By Veronica U-K.
Ok so let’s be honest, for most of us high school was not the best four years of our life. If you were like me, it was a pretty awkward, miserable point in your life…at least until the end (of course you finally enjoy it, as it ends!) Grrrr.
Anyways, here are some reasons why college is the point in your life, when things truly DO get better:
1. You MUST take full responsibility.
There is no teacher who knows your mom, or coach who played football with your cousin. You are at an entirely different place, where you do not know people who can pull you out of trouble need be.
Now, I know this sounds terrifying, but it’s actually super beneficial, because for once you must actually THINK: how do I solve this problem? And I can guarantee, all those “problem solving equations you did in your third period math class will be useless for this type of logic. So embrace all the “new” knowledge that you can.
In tandem, you’ll also be gaining responsibilities regarding money. That’s right folks! No more asking mom for a little cash, before you go out. Mom isn’t here and you only have twenty dollars left–uh oh! Learning how to manage your “personal finances” is an extremely important life skill that will only get better with time.
2. You get to do what you want!
What teenager doesn’t want to be able to do whatever they want whenever they want? Granted, this does get old and becomes more of an irrelevant expectation, but still in the beginning–it’s awesome!
3. The relationships you make are genuine.
In college, you don’t make friends with people from your town–if you’re like me, you run from those people who know about brace face you. You aren’t being forced to have classes with people just because of where your parents decided to live. The friends you make are those who have interests similar to your own–whether it be from your major, clubs, teams, departments or learning communities. You’ll find people you genuinely have things in common with.
4. You get to learn about what you find to be the most interesting.
Whether you’re into theatre or microeconomics, those classes that you excelled at in high school are the basis for your college classes. Of course, there are core classes that everyone must take for the curriculum (blah blah blah) but just take these classes in stride–yes you overconfident freshmen I’m talking to you.
Think you know so much? Well guess what I’m college you can have a 35 year old on one side of you and an 18 year old on the other. Core classes help you meet people of your own age, so (well at least I think) you can see who you’re truly up against for a spot on the Dean’s List, and to give you a bit of a chance to show off what you know from high school.
Now some people may disagree with me on this last point and that’s totally acceptable–please comment down below why, if you do–but I personally feel that this is what truly made my first semester the most enjoyable (speaking academically):
5. Professors’ Sense of Respect
Now so far I have had all fair professors. Have they all been my favorite? No, I only had 2 out of 6 of those. But they have all been fair. Grading wise…that’s another story…but regarding in class discussions and overall teaching methods, I can say that every professor I have had a truly respect.
In college, professors aren’t obliged to care if you get their work done. It’s not their job to make sure you pass their class. They know you are just as capable as Miss Perfect over there in the middle row. No work is ever “too hard too handle,” if you’re willing to put in the effort. And if you do put in the effort, a certain (very important) amount of respect is gained for you, in the eyes of your professor–and mind you these are people who can potentially get you a job. So enjoy every class & give it your all and who knows, respect could just push you into an internship at Wachtell.