As the deadline for college applications slowly starts to approach, many seniors in our RHS community take part in not only the excitement and pride that goes into completing them, but also all of the anxiety and uncertainty that comes with it. While getting accepted into any college requires you to reach certain standards, such as one’s GPA, or extracurricular activities, it also requires a shift from adolescence, high school, to young adulthood, college, which can be challenging for most. Jillian Jones, a senior at Michigan State University and Gina Schnelbach, a freshman at the University of Michigan, give us their insight into college life compared to high school.
When consulting with Jones about her take on high school compared to college, she explains how “there is a lot of new when coming to college. New things to learn, new things to do, new people to meet – lots of new experiences.” I know many college students can agree with that statement. Such as Schnelbach who states how “college has forced a lot of new responsibilities on me. It has forced my level of independence to skyrocket!” While you’re often living away from home, this leads to more responsibilities such as taking care of things like cleaning, cooking, finances, and managing your own schedule. Jones continues to explain how “the biggest challenge I faced was adjusting to college life. I was a freshman away from home, sharing a small dorm room with someone for the first time. Having to plan out when to wake up everyday, when to eat and which dining hall to eat at, how much time to allow to get to my classes, what assignments were due that day, hangout with friends, and fit skating practice in there as well was a lot. It was a big learning curve.”
Jones argues that another major shift from highschool to college is class size and structure. “I was put into four large lecture classes of 300 people my first semester.” Trying to adapt to a larger class can create new obstacles in your learning that you normally don’t experience in high school. For example, Jones states “with the larger sizes, the professors aren’t able to tailor all their teaching to you, there isn’t any interaction between students and professors in the 300+ lectures.” Schnelbach adds that, “professor’s lecture you, while high school teachers are more involved with helping you pass the class.” Jones also states that, “courseload wise, college is more challenging than high school. Normally, you’re taking 5-6 classes per semester (about 15 credits) and allow 3 hours per credit, totaling 45ish hours of schoolwork a week.” While adapting to these changes can be challenging and stressful, there are resources to help you cope.
Jones advises how “office hours are a great resource to get to know your professor and ask any questions you may have in the class. There is also plenty of tutoring around campus to help assist with any classwork.” Jones also explains how she “learned to write all due dates in a planner, map out an hourly schedule to keep myself on track, and to plan hangouts with friends as de-stressors from school. And I’ve gotten much better at it over the years!” These are some great skills to develop, not only for college, but also for high school.
Finally, we conclude our interview with some tips on how to best set yourself up for success while you transition from high school to college. Jones explains how it’s important to “take AP classes. I skipped a whole year of college from AP credits and these classes help prepare you for college class course load. Be open to new experiences. There are a lot of cool things happening on campus that you might like, give everything a try, you might end up liking that club, class, food, or group. Stay organized. A planner is your best friend if used wisely. And most importantly, care for the people around you. Stay in touch with your friends, new and old, they want to hear from you as much as you want to hear from them. Give your parents a call, they do miss you and want to hear from you.”
Overall, transitioning from high school to college can be a scary time, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. I hope this is helpful to whoever may need some guidance! Stay positive and enjoy the new opportunities that come your way!
