I truly believe the transition from a Community College to a University is something that is not talked about enough. So, let's talk about it.

It's something I didn't realize I would struggle with until it happened.

My first two years of school I played softball at a Junior College located about an hour and a half away from home. My last two years of school I transferred to a state University thirty minutes from home. The two schools were nothing alike. In fact, there were more differences than similarities and I had a tough time adjusting. I thought because I decided to go to a Community College for my first two years that the transition would be easy, and geez was I wrong.

CAMPUS

The difference in size between the two campus' blew my mind. At my Community College, it took me under five minutes to walk from one side of campus to the other. At my University, it took about 15 minutes. At JUCO, the campus was small and you knew everyone, but at a University that is far from the case. I went to a public school enrolled with 36,000 other students… it was a surprise to walk across campus and run into anyone I knew.

The campus at my University was so huge I was overwhelmed after my orientation. On my first day of school, I went to campus an hour early to navigate where my classes were, and I still ended up getting lost wandering around for 30 minutes. Navigating around my new campus took a while to get the hang of, but once you've got it down… it's easy to blend into the crowd.

The two environments are completely different. At JUCO, you live in the dorms five feet away from your best friends/teammates and you spend every waking second together. At Universities, you most likely live off campus in an apartment, which you pay rent for. Rent is just the start of the bills… you have the utility bill, gas bill, groceries, car payment and of course your money for fun. To say the least, to "make it" while attending school at a University you'll need to pick up at least one job… which will most definitely cut down on that precious friendship time I was constantly used to at JUCO.

EMPLOYMENT

You're lucky if you only work one job while attending school. Like myself, I know a lot of other full-time students who bust their butt more than 40 hours a week working two or three part-time jobs just to successfully get by each month on bills. This scenario was the biggest difference and hardest adjustment between the two schools for me.

I had to figure out how to balance school with work. Not only did I have to physically attend class each day, but I had several hours of homework almost every night. (That's what I get for choosing a journalism degree I guess). Finding the balance was tough... and most of the time I found myself working until 10 or 11 P.M. and heading home to finish up on a few hours of homework before waking up early and doing it all over again day after day.

Something I don't mention very often is that there were plenty of times I thought about quitting something. Whether that be school full-time or one of my two jobs. But I had to always remind myself of what I was doing and why I was there. I came to this town for a degree and if that meant I had to suffer through two years of multiple jobs and overloaded classes then so be it. I learned how to power through at my very best, with my God by my side. PRAYER WORKS.

CLASS LOAD

Another difficult hump I had to conquer while transferring was the class load. Let's just say… classes at a University are much more challenging. Personally, I did not feel equipped and prepared enough to pass my first 300+ level courses. By all means, I am not trying to speak negatively on my Community College but to keep it simple, I was not prepared enough for any difficulties beyond that school. I felt as if I was thrown into a mess and I had to figure out how to sort it out alone. I finished my first semester with three C's, one B and one A… one of the worst semesters I had in school.

Not only were the classes harder, but the professors were as well. As a journalism student, I came to realize quickly that my professors are much more strict on deadlines and actual content than any other major. My friends seemed to have it easy compared to me, but I will forever be grateful for my tough professors and the standards they held me to.

INTERNSHIPS

While sitting in one of my first classes at my University, to say I was intimidated was an understatement. I remember my professor was curious as to what we all did during the summer, so we went around the room and everyone explained their summer agenda. When over half the room expressed that they completed internships, I immediately felt out of place. Before that class period, not one person had ever talked to me about an internship before. I literally still thought an intern was someone who lived in New York City and ran coffee errands for the company. I was out of the loop. I had no clue internships were so common and could be found anywhere you look.

I am now grateful to say thanks to my college's requirement; I have now completed a Sports Information/Social Media internship full of 400-hours of hard work. Without transferring to a state school, it would be very unlikely that I ever found interest in an internship. After going through the process myself, I would recommend an internship to anyone, student or not. Although most internships are unpaid or pay very poorly, the experience is life-changing. Without my internship, I would be clueless and have no experience with anything in my field beside one semester of a student-run club. Internships are great and an experience I would recommend to anyone if they're able to fit it into their schedule.

ADVISORS

Academic advisors are a story of their own. I never had good luck with advisors until my very last semester in school. At my University, I went through three advisors in only four semesters. My first advisor never even mentioned to me requirements in my college. Not once did she mention to me that I needed a minor or that I needed to complete a 400-hour internship before graduation. I found out these important pieces of information through side conversations with classmates. I nearly missed my graduation date because I didn't start working on my minor until my second semester at this school.

Students usually don't have great luck with their academic advisors. I know plenty of my friends who have experienced similar situations to my own while almost missing their graduation date thanks to something their advisor missed in paperwork. So, a quick lesson I learned was to always double check paperwork and look over it once more to be safe. You're there to earn your degree and it's your responsibility to make sure you meet all the requirements.

It would be a lie if I said I regretted attending a Community College prior to a University. I am glad I did for many reasons. But I truly think there needs to be more information and conversations about the process, differences and the transition between the two schools. There was a lot unfolded to me during this time of my life, but only once I lived through it myself. So I thought… why not blog about this? Maybe I could help someone else while blogging about a few of the main differences I encountered throughout my journey.

As always…

Peace and Blessings,

XOXO

Kayla Jean Brady