subject: Defining Differences: High School Vs. College [print this page] Teachers never fail remind you how more demanding college is, compared to high school. You begin to collect jitters since orientation day is fast approaching. And then you wonder if college really that daunting.
Completing nerve-racking courseworks. In high school, you can get away not understanding the day's lecture. Your grades can still be well despite an exam you failed or classes you did not attend. In college, you cannot slack all day and still get the grades you want. You have to be more focused on your courses. If there is any lesson you find confusing, you should take the initiative to ask for further help.
Freedom from controlling parents. If your parents are the type who are always on the guard, well then, brace yourselves, college is your opportunity to decide on your own. You no longer have to ask for their approval for everything that you do, like going out of your room. However, you should be able to own up to your actions. Since you are the one who made that decision, then you should be able to stand to its consequences.
Running errands by yourself. You no longer have mom and dad around to do errands for you. This is especially the case if you are staying in dorms. You cannot afford to be lazy otherwise you would have to clothes to wear come next week. You begin to do the laundry on your own, and work within your budget so you can survive until the next allowance comes.
Listening to lectures you actually care about. Gone are the days when you are required to go to classes that you are not passionate about. This time, you have the freedom to choose which courses to take and which academic degree to pursue. Since you assess your interests, now you are able to sustain motivation to attend classes. You value each time you spend in the room, and not just count remaining minutes until the professor calls it a day.
Realizing how crucial experience is. College is also the time for you to learn what experience really can do for you. This is when you can indulge on things, for the first time, and hence a lot of learning for you to gather. You probably would experience binge drinking, dating, pulling all nighters for cramming sessions, and maybe even working part time.
Working productively with others. Nobody has ever survived college alone. You can be happy with only yourself as your constant company but when professors instruct that you work with a peer, then you definitely would have to find somebody with whom you will share the task. Along through college, you would develop social skills which are also essential as you enter the workforce.
Learning that mistakes aren't that bad, at all. And because nobody is there (who have been on the situation you're in) to look after your actions, you are bound to make few mistakes. But what is good about these failures is that you also learn valuable lessons in the end. Mistakes are only useless when you do not apply what you have learned from them.
Going to college can drive you nuts. But it also equips you with necessary learning you need as you venture through the actual world, where you are expected to live as an adult.
