College Adjustments

Coming into college, it’s nearly impossible to know what to expect. You are entering a whole new life it seems like. You no longer have your parents and high school teachers around to baby you; you are responsible for yourself. You have to realize that your mind is going to change a million times, not just on your major or your class choices, but it will also change your outlook on life. College requires a lot of growth and maturing. A lot of people find themselves changing the instant they start college. I know that whenever I left high school to move on to college, I certainly had a very different outlook on everything than I do now.
All throughout high school, I know I had it easy. I knew that I could get most of my assignments finished in class and I could do the rest in homeroom. I was even able to write my English papers in my journalism class, so I was left with virtually no homework when my school day ended. It was stressful trying to finish all of my work in class, but I preferred it that way so that I could relax when I returned home. I was excited for college, but I also dreaded it at the same time. I knew that my days of taking it easy would be over once I hit college, and even though I knew I was smart and capable of doing my homework, I was stressing that I wouldn’t be able to handle the adjustment very well.
I was right in some ways and wrong in others when I thought that college would be a huge, stressful adjustment. I was expecting to be doing homework all night every night, and never know what was going on in any of my classes. I guess I felt like I was going to be lost and confused. While it took awhile to get used to my classes, I was happy to find that they weren’t as monstrous as I thought they would be. I am still not totally adjusted to doing my homework at home instead of in class, but it is a work in progress. My classes have either met or exceeded all of my expectation and/or worries, but I am getting used to them.
History has always been my weak point. I’m not very good at history. Everyone who had already taken the U.S. World History course told me how much they dreaded it. I, too, dread it every day. It requires around 30-40 pages of reading each class, and the tests are pretty difficult. For someone who hates history and has a hard time comprehending it, this class is definitely a struggle for me. Fortunately, I did not go into this class thinking it would easy. It has met my expectations in that I expected this class to be extremely difficult and kill me.
Another class that has exceeded my expectations is my English class. I expected this class to be a lot of book reading and quizzes. I was thrilled to find out that this class was based more on writing than book work. I love to write, so this class has been good for me to practice doing so in order to get better. While sometimes it is a pain to have to write so much all of the time, I know that it is just good way to strengthen our writing skills.
Besides my attitudes and expectations in individual classes, college has also changed my outlook on life in general. Of course, being away from your family can sometimes make you miss them. I live several minutes away from mine and I still miss not seeing them every day. I think college has showed me how important my family actually was to me. College has also given me insight to the “party life”. I was never around partiers much in high school, and now I’m around them daily. The way they act and the things they say when they are drunk has just strengthened my reasoning on why I think partying is not a good idea for myself personally. College has shown me that life is real. We’ve had cases of rape on campus, car break-ins (including my own), burglaries, and drug busts. It’s just not something you see a lot of when you’re living a cozy life at home with your parents. Lastly, college has shown me how to take care and fend for myself. Everything here is my own responsibility. I have to make sure I’m up on time, that all of my homework is done, it’s up to me to talk to my advisor or get my major changed, it’s up to me to make my own doctor’s appointments, and that’s been a big adjustment from when I lived at home. At home, my mom took care of a lot of stuff like that. In my dorm, I have to clean, I have to do dishes, and I have to make my own meals. While I don’t necessarily like doing all of these things, it does give me a sense of independence and comfort knowing that I am capable of living by myself.