The transition from high school to college is like no other. One day you are sitting in history class with twenty five peers who have become close friends, and the next you are just another person in a lecture hall filled with three hundred and twenty something perfect strangers. It is in that very moment that you realize you have entered a whole new world. A world full of responsibilities, opportunities, and two dozen loads of piled up laundry.
1. TEXTBOOKS = $$$$
Gone are the days of free textbooks provided by your school, because no such luxuries exist in the college world. Your bank account cringes every time you head to the bookstore to grab yet another study guide or a three hundred dollar biology book. Soon enough, you'll join the ranks of peers searching websites such as Chegg and Amazon for minimal price breaks that will make all the difference.
2. PROFESSORS
You never know what to expect walking into lecture on the first day. Will your professor be cool and chic like Joseph Gordon-Levitt? or old and grumpy like your worst nightmare? Sure, you've heard certain things about them and their behavior, but unlike high school, you haven't met them for yourself.
3. BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER
Meals are no longer made by mom and dad and eaten around your family-oriented kitchen table. Meals now come between breaks in homework, studying, and various meetings. You surprise yourself by how often you take meals alone while watching Netflix, or doing tomorrow's reading assignment.
4. ROOMMATES
No matter if you had your own room or shared it with a sibling, roommates are on an entirely different level. They are not a member of your family you have lived with your entire life. Instead, you have to learn to live with someone else. It can be challenging learning to share a room the size of a sardine can with another. Yet, it's one of the best parts of the college experience. If your lucky, your roommate will be one of your best friends and you'll share countless memories.
5. SOCIAL LIFE
There are no longer curfews, punishments, or "text me when you get home" messages. You're social life is no longer dictated by your parents or guardians. For all intents and purposes, you are an adult free to make your own decisions. You'll witness some bad choices, some good choices, and some that border the line. The tough part is learning how to control that freedom and use it wisely.
6. STUDYING
In high school, many of us crammed for exams the night before and still managed to score well above average. One of the hardest parts of college is learning that practice doesn't apply. Tests are no longer on one to two chapters, but rather seven or eight. Instead of having busy work that buffers bad test grades, there are only a number of exams that make the difference between a good and bad grade.
The jump from high school to college is not so much a jump from twelfth to thirteenth grade, but instead a jump from twelfth to sixteenth. A lot of maturing takes place in your first few weeks at school, but always remember that you have a support system to rely on. One of the only things that didn't change is the number of people who care about you and would do anything to ensure your happiness...
