1. Taking classes I actually enjoy

In high school I had to take a lot of computer science and math courses that I began to dread each day. Those subjects don't interest me and I'm not the best at them. Besides the year-long math requirement for my major, I'm free of these courses!

2. Academic resources

From tutoring services to resume critiques to a library filled with every book or article I could ever need, the resources in college are absolutely amazing. A good amount of these resources are online, which is a huge help if I'm short on time!

3. Free time

In high school, I would force myself to do all of my homework as soon as I got home from a long day. By the time I finished, I'd be far too tired to do something I enjoy like spend time with my family or read. Now that I can choose my schedule, I have an hour or two around lunchtime to get ahead on work so that the evenings can be spent with friends or at clubs.

4. Lack of drama

No one cares about what you're doing unless it disrupts their own life. People just mind their own business and it's wonderful.

5. Independence

I really enjoy the sense of responsibility that comes with sticking to a schedule and maintaining good grades. I still did these things before college, but now I don't have my parents reminding me to study. It's all up to me and the sense of accomplishment I feel after a successful day is worth the hard work!