My high school was not like any other high school in my town, but I thought for sure other private schools were just as strict and rule orientated as mine. Well, I was proven oh so wrong after talking about other kids’ high school experiences at college. My graduating class had 53 students, my freshmen class at DePauw had about 530 students. Though that is an extremely small freshmen class for a college, it is almost six times as many students as I have ever gone to school with. In just six days, a person can learn just how different the world is without the extremely sheltered life he or she once lived.

Day 1: The first class officially begins at 9:10 a.m., and the professor walks in and introduces him or herself. He or she begins to describe what the course is going to cover over the semester and then abruptly says, “Okay, let’s begin.” I begin to stand out of habit, trained to know when announcements are over that means stand for prayer. The girl next to me notices my sudden movement, and I pretend like I was just adjusting my legs under my desk.

Day 2: Cussing is allowed. People swear. Yes, students used bad language in high school, but not nearly as much or often as they do at school, and by the second day of classes you’re noticing that. In high school if a teacher heard someone using that language, it was not tolerated and in most cases consequences were threatened. Now people can say any of the words starting with “a,” “b,” “c,” “f,” and all of them in-between.

Day 3: You are desperately missing your school uniform. You realize waking up early and having to put on an actual outfit rather than the same plaid skort (yes, skort) and navy or white polo shirt. I even tried to lay my clothes out the night before class, but nothing was as simple as putting that uniform on everyday. There was no longer rules on how long your dress was or where your shorts hit you on your leg. You could wear tank tops or hoodies to class. It all blew my mind after a few days.

Day 4: PDA is tolerated. Clearly, not macking during class, but walking from class, to class, or in the dining hall you witness kids kiss and hug and cuddle and just touch. In high school any form of PDA was not accepted. Even the showing of affection at parties in high school was subtle; well, anything would be subtle compared to what you see in the basement of a fraternity. Couples’ dancing styles are extremely aggressive, and in one night you start to learn that “couples” are not as popular as they were in high school. You can dance with whomever you please. Officially dating is not as common, but PDA is more common than anything.

Day 5: “It’s Friday, and we are NOT having all school Mass?” For the past 12 years of your educated life, you have had weekly mass in the gymnasium or in elementary school in the actual Cathedral. And suddenly, now you no longer have this weekly routine. You never thought you would miss it, but now that it is not a specific available time for it in your schedule planned for you, you miss it. But the good thing is, you have met countless other kids who practice your faith and want to go to mass with you. Though you are not in the small private high school safety bubble anymore, there are still people who can relate to you on some levels.

Day 6: Drinking is tolerated and expected. No, it is not forced that every person on campus drinks at every party by any means, but the facility expects it. In high school, if it was even rumored that you were at a party for more than 15 minutes, whether you were drinking or not, you were suspended and penalized. In college though it is a whole other story. As long as you do not get caught by police or sent to the hospital, you are free to booze. Rules are softened compared to any form of reality. I chose to go to a top-20 ranked party school in the United States, and I had never partied before I arrived on that campus. But I quickly learned that on campus you are in a safety bubble, and laws barely apply.

In just six days, you realize how sheltered your small private Catholic high school truly was and how different your college experience is about to be for the next four years.