All four years, your high school teachers are trying to prepare you for college. But don’t spend too much time worrying about what they are saying. College is almost the complete opposite of what they prepare you for.
“In college you can’t show up 3 minutes late”
Yes you absolutely can. You can even show up an hour late, they do not care one bit! Most of the time the professor shows up 15-20 minutes late. They don’t want to be there just as much as you don’t want to be. They don’t care if you even show up! Only two of my professors actually take attendance, and they don't do it until the end of class.
“You can’t eat in the classroom in college”
People bring 3 course meals into the classroom. You can catch someone eating anything from a banana, to ordering an entire pizza to the classroom. Yes, to the classroom. Delivery places on campus will bring your food right up to the classroom door. So to my high school teacher that made me stand out in the hall to eat my apple, I’m living the dream in college.
“You can’t go to the bathroom whenever you want”
On the first day of class I raised my hand to go to the bathroom and every person started laughing at me including my professor. In college you can just get up and walk out of the classroom and nobody will say a word to you. They don’t care where you’re going, or if/when you are coming back. They treat you like an adult, (a foreign concept in high school.)
“Get off of your cell phone”
In college it is your responsibility to make sure you learn all of the information that you will need for the midterm and final. The professors will teach it weather or not you are paying attention. It is your grade, and it won’t look bad on them if everyone fails their class. Most people learn the hard way,(failing a class or a grade) but that’s part of growing up and becoming your own
So for all of you high school seniors, I know you can not wait to get out of that school, but push through the next few months of being told what to do. Enjoy being babied because pretty soon you will need to figure out all of this stuff on your own, and it’s not as easy as it sounds.
