by Marie Lachance
Hello everyone! My name is Marie and I am currently a freshman
at Brown University. Although I had so many friends and family members give me
valuable advice on college before my arrival here, none of it really set in
until a couple months into college. I have spent a long time thinking about
what differentiates my high school and college life, and I hope sharing my
thoughts with you all will somehow help you in your college process!
The first difference is...
Class
Yes, college is much more than just going to class, but you are
foremost here to learn! And there are several differences between the two
atmospheres… In college, you are much more independent. You
must keep on your own schedule, hold yourself accountable for your work, and
seek out professors help when you are struggling. In high school, you may have
the help and guidance of your teacher and fellow classmates to stay on track,
and you may even get away with skipping a few assignments here and there. In
college, you are completely accountable for everything you do-
which gives you (or at least me) a sense of freedom that is absent in high
school. Yes, it is harder, but it is so much more than that- it is an
opportunity to explore the broadest span of knowledge possible, and when you
achieve the unachievable, YOU are the one accountable- and that’s
amazing!
Friends
In my opinion, your experience with your friends is just as
important if not more than your schoolwork in college. You can have the best
and closest friends in the world in high school, but you still aren’t literally living
with them like you do in college. It is an incredible difference when you are
living in such close proximity with the people you love the most- you get so
much closer so much quicker. And it’s great. You can eat with them, do homework
with them, exercise with them, go out with them, and multiply them- maybe
that’s the best thing of all. There is no limit to the amount and diversity of
friends you can make in college. Be adventurous, be bold, be yourself… and the
possibilities are endless!
Food and Exercise
Although this may not be the first thing on your mind entering
college, it really struck me how different my life is now in respect to my
eating and exercising habits. In high school, I was a varsity athlete all four
years, which required a lot of food. I constantly was
exercising, and it gradually became a part of my identity… something I didn’t
see myself giving up in college. However, it became clear things were going to
change: my busy schedule restricted my time allotted for exercise, and the
dining hall proved too tempting for my sweet tooth. Overall, however, I find my
mental heath surrounding food and exercise to be much healthier here. When I
exercise, it is never because I feel like I have to, but I
rather look at it as a break from the craziness of my life otherwise. Also,
with so many options in the dining hall, it is definitely easy to choose
healthy options with veggies and fruit, but you can always top it off with some
soft-serve ice cream 😃
Hopefully this will help you navigate some of the key
differences between life in high school and in college!
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| Football game in high school :) |
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Football game in college! (Go Bruno!)
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