High School vs. College
After four weeks in my first year of college, I have now realized how different high school and college really are. I know many people have told me the contrasts, but I guess I just needed to see it for myself. Here are a few of my differences between high school and college.
Semester Classes vs. Yearly Classes
1. In high school we had yearly classes. If you messed up during the beginning, no worries you have until the end of the year to fix your grade. Not here in college, we go by semesters. Meaning if you screw up in September good luck trying to get it back up in December.
Free Time
2. In high school the only real extra time you had was free period. Your schedule was school, and then either sports or other activities and organizations. When you finally got home, you spent all your time doing homework for six classes. In college you have so much free time it’s a little crazy! On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I get out of class at 2:10 PM and have the rest of my day to do things…. I am not complaining at all.
No Curfew
3. I know in high school I had a curfew, and depending on what I was doing that determined what time I got home. Now I can go out all night and come back whenever I want, and not be punished for it.
Being Broke
4. While I was in high school, my parents pretty much bought everything for me with the exception of a few items. I had a job so what they didn’t get me, I was totally fine with it. Now that I’m in college, I realized that the money they gave I used on books/other things I needed for school, and I now find myself being a broke college student.
Reading
5. In high school, if I was given a textbook I had no desire to read it unless I was doing work out of it. It was simple then, but now that I’m in college, reading the textbook is essential. If you don’t read it, good luck on the next test.
Can’t Miss Class
6. Missing class in high school wasn’t a big deal; if you did it was all good. You could easily catch up on work you missed and everything would be fine. Not in college! You miss a class, its game over for you. Professors don’t recap on what happened last class, they just move right along.
No Friendly Reminders
7. This one is big because in high school I got reminders for everything. When tests are, homework was due, or if I was missing something. A teacher always had reminders for everything, but not in college. If you want a nice friendly reminder, it’s going to have to come from you (so invest a personal planner, it really helps)!
There are more differences that are not even listed in this article. I can definitely tell that in college they treat you more like an adult and let you make your own decisions. You are given the chance to decide on how you want your college experience to be like.