For many, high school was a lot of fun. I can't say it was the worst experience I have ever had, but once I experienced college, I realized it wasn't the greatest one either. Transitioning from a high school student to a college student may not seem all that different, but looking back at these couple of years, I have noticed many different changes and I am so happy I decided to continue my education because of it.
1. You make your own class schedule.
Say goodbye to those 8 am- 3 pm hours every single day, unless you're art student though, then you probably have it worse. It may not be a perfect class schedule every semester, but it could still benefit you. Feel free to be selfish, make your first class at noon and sleep in or make your last class at 11 and have the rest of the day off. Make Tuesday's and Thursday's class free, or better yet, have Friday's off because it's college, you have thirsty Thursday every week.
2. New friend's every semester.
Through out high school we come up with who our "squad" is and for those four years, it mostly doesn't change. You have the same friends, the same drama, the same plans, and so forth. Maybe that's exactly what you want and you're content with it, but if you say that, you're lying. Who wouldn't want new friends? I'm not saying ditch the old ones, but I'm saying expand your friend group a little. Get to know the guy that sits in the back row and always has a question or the girl that's lends you a pen almost every day because you forgot yours. Those people may just be the kind of friends you are looking for. Trust me, you'll have many opportunities to make new friends since you have to take so many different classes throughout your college career.
3. You get to wear those cut up sweatpants that have been hiding in a box.
Maybe you shouldn't do this everyday, but once in a while is perfectly fine. Why? Because we all do it. It's not called being lazy, it saying that looking spot on all the time is no longer a priority . You don't have that football player in homeroom every day to impress or that girl in study hall to show off for. Make it obvious that you stayed up all night working on a project or studying for a test that our professors didn't prepare us for, because that's what college is, no shame in that. We don't have all the time and energy to shower every day, to put that eyeliner on, hell, I forgot to wear a bra one day. It's completely normal, embrace it.
4. You're learning what you want to learn.
Don't get me wrong, choosing a major is nearly impossible. You think you know exactly what you want to do in the future then you wake up one day realizing that you have been studying the wrong major for an entire semester or worse, for years. You don't need to declare a major the second you get to school, take your time, explore different ones. You have time to figure out what you want to do and you can take as much time as you need. Once you figure it out, it will no longer seem like a chore to learn, it will become more interesting and fun!
5. It doesn't seem like prison.
In between classes you may think you will just want to go home to get away from campus because it reminds you too much about learning and all that great stuff that comes with it. I'm going to tell you now, you are wrong. I can guarantee that if you have three or less hours in between class you will want to stay on campus and hang out. You will want to grab some food (non cafeteria) and catch up on some homework (or social media). Campus becomes the place you want to be at, it becomes one of your favorite places that you will miss.
6. Everyone treats you like an adult.
My biggest pet peeve in high school was being treated like I was four. When you were late you had to be walked down to the office and they had to speak for you. If you spoke to someone next to you, you had to be confronted by the teacher like you just committed the worst crime. They had to walk through everything in every step with every little detail possible. How annoying is that? I'm not saying the professors here don't care what you do, but the majority of them understand. They understand that life happens and we aren't perfect human beings at every minute, it's honestly a relief. They also talk to us like were intelligent and like we matter, that makes me not want to walk out.
7. You get to be yourself.
That's the biggest thing I have noticed since I have become a college student. I see so many different people and I love it. I love seeing people for who they actually are instead of who they think they should be. High school is consumed with so many judgmental people and it terrifies others to the point where they don't want to come out and show people who they are. Sure, you may get some looks and stares from people, but there are so many people you don't even notice. Chances are, there are other people doing the same thing, so there's nothing to be too nervous about.
College is a very stressful time for everyone. It's quite the change to go through, but it's definitely worth it. I would support anyone that wanted to go to college and help them to get to that point. Say goodbye to childhood and hello to adulthood, it's not all that bad!
