High School Seniors,
If you are reading this, you may be a high school senior eager to graduate. Or, you may be someone who stumbled upon this article on Facebook. Either way, you're here now so I encourage you to keep reading.
College is great. I don't have class before 11 most days of the week. Your closest friends may come from 1,000 miles away. Football games are the highlight of your Saturdays. But, do not rush it.
When I started thinking of where I wanted to spend the next 4 years after high school, I had my sights set on an out-of-state university. For quite some time, I was fixated on getting a thousand and however many more miles away from home. First mistake. If going out of state means going to your dream school, accepting a scholarship, or playing the sport you love, by all means, go. But, if you want to go out-of-state based upon the sole fact that it's out-of-state, it's time to reevaluate things. Looking back, not going out of state as an undergraduate student is one of the best choices that I have made. Not only would no one be able to visit me and every face on campus would be an unfamiliar one, but it really would make the transition harder, and I saved a nice chunk of money.
Most freshman experience feelings of being homesick frequently throughout their first semester. I did. And I saw my parents 3 times. Yeah, you see college freshman who look like they are having the time of their lives, and most of the time they are. But, there is also a side that you might not see. Living in a dorm is not normalcy. Your mom isn't there to make you dinner. Your bed isn't even your bed. Suddenly, you find yourself wearing rubber flip flops each time you shower. It's a peculiar form of life. By Thanksgiving, you are absolutely ready to go home for a week.
Living on your own is new and exciting. But, you will miss your family day in and day out. Yeah, that is to be anticipated. But these are people you have seen every single day of your life for 18 years, and now phone calls in between class have to suffice for that. Your first semester, you will have a moment or two of despair where you just want to go home and see your family. If you're me, you will take it a step further and pack your bags to leave for the weekend only to discover your parents aren't even in the state at the moment. It happens.
When everyone tells you "in college, that won't slide" there is some truth, but also the biggest and most widely told lie ever. I think that depends on who you are as a student. If you performed above-average in high school, even in the mildest sense, you have nothing to fear. Honestly, college has been easier in my opinion. Study. Don't procrastinate. Do what your professors tell you to. Alas, you are now a straight A student. The people that say they don't have enough time to study are sometimes the ones out at 3 am each night.
Never pick the school that seems the most popular. If it's a big football school, do not pick the one with the most bandwagon fans. Think about what you want to study. Pick a school based upon that. Do your own research and don't go by what anyone else tells you. This is your college experience.
Along with that, put thought into your major. That seems like an obvious one, right? It is. But, I thought I wanted to go into the medical field. Then, reality hit me. I hate blood, I hate science, and it interests me no more than watching paint dry. I liked the paycheck that came with being a doctor; I didn't like the profession. This is an important realization to make. I like to argue. Actually, I love to argue. I like politics. I like looking at situations from different angles. I like thinking critically and coming to logical conclusions. I like hearing other's opinions. That's my personality. I am no doctor-to-be.
I don't claim to be an expert, but that's my honest opinion. I have (almost) survived my first semester of college, so at least I have that going for me.
