Why College is Better

Dear High Schoolers,

 

Don't give up.

College is better than high school.

Don't believe me?

 

College is better than High School because you get a fresh start. You don't get those very often. Especially if you have lived in the same place your whole life. When you come to college no one knows you or your family and they don't have this image in their head of what you are supposed to be. And really, that is a lot of freedom that you were just handed. You get to meet a handful of people who are just like you! Same interests, beliefs, and craziness. You may feel alone but really you are just surrounded by people who feel the exact same way. Voice your concern and someone will listen and relate. Then you can talk about all the issues you are having and eventually you will feel better about the situation.

 

Depending on which school you go to will sway this factor but class sizes. Here at UVU you have small classes to semi-large. The smallest class I have heard of is 6 people. And the largest class I have heard of is about 400. So it just depends. For my schedule I did two larger classes that have over 100 people, and four classes that have 40-50 people. Now, what is so great about these sizes? For the smaller classes the Professors really try to learn your names. Which makes them more approachable. I like larger classes for the exact same reason. I secretly like it when my teacher has no idea who I am. This way they can't call on you and make you answer a question that you have no idea how to answer. This saves you from countless embarrassment. Another great thing about a larger class is you don't have to sit by the same people. Ever. If you just sit on the other side of the auditorium they will never know you were even there. Is that great? It comes in handy when you are trying to avoid someone.

 

Homework load. This one is kind of a toss up. Sometimes you have a very small amount of homework. Just some reading and a little quiz. Manageable. But then you have the days where you never come out of your room because you are busy slaving away your life. Mondays are usually my hardest days to get everything done. So weekends are kind of rough for me. As much as I just want to relax, I can't because I am trying to not fall behind on my classes. But see, we do everything through the website called Canvas. This system stinks but is great at the same time. It has a to-do list on the side and keeps me organized for when things are do. But sometimes all my assignments don't fit in that little to-do box. I simply have more. But with Canvas I also know all that is required of me on the first day of class. All the assignments are already posted. So you just need to practice time management and you'll be fine. Just remember that you have more time than you did in high school to do things. I spend approximately 4 hours doing homework a day. Give and take an hour.

 

This next bonus you only really experience if you are living away from home. I like being able to eat when I want. I know, I know. You can do that home. But really, this is different. I eat dinner at 4 in the afternoon. But I also eat lunch at 10 in the morning. It is just how my schedule works. I will occasionally have second dinner at 8:00 because I was hungry. But I love that. At home you had to at least wait till a more appropriate time for dinner. Like, at least you had to wait till 5:00. But not for me.

 

I like being dependent. It makes you appreciate all the things your parents have given you. You learn about the concept of money, sleep, food, and cleaning. Simple things that you take for granted. Like a clean kitchen. Our kitchen is never clean. I used to clean it when I got home from school. But that became too much because they weren't my dishes. It was pointless for me to slave away my time  for everyone else.  So now I wash my dishes by hand and try to make as little mess as possible. But I miss walking into a room and just having it be clean.

 

There are so many chances to be social. I wouldn't suggest trying to do all them. That is just tiring. But I would go to a few a week. And believe there are that many. Sometimes two in a night won't hurt. Some how I have made my own curfew. I can't decide if that is good or bad. I am always exhausted by 7:00 PM. I have to force myself to stay up so I don't enter the 'Grandma' Status. I usually get a new wave of energy around 9:30 or 10:00. Then I never want to go to bed. It is a small issue.

 

Basically college is better just because it isn't high school.