It is undeniable that there are some major differences between high school and college. According to Hannah Hoffman at the University of Maryland, “I think everything lol.” The differences vary from school to school, but no matter where you go, no college is like high school. The environment is different, the people are new, and there is a world of new fresh experiences that await you. Being that most college students have been at their schools for a little over a month now, I decided to check in with some friends from high school and see how everyone was adjusting at their given universities. When I asked “what have been the biggest differences between college and high school for you?,” a lot of their responses circulated around the same topics: classes, going out, having a roommate, the level of freedom, and workload.
On the issue of one’s workload, Riva Goldberg at Syracuse University stated that, “the biggest difference for me is being handed the entire semester on one sheet of paper the first day; we aren’t used to getting all of our deadlines at once and it was intimidating to see everything written out. With a syllabus, it never feels like you finished your work because there is always something next but in high school the assignments came one at a time, so when you finished one there was a sense of accomplishment.” Not only is it overwhelming to see the what work you have to complete, but the volume of work tends to shock many, like Grace Johnson at Montclair State University, “trying to manage your schoolwork while also trying to make friends and get the college experience was my biggest struggle and adjustment.” In high school, you tend to know your friends from years prior and have a set schedule of 8am-3pm classes and then the rest of your time is your own. Whereas, in college, you have to make your own schedule which can very well differ from your friend’s, so making time for your social life and studies is often a balancing act. However, one of huge pros about college courses in comparison to high school classes is that, “I enjoy the work I do because I'm taking classes that I'm actually interested in,” Anya Balsamides, University of Miami.
Another adjustment that comes with your workload is balancing it with every aspect of your life. Olivia Bulzomi at the University of Delaware, said she often suffers FOMO, fear of missing out, because she is, “learning when to stay in and actually do your homework instead of going out.” It’s hard! Some nights all of your friends will be going out, and as badly as you may want to, you could have an 8am exam the next morning. In high school, you would go out Friday and Saturday and not have to worry because it’s the weekend, but in college sometimes the biggest nights of the week are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Beyond the night life, you also have to find time for getting involved in activities (like clubs, sports, and Greek life), going to the gym, taking advantage of what your campus has to offer, and as simple as it sounds, finding time to eat can be tough. Figuring out time management is huge because, “in high school you had more of a routine because you had the same classes and clubs at the same time every day,” Maddie Sheinker, University of South Carolina. Having a different schedule day to day and having an hour between classes may sound nice, but an hour is surprisingly too short of a time to get most things done which leaves you feeling unproductive when you have an hour to kill but don’t know what to do with it.
Undoubtedly, it’s ridiculously difficult to adjust to a whole new environment when you go away to school. In most cases, when you’re in high school, you are in the same environment that you have lived in for most of your life. Claire Airo at The Pennsylvania State University said, “I think the biggest and weirdest thing is that I live in Pennsylvania, like I live in a whole new place, and my family isn't here and like you’re just experiencing new things.” It’s crazy to think that our lives now are totally different than our lives this time last year. This time last year I was probably at my favorite pizza place with my close friends complaining about something that had no relevance to where I am today. Honestly, no one really tells you how huge of an adjustment going to school is, not to say that any of it is bad- it is just an underrated change.
Valerie Kerin, University of Delaware, pointed out the biggest difference of all “I never had to hide from clowns in high school.”
