Every year in May, high school seniors walk across a stage dressed in their caps a gowns. Makeup is perfectly patted on, and ties are super straight. As they walk across the stage to shake a few hands, they receive a pristine diploma that is uniquely their own. The parents and friends cheer as caps and tassels are launched into the air. These past years haven’t been easy, but they have prepared them for what they are about to encounter. This is it. It’s the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
It’s the first day of school, except this time, they woke up in a strange bed. This new routine will be different than the one done a thousand times before at home. They struggle to make it to that 8 a.m. they thought would be a piece of cake. It’s a major adjustment. They have to be responsible for themselves and be mature “adults.”
They find friends that have the similar goals and dreams as they do, and they wonder how they survived their whole life without these people. They miss their friends from high school but know the people they grew up with are always a text or phone call away. It’s humbling to understand what it takes to build and maintain solid friendships and relationships, and they now know that it takes effort to see these people between conflicting schedules and plans. These relationships are valued because there is genuine work put into them.
There are opportunities for involvement, as far as the eye can see! Students can take their pick of clubs and organizations that interest them. They realize that some of their best experiences come from their campus involvement. However, they don’t get to put their name on a list for seven different clubs and say they’re a member. This time around, membership is earned.
As the semesters go by, and basics are finished, they begin to learn the skills they need to get the jobs they dream about. There’s a light in their eyes as they begin to realize what they’re capable of. They don’t have to sit through common core lectures that bored them to tears in high school. This is much different. They are getting the education that can help them change the world.
After the undergraduate career is over, and the last of the rental textbooks have been returned, it’s time to walk across the stage again. This time, there’s a different plan in place. Whether that plan includes graduate school, a full-time job or starting a family, they have come out of college different than when they entered. All the late nights, all the early mornings, and all the caffeine in between makes these students different from high school students. They had to study, they had to work and they had to fight to get to this point.
The real difference between high school and college isn’t simply defined. It’s a multitude of different things. It’s the growth and change. It’s the knowledge you gain through all the good times and bad. It’s the first real chance people get to show the world what they’re made of. What’s the difference for you? The world is waiting; let’s see.
