As I sit here during winter break, after just finishing my first semester at college, I can’t help but reflect on the difference between high school and college. Specifically, the biggest things I took for granted….

1. IT WAS FREE

The average cost of college these days is around $20,000 a year, trust me, you’re going to pay more. Multiply that by four, add in the price of living expenses, transportation, oh, and don’t forget the over-priced, rarely used, text books and access codes! Think about it, a 4-year degree, the minimum for even consideration for a job in our generation, and it’ll cost you almost $100,000 to get it! Bet you won’t be skipping class when you’re paying for it!

2.Student – Teacher Relationships

Okay, maybe this is different because I went to such a small high school. But when there’s less than 16 people in your class and you have at least one of the same teachers all four years, you start to build great relationships. By the time you graduate, you not only leave with the great deal of knowledge from that teacher, you leave with new friendships and role-models. It’s so hard to make relationships with teachers when you switch out of their classes every quarter or semester.

3.Printing was free too!

Real talk, everything in high school was free. In college, you get charged for EVERYTHING. I sound like I’m complaining, but really, I’m not! Three cents a page for black and white, and ten cents for color, sounds cheap, but it’s not! Everything adds up. Paying to park my car, to print paper, and even an added charge on top of tuition, just because I decided to be a business major? When you’re in college, even ten cents is expensive. By the way, thanks mom for the printer for Christmas! I can’t wait to spend a quarter of a million dollars for my degree!

4.The Distance Between Building & the Lack of Lockers

This isn’t such a huge deal at the SMU Campus, but I’m sure it’s relateablefor most of those who attend larger state schools. In high school, you had 5-minute passing periods to get from one class to the next, which was typically just upstairs. If you get back to back classes in college, you better be prepared to sprint clear across campus for your next class. But wait, you better be carrying all your materials, because there aren’t lockers on campus, and you have no time to go back to your room first. May the odds be ever in your favor.

5.Redoing an Assignment for a Better Grade and Making up an Exam

Let’s face it. Sometimes, we mess up. If we messed up in high school and didn’t do something too great the first time, most teachers would let us redo it, to help our overall grade! Along with that, if you were sick or did the occasional “I’m not ready for this exam, I need to skip it and do it later,” excuse, you could make it up later. But guess what, that doesn’t exist in college. Deadlines mean something, not just wasted space on a rubric. In college, you must do it right the first time, and show up the first time, or you’re screwed.

High school is so much different than college. In pretty much every aspect, and mostly for the better. However, there are so many things we take for granted in high school. So, for all you underclassman, enjoy it while it lasts!