I just finished a wonderful first year of college, and I noticed that it is vastly different from high school-thank goodness. Let's face it, nobody really likes high school all that much. It kinda sucks. Especially your senior year when you just can't wait to get the hell out. On the bright side, college is much different and therefore, much better. So if you're heading into your first year of college, don't worry you love it. Here are six differences between high school and college that you should expect!

1. Freedom

College is great because you can literally do whatever you want (within reason). Nobody is really going to tell you what to and not to do. As long as you’re following the law and the rules of the college, there’s not really a problem.

For example, at my school there is a perfect climbing tree that my roommate and I came across one afternoon. I decided that I must climb it. I ended up getting stuck in the tree. While my roommate literally rolled on the ground laughing at me, the campus chaplain came outside and noticed me in the tree. I thought for sure that I’d be in trouble, but he just chuckled and offered to help me down. When I declined, determined to get myself down on my own, he just stood there watching me, laughing at my struggle. Or there was the time my friend bought a blow up doll and we dressed it in my Eeyore onesie. There was nobody to tell us no to that either.

2. Time

This is another great thing about college because you have twice as much time to do what you want than you did in high school. In college the maximum is 18 credit hours a semester. This means that you spend 18 hours a week in class. Anything above that is considered an overload. Compare this to high school, where you spend seven hours in school for five days a week- a total of 35 hours.

You’re spending half as much time in class than you did in high school. It’s a great thing to have so much time, it gives you a chance to get a job, spend time with friends and join clubs and sports if you so desire. Just be careful not to spread yourself too thin!

3. Independence

You’re technically an adult now. Whether you live on or off campus, it’s your time to gain some independence. You get to make your own choices for just about everything from your major, to your classes, your clubs, and anything else you can think of. Living on campus, you especially gain some independence. You decide how often you clean your room, what and when to eat, when you go out and everything in between. You want to make a Walmart run at three AM on a Sunday evening? Go for it. You want to skip your eight AM the next day because you didn’t get home until five AM? You probably shouldn’t but you have the power to choose. You don’t have to ask for your parent’s permission to skip class, go on field trips, have a pet fish, hang out with friends or anything else. And it is kind of nice, but you still need to maintain a certain level of responsibility. So make good choices!
 

4. Learning

A big part of the good choices you need to make relate to your learning. With all of your newfound freedom and time, you have to find time to study. The learning style in high school is different from college. In high school, it is guided by the teacher. They teach and you study what they teach. Along with that is a bunch of busy work, partially meant to help you study and partially meant to give you grades because high school teachers are expected to give a certain amount of homework. In college, you’re given reading assignments and expected to come in to with the knowledge and the learning is discussion based. Busy work is nowhere to be found, and thank goodness for it. This means there are less homework assignments and thus, fewer grades. So it’s both a blessing and a curse. Take charge of your education, with all of your extra time don’t blow off your homework.

5. Professors

My professors are one of my favorite parts of college. They’re generally down to earth. They recognize that we’re entering adulthood and treat us as the young, scared adults that we are. They want to learn from us as much as we want to learn from them and are more than happy to engage in intellectual conversation both in and out of class.

They teach well and they almost never hold back. Sometimes this results in some explicit language-within reason. For example, my history professor referred to himself as a “kind, cold-hearted bastard” on the very first day of class. Of course this is a novelty at first, but as you get further into college you grow used to the adult content of your classes. It’s still very exciting to be taught in a class with little to no limitations. Professors also tend not to limit their students behaviorally. There are rules that relate to respect for both the professor, yourself and the students around you. Rules such as cellphone usage, which should be a no-brainer. You’re paying for your education so you may as well make the most of it and respect those around you by not texting the entire time. It’s just plain rude. Still there are very few classroom rules and most professors don’t really care what you’re doing as long as you’re not disrupting the other students. You could start a small fire on your desk and professors don’t care so long as you’re not disturbing the class. Or if you’re anything like me, you could sit on the floor. One day, a friend and I walked into class and our desks were missing. Being creatures of habit, we sat in our normal spots, but on the floor rather than in desks. My professor only asked if we could see the powerpoint from where we were sitting and let us be.

6. Friends

Being with your friends in college is different than being with your friends in high school. In high school, you’re with your friends for seven hours straight during school. You hang out on the weekends mostly. In college, you’re with your friends 24/7. You live with them.

Sometimes it is really exciting and other times it is really boring, but you have twice as much time to make memories with them. You’re going to get on each other’s nerves sometimes. With as much time as you’ll spend together it will be impossible not to. But you’re also going to get to know each other on a level you never thought possible. You’re never going to be alone when you need it the most. There’s always going to be someone there to take care of you when you’re sad. And it will be your responsibility to return the favor when your friends need it. Not just because you should, but because you love them from the bottom of your heart. There will be lots of laughs and hopefully fewer tears.

So many late nights and pizza runs. From little things like hopping out of the car at stop sign to jump in puddles on a rainy night to taking your best friend to your formal and dancing your butt off. From movie nights in the dorm to parties on the weekends. You’re surrounded by friends and people who love you more than you ever thought possible. And you’ll cherish it more than anything