What is the most difficult switch to make between high school and college?

Hi Sean !

Starting college is overwhelming for a lot of people. For most college freshmen, this is the first time in their lives that they are not living at home with their parents and have to learn how to take care of themselves, live on their own and manage school demands, along with making new friends.

I didn't particularly enjoy high school that much, but my first semester away at college was a little tough because I went from an environment where I knew the ropes well to one where I felt like a fish out of water for a little while. It passed, and to this day I look back at college as the happiest period in my life. It's hard to put yourself out there and make friends, and you might spend a good part of freshman year trying to figure it out but it's a great learning experience and you will grow from it.

Keeping your grades up is important, so learning to prioritize school without help from your parents is something that you'll need to master and this can be hard for some people. Your first few months might be a little tough but if thousands of college freshman surmount these obstacles every year, so can you.

Best of luck !

Elyse

In high school, you have classes back-to-back and everyone more or less takes the same classes (at least the basics). You go home and have family around to help with general tasks - cooking, cleaning, laundry, staying on task. When you go to college, you are responsible for yourself. You need to stay on top of your responsibilities for classes, keeping your room or apartment in order, having food - whether that's a meal plan or cooking, etc.

You also have fewer classes and they could be spread out. You may not start first thing in the morning or you might have a gap between classes on some days. They are also more challenging classes, and most professors will expect you to do more work independently and determine for yourself what you need to stay caught up (checking in during office hours, visiting a TA, finding a study-buddy). It can be easy to get caught up in the fact that you only have 4 classes and fall behind if you don't stay on top of things quickly and get into a routine. But it is nice to have the flexibility to do what works for you.

And make sure to enjoy it! It's a great time to meet people from all different backgrounds and make some great friendships along the way!