Going away to college can be stressful. You don't have friends or family with you, and it's an entirely new world. There are many differences between high school and college, and any college student. So, below, I have outlined some of the major differences in college, compared to high school:
1. No Daily Schedule.
In high school, you're succumbed to an unchanging daily schedule. In college, it's not like that. In college, you could, in reality, have a different schedule each day; you get to pick your own schedule. If you don't want to go to class before 11 a,m. -- you don't have to. If you want online classes -- you got it! If you want to take a class from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. -- you're able to. In high school, you have the same old classes every day from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.
2. Football games are probably not the same.
In high school, the stands were always packed. I mean, Friday Night Lights is a real thing. Unless you go to a big college like Texas A&M, Auburn or Ole Miss, the stands probably aren't absolutely packed at football games. Yes, everyone goes and tailgates, but the stands don't end up being standing-room only; They don't end up with an endless sea of your school color.
3. You normally don't know your classmates.
Unless you met them prior to your class and scheduled your classes together, you normally don't know your classmates. In high school, even if you went to a huge high school, where you didn't know a lot of people, you knew your classmates. In college, it's a big pool of random people you've never met before.
4. You don't need your parents' permission for anything
In high school, you were underage. You weren't 18 yet and you lived with your parents, which means they most likely wanted to know where you were when you went out. If you were going to a sketchy place or you didn't finish your chores -- forget about it! You weren't going out. In college? You don't have your parents to tell you no. You can just go out whenever. You make your own decisions. Which also means you have to be responsible enough to know when you should go out, and when you should just stay in.
5. No dress code!
In high school, you weren't allowed to wear shorts past your finger tips, if you were even allowed to wear them at all. You weren't allowed to have holes in your pants or wear tops without shoulders. Hell, you couldn't even wear leggings with a long top, because "leggings aren't pants." In college, you can show up to class in pajamas -- and a lot of people do -- and nobody cares! Not even the teacher cares what you wear to class; as long as you're wearing something, that is.
6. You can show up late to most classes
I recently discussed this in a Facebook group -- how late is too late to go to class? Some people say 10 minutes, some people say five minutes, some people said they'll attend class if there's only 10 minutes left -- which I just find crazy, but all the power to you! Most professors don't care. Some will lock you out, and some will penalize you. But most professors won't say anything. In high school, though, if you were late, it was logged in the records and your parents were called. A little much for a tardy, but it's what happened.
7. You can bring your dog to campus.
I can't tell you how many days I go to class and see a dog on campus. I can't tell you how many classes I've gone to and have seen somebody bring their dog into class with them. Nobody cares about it, as long as your dog isn't disrupting the class -- and no, I'm not only talking about service dogs.
8. You can use technology in class.
In high school, if you used any technology, you got it taken up and sent to the principal; who would either give you a warning for it or give you a fine for it, along with some form of detention. Just the other day in college, I watched somebody answer a phone call during class. Granted, we had a TA and not a real professor in that class, but it happens all of the time. Some professors actually encourage taking notes on laptops and tablets, versus writing down notes with pen and paper like you were required to do in high school.
9. You're not being taught for a state test.
In high school, most things you learned were to prepare you for the standardized testing we all had to take at the end of the year. These tests help the school get their certifications, and sometimes it feels as if that's all the schools ever care about. In college, you pick your classes and while you do have to take tests in most classes; the classes are there to make you actually learn, and not just memorize.
10. You don't have to be good to play sports.
I played sports in junior high, then I moved across the country and tried out for the teams and didn't make them -- because I wasn't as good as everybody else. In college, there are plenty of ways to get involved in sports, and you don't even have to be good to do it! There are the school's sports teams, club sports teams, and even intramurals -- which don't require a tryout to play.
11. You can sleep in.
Like I stated before, if you don't want any classes before 11 a.m., you don't have to have them. That means you can essentially make your schedule around your sleep schedule -- allowing you to sleep in. This absolutely could not happen in high school. You were up by 7 a.m. at the latest or you were late to school, and too many tardies or absences and you got sent to court.
12. You can show up hungover to a class and nobody says a thing.
Thirsty Thursdays with a Friday morning class? No issue for the average college student! Just make sure your alarm is set and that you get to class. Sure. you're wearing sunglasses during the lecture and drinking coffee, but everybody knows you had a fun the night before. I've even known people to go to class drunk! The teacher knows, all your classmates know, but nobody cares.
