Dealing With The Changes Between Highschool And

College. Essay, Research Paper

Dealing with the Changes Between High School and College

What are those things that one takes for granted while living at home and attending high school? What changes will you face upon entering college? When preparing for college, everyone thinks that it is easy just like high school. What they forget about is the fact that when you go to college and you re away from home, family, and friends, you must do everything on your own. I was a na ve young adult who was going to attend college for the first time. Neither one of my parents had gone to college prior, so they really couldn t offer me any insight into what college would be like. The only advice my parents had for me was Study hard, son. Needless to say, it was no surprise upon arriving at college that I was ridiculed for my lack of college knowledge. College is a great experience, but dealing with the changes from high school to college can be difficult because of new responsibilities, expenses, and dealing with teachers.

College has its own bag of responsibilities that you don t have to endure when you attend high school. In high school, your curriculum is already set up for you by guidance counselors, however, at college, you have to make arrangements to set up your own schedule to suit your needs. During my college orientation, I had a resident advisor who was helping me to set up my schedule of classes. As he was helping me, I noticed a lot of the classes where going to be scheduled during the middle of the day. So, I asked him, When do I eat lunch? He laughed at me and said, You eat whenever you get a chance in college. At the time, I was na ve enough to believe that there were lunch periods in college, similar to high school, but I soon realized that there weren t.

College has endless expenses that you incur while attending, unlike high school, which is funded for you by the local community. As soon as you start college, you find out how expensive education can be when you have to purchase textbooks, paper, pencils, and the like. In high school, John Q. Taxpayer foots the bill for your education and the school district provides the means to accomplish this mission. When I got the schedule for my classes, I immediately went to the bookstore to purchase the required textbooks for each class. Even though, I purchased my books ahead of time, what I did not know was that some teachers do not use a book, whether it s required or not. What I soon found out upon attending Biology 101 was that the $85.00 book that I had purchased and removed from its wrapping was not going to be used by the professor in that course. Therefore, I was stuck with an $85.00 book because the teacher failed to let the administration know that there would be no required textbook for his course that semester.

College professors are like celebrities. There are so many people looking for them yet they are nowhere to be found, whereas high school teachers are always in their classroom and fairly easy to find. Everytime I would need to speak to a teacher in high school it was no problem. When I went to talk to a college professor it was such a hassle. You would have to either wait in line, make an appointment, or beg for some assistance. In high school, teachers are there to nurture and guide you in your studies. In college, professors could care less if you show up to class let alone be there for you when you need guidance or advice. On one occasion, I happened to be in line waiting to talk to one of my professors during his scheduled time when he offered students assistance. I was barely waiting in line 15 minutes when the professor came out of his office and said, That is it, I am done for the day. I as well as the other students standing outside his door where left scrambling for some tutor or assistant to answer our questions regarding the test that we were going to have the following day. I was very disappointed with the professor s attitude toward his job and the students. A few weeks later, I found out that the professor was more concerned that day with the itinerary of his kayak trip than with helping his students understand what he was teaching.

College is an experience one can never forget. The memories of high school still linger in every college student s thoughts, but there are so many issues to deal with while attending college unlike high school. College can be difficult but the challenge of new responsibilities can help you to grow and mature. College also can help you learn how to respect the value of a dollar and education. Dealing with professors and other students gives you a benchmark between your peers and your elders. College can be a great experience but dealing with the changes from high school to college can be difficult. If you can accept new responsibilities, living by a budget and dealing with sometimes arduous professors, all your efforts will be rewarded with a college degree.