Many people say that college is the best four years of one’s life. In college, there are numerous opportunities to meet new people, join different organizations, network, and so forth. Those that have graduated from college glamorize the college experience as they reminiscence on their own. However, as exciting as college may sound, it does have its hardships, especially for freshmen. For many freshmen, the transition from high school to college can be challenging. This is due to the college pressures of time management, having stellar grades, and peer pressure.
As a high school student living with their parents, freedom is very limited. Most high school students have curfews and are expected to follow their parents’ household rules. In college, that is not the case because students are considered to be adults and adults have the freedom to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Unfortunately, the new acclaimed freedom can conflict with students doing their school work, who are trying to simultaneously have fun by going to parties and socializing with their peers. As a result of not properly managing their time, many students begin to feel overwhelmed with their responsibilities. When students do not find the time to prioritize their school life with their social life, it can be very detrimental to their time as a college student.
While college can be fun and exciting, it is imperative to remember that it is important to have good grades in order to stay in school. Many freshmen typically realize that that the workload in high school is nothing like the workload in college. In high school, students were given multiple assignments to help improve their final grade. Contrary to high school, college students are not assigned as many assignments. As a result, there is an immense amount of pressure to excel on each assignment that is given in order to have a good final grade at the end of the semester. Furthermore, there is even more pressure on the students that have scholarships. Unfortunately, if those students do not meet that certain grade point average, they will lose their scholarship and be forced to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. Sadly, for some, if the college is too expensive to pay out of pocket, the students are forced transfer to another school that is more affordable.
Lastly, peer pressure is another aspect of college that makes the transition from high school to college challenging. As a result of meeting many new people, from different backgrounds, it is a common feeling to want to fit in and be accepted. Due to that desire for acceptance, many college students start to follow the crowd. Students get manipulated into doing drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking, and participating in other activities that are morally wrong and lawfully illegal because they have been influenced by their peers. Students that become very involved with trying to fit in with their peers often forget and lose who they are as an individual and what they stand for in the midst of it all.
As it can be read, the transition from high school to college can be very challenging for many freshmen students. Due to said pressures, many college freshmen do not have a successful first year. However, through all the challenges and pressures many freshmen face, they manage to find a way to grow and mature from those endeavors. As those freshmen are promoted to seniors and eventually alumni, in return, they will have life lessons to teach for upcoming generations of freshmen college students and stories to tell about the best four years of their lives.