Hello there!
So you are probably worrying about college (or not) and what your experiences are going to be like. You probably have some stereotypes in your head about college. All I can really say is that depending on what college you choose to go to you may find some of these stereotypes to be true. I am writing to you to inform you about the difference you will find when you transition from high school to college.
One of the things you need to know is that when you go to college, your classes are not a continuation of your high school courses. You will find that there are no more standardized tests! You will also find that though the knowledge you learned in high school can come in handy in some college classes, you will find these things being applied differently. You have to realize that these professors with different teaching styles. It is not their responsibility to make sure you do your homework or that you pass a test. I learned rather quickly that my classes though are similar to my high school ones they are defiantly different in the material that is stressed! I had to rewire my brain so that I could learn how my professors taught versus thinking they taught just like my high school teachers!
You may also want to take note that college requires new kinds of motivations and self-discipline. You have to realize that you do not have a set schedule anymore. You don't go to school, come home, do homework, eat dinner, do something, and go to bed. Your schedule will have gaps and you will experience night classes. You will realize that college has more freedom than high school. And for this very reason you need to develop time management skills. You do not have your parents, teachers, or school officials pushing you to do your work. You have to find your own motivation to do these things, your old motivation will do very little for you. You need to develop time management skills that will suite you so you can get your work done. You will also need to find new motivation and since it can be anything it is up to you to find it. I had motivation for the first week or two of school. Afterwards I fell behind. I didn't fail or necessarily get bad grades but I found myself procrastinating like never before. It was bad, extremely late nights, exhausting mornings, eating whenever, and not wanting to do anything. It took a while for me to adjust and occasionally I fall into a pattern resembling my bad one, but I can easily switch if I try!
Your lifestyle will change when you go to college, for some this may be good and for others not so much. You might have a negative impact when you go through the transition. You may gain weight, have an increase in your stress level, begin to fail courses, and fail to discipline yourself. Just know you are not alone. The first step to overcoming these drawbacks is to find something (or things) that motivates you. You can't do anything until you have accomplished this. Once you have found your motivation don't take advantage of it. Start small and work your way up. You will not experience results immediately but eventually you will start see change. The college lifestyle hit me hard, and I am currently still adjusting to it. I took it one step at a time and so far it is working rather well. Sometimes I do grow impatient from waiting for results, but then I have to tell myself they don't come immediately!
The last thing I want to inform you about is the amount of services your college offers you. You paid a lot of money (or barely any) to go to college. Your college is not just going to leave you in the dust. If you look you will find many services your college offers you. Your college may also display them. Your college wants you to succeed, they do not set you up for failure like you may think. Your college's library is the best place to get work done. Utilize the librarians, they are there for a reason. Your college may also have a program that is designed to help students succeed and may offer other services. Such services may include study tables, workshops, tutors, and/or writing facilities. If you take the time to get familiar with them you will realize how helpful these can be. Not only does your college offer pristine study areas but they also offer useful tools that will help you succeed in college. Just remember, college's want you to succeed! I truly didn't know just how much my college offers me until I took a giant step back and pieced all that the college has told me. I am beginning to utilize the services my college offers me more and more. Each time I am glad I did because I can get my work done with little distractions and as best as I can! It can be hard to find time, but you will manage. I managed to and even if it's just a few times a week for an hour, that's all the time you need to start seeing improvements (as long as you don't slack off)!
So with these tips in hand I hope you are ready for life as a college student after your senior year! I give you my best wishes and hope that you will utilize these tips before it's too late (or at least use one or more of these tips when it is too late). Hopefully you will be successful in college and graduate with flying colors!
Good luck!
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