As a college student for almost two full semesters, I've come to notice the obvious differences between college and high school. They are completely different places and people are not kidding when they say so. College is just so much better than high school, and here's why.

1. You can avoid people you don't want to see

In high school, this is very hard. Amidst the thin hallways are hoards of high schoolers in a hurry to get to class. In those crowds, you're likely going to see the same familiar faces, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. There is only so much leg room in those thin hallways. In college, if you have my luck, it's very hard to avoid people. But it's simple- there's so much more space. More shortcuts, more area to walk through. It's a lot easier to swerve out of someone's way without them noticing or causing a head-on collision.

2. You can miss class

Having large lectures can be a blessing and a curse. It's nice knowing your professor doesn't take attendance. But the more that's on your mind, the less you'll go to class. Thankfully because this is the case, if you're sick one day, it's easy to get notes from someone. You don't have to deal with the awkwardness all the time, going up to your teacher and getting all that work you missed. Of course, with small classes, it's a different story, though.

3. Napping is everything

I, like most college students, nap as much as I possibly can. I'll squeeze a nap in an hour because I know I have the slim chance of waking up feeling more refreshed. In high school, I never napped. Back to back classes made it impossible to have napping breaks between classes. And by the time I got home, I was hungry and stressed.

4. Study what you want

Forget about taking classes just because you have to fill a science/math/English/history requirement. Of course, you still have to take these classes, but not throughout your entire college career. Your classes become what your high school electives were. It's fun and nice knowing you can study just about whatever you want, and there are fewer limitations.

5. Independence

You have independence in just about everything- your living situation, meals, classes. Your professors and parents don't baby you anymore which is also a plus. Everything is up to you now. Independence is definitely thrilling but can also be quite nervewracking at times.

6. Wake up at 8 am or 12 pm

No more constantly waking up at 6:30 am to start at 7:30 every day for five days. You can wake up for an 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, the list goes on. Sometimes you only have 2 and a half hours of class one day, or even less. It's much better than having 6-7 hours of class. In high school, I had to wake up at the crack of dawn every morning. In college, I can sleep right through the sunrise, and still make it to all my classes on time.

7. No one's judging

Okay, there will be judgmental people -college is no different than the outside world. But in college, those people aren't your problem. In high school, you might've passed that mean girl every day in the hallway because you just couldn't avoid her. Or you had to walk past the "popular" crowd during lunch. None of this matters now. You're your own person and everyone is much more accepting. There are no "popular" people because we all are basically equal.

8. No curfew

You can go out late and come back late without someone bothering you about it. No more parents wondering where you are. It's a liberating feeling.

9. Forget feeling trapped

You can walk to class outside in college- go figure! No walking through hallways feeling like you're stuck in the same old places all day every day. I always enjoy the outdoors on my walks to class. I don't have to look at the white walls and wonder why I'm stuck in the same building for 7 hours. It's so much better when I'm able to enjoy my walks instead of feeling trapped or crowded by everyone around me.

10. Getting involved

The variety of ways to get involved is amazing compared to that in high school. There are so many more clubs and organizations besides the typical academic clubs in high school. Most of the time, in high school people joined clubs to put it on their college applications. In college, people join organizations for intrinsic reasons (at least I'd like to think so anyway). It's nice knowing that people can actually exercise their passions outside the classroom

Of course college isn't perfect, and sometimes all the free time can get to my head. But it's a whole lot better than high school, so I'm not complaining one bit. I'm sure college freshmen can agree with me on this one!