College is hard.
More often than not, nearly every college student has thought this (or so I would hope). Whether it be because of the rigorous academics, the distance away from home...or simply how different it is from high school. Not even in terms of environment, perhaps, but in that what matters in college is very, very different from what matters in high school.
If you've been in high school, or really any form of public education from kindergarten to 12th grade, you've felt the breathing down your neck of obligation to get up in the morning, turn in assignments, or even generally succeed. Whether it be family members, competitive classmates, or the legal responsibility to get an education, there's always been a reason bigger than yourself to do well.
College isn't exactly like that.
Sure, you're paying an x amount of money to be here, so there's financial obligation to go to class...for the most part. But why does it seem so hard to get up for one 11:40 lecture when just last year we were up at 6:30 and in class for 7 hours straight? Why is it so difficult to crank out one simple lab report that you've had more than two weeks to start? How is it so hard to not wear pajamas to class again this week?
College is a commitment, sure, but it's 100% optional. Sure, you have parents that want you to attain a form of higher education, and some of us were privileged enough to grow up in a family where college was an expectation. Some of us grew up where it wasn't, and some parents want their kids to succeed in any opportunity they can get.
But succeeding in college? That's not something people can do for you. There is no legal requirement, no one waking you up in the morning to remind you of deadlines, or packing your lunch and making sure you go to class. No one is helping finish your science fair project the night before it's due, or driving to the store in the middle of the night to pick up glue sticks and extra ink cartridges because the printer is out. No parents can set up conferences with the professor to discuss your grades or ask for extra credit.
The biggest transition I've seen in college by far is the art of personal discipline. I'm sure everyone's experience is different. Not every went to public school, and some people even had the opportunity to be home schooled. Some are commuting to college from home, or going to the community college within the area. Sure.
But all the talk about the difficulty of college rarely attributes to the rigor of the curriculum or extra curriculars alone. More often than not it is the vacuum of motivation we find between secondary schooling and higher education, where we don't know why we're here, what we want, and how much we want it. Where do you find personal drive and dedication to study and work hard when you're not truly excited about what you're doing?
Part of college is finding what you like. Trying new things, taking risks, and discovering your passions for things you wouldn't have experienced before. College is about making goals and following through, making memories and milestones, and meeting new people. College is supposed to fun and exciting and a little scary at times, but it's where you begin to get an idea of who you really are, what you really like, and what you want to do with that.
But.
College is moreover about discipline, and doing what is difficult in order to get where you need to be. College is where you learn to write the papers that you're not excited about, and preparing for exams that you'd rather not even think about. It's about showing up and doing your best, even when you really, really don't want to. Because the more you do it, the easier it gets.
College is about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps the way your mom or dad used to do in high school, looking yourself in the eyes, and saying, "Listen. I know this is hard and this is boring, and there are probably 10,000 things you'd rather be doing right now, but this is necessary. You made a commitment to be here and to do this, and not following through is only hurting yourself. If you can't simply force yourself to sit down and grind and do the dirty work, then you will never reach the payoff."
There is no reward for lack of effort.
The path of least resistance leads nowhere.
