First semester at Geneseo came and went in what felt like a matter of days. It almost feels like a blur, settling down the first weekend, making friends, finally taking difficult classes, etc. I honestly feel that there were many aspects of college that I was simply not expecting, or that high school had not prepared me for. Here are some of those things.
Studying happens every day.
This is especially something that high school did not prepare me for. I think almost everyone had the same studying techniques in high school; reading some of the textbooks, and doing heavy studying the night before the actual exam. More or less, most can relate. In college, well, lest just say I had to learn that doesn't fly. Literally every day, there is time to read a textbook, do some practice problems, or just re-read notes. There is time, and in college, that time must be used wisely.
There is too much free time.
My first class this semester started at 12:30 p.m., which meant I usually had a good two or three hours of nothing after I woke up in the morning. Eventually, I got into the habit of waking up at 9 a.m., and going to breakfast and maybe playing some piano after waking up. It made it so that all the free time I had turned into occupied time, and that would eventually help me to structure my schedule each day. In general, most students go to sleep around midnight, and in many cases, well past it. This gives plenty of time at night for studying, working out, and being useful in whatever way possible. I look at it this way: You should be able to change too much free time into a schedule. This way, there will only be a little bit of free time, and it will be better spent
Professors are not teachers.
I took calculus both in high school and during the first semester of college. In high school, I received a final grade of an 88. In college, a C+, which equates to about a 75 to 77. My high school calc teacher was always on my back, making sure I turned in homework on time. My professor from this past semester, however, gave us our homework and said good luck. He had no business other than teaching us material and ultimately grading that material come exam day. The main difference is, teachers will make an effort to give you the help you need. For a professor, it is the student who needs to put forward the effort first. Then, just as I did, there will be time for office hours which are ever so useful with any class that poses difficulty.
I can handle it.
Hearing that studying happens every day and that it's very hard to manage time doesn't sound too promising for an incoming college student, I would assume. But, it isn't all that hard if the work is put in. The first step in being able to handle it easily is realizing that there is a lot on the table. First semester, your GPA may not be what you'd like, and it may be harder to make friends at first, but it all comes around eventually. Anyone, no matter the high school experience, can kill it in college if they are undoubtedly determined to.
