I'm sitting here as a college freshman, about to go home for Thanksgiving break. I'm nearing finals, nearing the end of the semester, and nearing a mental breakdown. I think that it is safe to say that my mindset about college is a lot different than what it was in August.
Don't get me wrong, I love college and I love the college that I chose. I have an amazing roommate, great close friends, and I'm enjoying what I'm studying. The thing is, when you are nearing the start of college, it is easy to glamorize it and think that it is wonderful all the time. However, as I'm about to end my first semester, I can tell you that it isn't.
The stress is absolutely insane. Of course, this depends on the course load that you're taking, which track you're on, and the extracurriculars that you do. The only thing that gets me through the week is thinking about having fun on Saturday nights. In high school, there was no where near as much work as there is in college. If you're in high school and you're reading this, establish your study habits now, you'll thank me later.
Something everyone used to tell me about college was that no one would care. Everyone was just doing what they wanted, there wasn't as much drama as there was in high school, and that everything would be great. At least on a small campus, this is a big fat lie. Who's sleeping with who, who went to the hospital last weekend, who is cheating on their significant other back home, and who is failing what class are frequent conversations in our hall. Everyone is still in everyone's business.
Even though there are problems at college, this is the real world. I still wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I'm not saying that you shouldn't look forward to college, but just don't put too much thought into it being so different. The differences have pros and cons, and the pros are awesome. But you are there for a reason, and it's definitely a big one. I wish I would have spent more time working on myself, my study habits, and my happiness instead of just thinking that they would all come with the territory.