Dear high school teachers,

I have been a college student for four weeks now, and all the rumors were true: college is nothing like high school.

I am beginning to grow accustomed to reading for hours on end every day; to being in class for only a few hours every week; to having much more than four minutes in between classes; to walking several miles each day.

You were wrong about college professors. My professors here are kind and passionate people, who do care about my success, but have taught me that succeeding is mainly up to me. College is okay as long as you keep up with the reading and know how and when to ask for help. Life gets crazy, and extensions can be granted, with little to no penalty grade-wise.

I have seen complaints on Twitter that high school does not prepare their students for life outside of the classroom, as they were not taught how to properly fill out a check, do their taxes, or find a job. This is not necessarily my complaint. I am much more concerned with the fact that what was taught at my school was not at all relevant to the way I learn and study now. I was not taught how to write well, deal with technology, study, take notes that were not preprinted for me, or manage my time. Instead, I have had to figure out much of these things on my own time in the midst of college life.

Besides a semester of typing class my freshman year, high school did not prepare me in terms of technology. The fact that every and any electronic device was prohibited during school hours has certainly been helpful in avoiding checking Facebook and tracking my Amazon packages during class, but also set up a culture that avoids technology. This inadvertently taught students that technology is to be used as a toy, not a tool. I was not taught how to deal with emailing professors, keep track of or find reliable online sources, or submit assignments online. At Mount Holyoke College, I submit the vast majority of my assignments through Moodle, an online platform; checking my email every hour is a must in order to keep up with clubs, classes and events; my laptop is always with me; and my readings and syllabi can only be found online.

Cheating was a huge problem at my high school. Kids would give each other their homework assignments to copy, and while when discovered they wouldn't receive any credit on the assignment; the matter was often not pressed further, even for the kids who were to adhere to the National Honor Society honor code.

At Mount Holyoke, as with almost any other college, it is expected that students will adhere to a strict honor code that promotes academic honesty and integrity, which is introduced to first year students during the Honor Code Ceremony. The College's Honor Code "I will honor myself, my fellow students, and Mount Holyoke College by acting responsibly, honestly, and respectfully in both my words and deeds" is a bit open-ended, but still holds incredible merit as trials are held if one is accused of cheating or plagiarism.

In many ways, plagiarism was almost encouraged at my high school: the right answers to assignments were often those that had sentences copied verbatim from the textbook, and in many cases, anything else that was written was marked wrong. This caused quite the anxiety and frustration when asked to think a bit. Besides a sheet I received in the sixth grade from my librarian that outlined the basics of using MLA, my knowledge on citing sources is still extremely limited. I was not required to use any type of citation until senior year, and even that was limited to just a few papers.

Working on crossword puzzles (especially those that don't work as they have mistakes in them) and word searches did nothing to aid me in getting used to all the reading and studying I now do on a daily basis. My studies and education are not to be treated like a game.

I am one of the lucky ones. My father is a professor, my mother a former college admissions counselor. Education has always been a priority in my family, and because of this I was encouraged to pursue my love of writing. Working with the Western New York Young Writers' Studio, writing for The Buffalo News, and reading a lot taught me how to write; I can't remember ever receiving a formal grammar lesson at school.

My art and music classes were some of the biggest influences on both my life and education. Singing taught me how to find (and temporarily lose) my voice. My art classes taught me to use the resources I have around me to create something that solves a problem or answers a prompt (be it through clay, wire, or Photoshop); write about myself and my thinking process; and even bring attention to social justice issues.

Coming from a tiny, rural school district could be a challenge all in itself at times. I thank you for being so open, and encouraging interactions with you after class. Attending office hours and interacting with my professors doesn't feel as daunting thanks to you. Working in a small environment allowed you to be a bigger part of my everyday life. I thank you for your incredible support with my struggles and for sharing and supporting my writing even when it didn't always seem practical.

All the best,

Anna