A teenager's four years of high school are spent studying, being the best athlete you can be, hanging out with friends every chance you get and preparing yourself for college and the quickly approaching "real world." Unfortunately, nine times out of 10, high school seniors really aren't mentally and emotionally prepared for the next phase of their lives. High school is meant to prepare us for the increased academic standard, but as we reach that next chapter of our lives, we quickly find that academics are just one of the many difficult changes we endure as a college freshman. I wish I would've known a lot of things before I graduated high school, but if I hadn't learned them the hard way, I don't think I would've had the true "freshman experience."
1. How to study.
Don't get me wrong, there is studying required in high school, but most of the time, the study skills that are taught are just broad suggestions. Studying for most people means finding a way that helps you learn best. Studying doesn't always have to be with note cards, or a PowerPoint presentation, you can get pretty creative in finding what works best for you. You will have to study in college to succeed, but finding the study habit that works may take some time.
2. Having a social life in college is healthy.
In high school, you're constantly told that college is no joke, and you must study every night for every class. Although studying is important (see number 1), to stay mentally stable while in college, you have to be social. You have to meet new people, make new friends and enjoy your weekends because if you don't, you will go mad. As a wise person once told me, "Good memories aren't going to start with 'that one time I was up until 2 a.m. studying...'"
3. College professors really aren't that bad.
Sure, they're not going to feel sorry for you if you forgot about an assignment, but if you put in the time and you get your work done, they're super easy to get along with. They're people too, they'll respect you as an adult, and believe it or not, they were in your shoes once, so they know what you're going through.
4. Sports are not everything.
Unless you're planning on being a college athlete, your athletic career in high school means nothing the moment you step on campus. While you're in high school nothing else really matters except how many times you've been in the local newspaper or on the local news. College is about being a future doctor, lawyer or teacher, and being successful in those fields one day.
5. After graduation, you probably won't talk to 90 percent of those people ever again.
You'll soon find that your group of friends were only your friends because you saw each other every day for almost eight hours a day. You'll go completely different paths, and you'll realize exactly what kind of people those friends really were. Seriously, why did we think we'd stay friends?
6. It's OK to miss home.
Your whole senior year, you can't wait to leave home and not have to answer to anyone nine months out of the year, but once you get there, it sinks in. Mom and dad aren't in the next room over, they can't help you out with everything anymore, and it's OK to be emotional about that. It's OK to miss your mom and dad, and it's OK to cry about it. It's a change and it's hard, but you'll make it through.
I learned these things the hard way. I had to teach myself how to study. I had to make friends on the nights I would've rather been studying in my room. I learned how to make a professor happy and how to get on a first name basis. I am a college athlete, but my high school career meant nothing the moment I got to school. I talk to two of the 56 people I graduated with, and I'm perfectly OK with that. I learned that I still miss home every time I turn out of my driveway to go back to school. It's OK to not be prepared for college, because honestly, I don't think anybody ever truly is.
