had so many assignments and projects due along with making sure I have enough time to study and get everything done in a timely manner. I try to get as many assignments done early as I possibly can. It's been confusing because my school uses this app called Canvas and that's how the teachers and students communicate with one another and it's where all our assignments and test are uploaded. It took some time to get used to how it worked and where to find everything. I'm used to taking tests in class, but now I take them all online.
College is very different from high school. They don't baby you anymore and you're basically on your own, which can be scary and exciting all at once. I spend most of my time studying or doing homework and when I do have free time, I normally nap. The one thing that was very confusing and time-consuming was applying for financial aid. It took them forever to get back to me and that was stressful for my family and I. My dad's a disabled veteran, so the VA also helps pay for me to go to college, so that was a bit of a relief for us. One thing that just got under my skin was textbooks. It took me forever to get all my books. Every time I would go to my school's bookstore they would be out of the book I needed. At first, I was just going to rent them, but then I found out that the rental fee isn't any cheaper than flat out buying them. So can anyone guess what I did? If you guessed that I bought them, you are correct! I simply bought all my textbooks because in the end, I decided it was better. Once I'm done I can sell them back to the bookstore, I can rent them out to others who need them, or I can simply just sell them to someone else who can use them.
Everyone's college experience will be different, mine is just starting so who knows what will happen. I'm excited for the future and to see where I'll be in the next four years.
