what was your perception of college life during highschool,and did it change when u went to college? why?

Answer 1

What did I think college was going to be like when I was in High school?

I thought it was going to be an endless party and friends galore. I thought it was going to be great being on my own, doing what I want, and getting away from home.

What was it in reality?

I had more friends in college than at any other point in my life. For the first time in your life, people tend to accept you for who you are, not what you represent. I was kind of an outcast in high school, but I was on the popular side (due to acedemic abilities and partying).

However, starting out in college was pretty lonely. I had been away from home many times in high school, working in Alaska for the summers, class trips over seas, vacations with family whenever I could afford to tag along. When you get dropped off at the dorms and your parents leave, life gets real really quick. For the first time, I really felt alone. I did bad my first semester for a couple of reasons, one being home sickness and the other being studying too hard and not "finding my groove" and learning to cut corners and still learn.

Another thing I didn't expect was how tough college really is. I went to a specialized, private, very tough Engineering school in the midwest. The first two years was extremely difficult. The first couple of years introduce entirely foreign concepts that must be learned. Despite many people complaining about years 3 and 4, I found them to be quite easy. I spent my time learning the basics real well the first two years and the second two years were busy, but not too bad as everything builds off of the basics.

Another thing I didn't expect was the lack of time. While my last two years were "easy" I thought, there was a ton of work. My last 18 months of school, I slept 4 hours on a long night. I was going to classes and doing homework for about 20 hours a day. If I wanted to party, then I had to sacrifice sleep (which I did). I think few schools push you that hard, but the school I went to, it was the norm (most upper classmen wouldn't go crap without taking a textbook it was so bad...the school also had about a 90% washout rate)

What was awsome was the partying and social life. Like I said, for the first time, people accept you for who you are, not because you are hot, athletic, or rich. I drank enough alcohol to last two lifetimes. Looking back, I did a lot of very stupid things while drunk (no driving though..didn't bring my car), but it was all fun at the time.

College has its pitfalls though.

1. Be careful of addiction. I left college smoking two packs a day and a hair width from being an alcoholic (I always called myself a drunk because I was too stupid to realize I was an alcoholic....this carried over to when I took my first job...I'd wait for Miller High Life to go on sale for $8 or so a 30 pack and then go buy 15 or 20 cubes with my college drinking buddy who also went to work with the same company).

2. Stay away from drugs! Drink and smoke, but drugs will screw you up quick. Don't start!

3. Sex! Do it! Enjoy It! But use protection! An unwanted pregnency will bring your college career to a screetching halt! An abortion screws most people up. An adoption will always make you wonder. Use a condem! Don't rely on the pill (I've seen too many birth control pill babies as I entered adulthood! Don't take the chance)

4. Party, but college isn't a party! Have fun. Get wasted and blow off some steam. You will find college real tough if you don't have a way to relax. Whatever your release is, make sure to maintain your focus. You are there to learn and learning comes first.

5. You will fail! Don't let it get you down. Almost everyone has a mental block. For me it was art, which really killed me in CAD class. Unless you are exceptionally gifted, you will fail a class. Drop it and try again! There is no dishonor. It happens to everyone!

If you learn nothing more from my rambling, remember this. PRIORITIZE your work! You have a finite amount if time in the day. Figure out how you can achieve the best grade in the least amount of time. If you can get an "AB" on an assignment with 4 horus of work or an "A" with 16 hours of work, figure out what is more important (personally, I chose the AB). Don't feel you have to read chapters you already understand. Practice problems are great, but do real homework first! Old tests are great references to prepare for current exams! It is OK to cut corners if you still learn!

College was the best time of my life. It teaches you a lot about life besides acedemics. You will encounter death for the first time (for many). Parents of friends will die. Students will die. You learn to deal with things and how to be there for other people. You learn to work in teams. You learn to cut corners. You learn the meaning of self-discipline. These are all new things for many!

Answer 2

I didn't get to go to college right out of high school. I had to work first and started when I was real old - 21!

During those 4 years that I was longing to go to college, I pictured us laying around under spreading oak trees. A textbook would be open in our laps and the discussions would flow from Plato to Nietzche to Kant to Freud to Jung. We each would throw out brilliant and piercing insights. We would stand in awe of our wise professors. They would guide us through the perils in our thinking.

The Ugly Reality: My campus had only saplings. One dream down. I would sit around with a book in my lap as the other kids passed by discussing their hangovers. Another dream gone. I had an English professor get so frustrated with our class that he threw his papers on the floor, stomped his foot, and with tears in his eyes, fled the room. The majority of our classes were held in an auditorium seating 500 kids. The PA system sucked.

So there you have it. Would I do it all over again? In a New York minute. Only this time, I would drink less, drug less, go to class more, study harder and attend a different college. Maybe one with oak trees...