Dreading College?
All your friends are excited about going off to college, but you’re dragging your feet for some reason. You just can’t get into it. Now you’re starting to wonder if there’s something wrong with you.
Don’t wonder any longer! This feeling is actually pretty normal.
If you’re like many high school students, you know that nearly all professional careers require a college degree, but after all those years in school you might not feel very excited about signing up for four or more years. You need some good news!
Good News About College
You have been in school for as long as you can remember. You know that college is the next logical step, but right now it may seem like too much. Sometimes, the hardest part of getting into college can be the decision of whether or not you really want to go. The thing you need to remember is that college is really not like high school.
Here are some helpful facts and ideas that will make your transition into college a little easier:
1. Professors are not your high school teachers.
In high school your teachers are also your guardians. They not only teach you, but they monitor your attendance, the way you dress, what time you get to class. They even tell you when to the bathroom.
In college, you are an adult. Professors will expect respect, but they might not care if you have to step out of class to use the restroom. Professors are usually eager to help you. If you miss an assignment or know you’ll be out of class on exam day, just talk to them. You’ll find they are usually willing to help.
Professors hold office hours several days a week so students can come by and talk about anything they need.
Professors also like to hear all sides of a topic, so you are allowed more freedom to voice your opinion. Do you think Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a silly idea? Feel free to say so--but be ready to say why.
2. In college you'll have more freedom than in high school.
You will make your own schedule, decide what classes to take, come to school in pajama’s (you will be surprised how many people do).
Hate to get up in the morning? If you are not a morning person, take all afternoon classes. Have to work? You can schedule around it. Prefer to choose your own classes? Although you are required to take core classes, you have the opportunity to select from a wide range of subjects. Taking classes that you are truly interested in or passionate about is more than educational, it is personally enriching.
3. College brings great social opportunities.
In high school there are clubs and teams that are usually associated with a clique or stereotype. You might not have wanted to join that high school academic club because it would have made you look like a dork.
Or maybe you wanted to try out to be a cheerleader but you thought the other girls were kind of stuck up. Once you get to college, these problems start to disappear.
There are endless amounts of clubs, teams and organizations that are populated by many different types of people. The campuses are usually so diverse that cliques can’t survive, or they’re not important.
4. College brings the opportunity to travel--even overseas.
Did the thought to take a year off to travel ever occur to you? You don’t have to take time out of your education to travel! Study abroad programs allow you to take courses in a different country. The courses can fit into your degree program, and they come in a large variety of destinations and types.
Want to study on a sailing ship? In London or Paris? It’s possible!
If you plan on studying a foreign language, submersion programs are the best way to learn. On a submersion trip you might stay with a local host family or in a dorm. You live in a country like Spain or Mexico and use the local language day to day. These programs not only provide a hands-on learning experience unavailable in a classroom, but give you a chance to see places you might never have seen. Plus, tuition can be paid by loans or scholarships.
The benefits of going to college are immeasurable. You will meet new people with the same interests as you and many who will challenge your views and ideas. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew you were missing. In the end you will leave with a degree and a new view of the world and your place in it.
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