In high school, I felt like I didn’t need to study to get good grades. But in reality, I tried so hard in high school. I never skipped class, I never took a zero on an assignment and I paid attention in class. So yeah, when it came test time, I barely needed to study.
This is why college is a slap in the face to a large amount of straight A-high-school students. In high school a person has complete structure and responsibility. Yes, college students have this too, but it is more lenient.
Below are my top 5 reasons why college is challenging for recent high school graduates:
College students have too much freedom
Photo by Manny Moreno on UnsplashCollege students have freedom, which is a responsibility in itself.
In college, if you don’t feel like going to class — you can just skip. No one will call your mom. You won’t have to sit out of the soccer game you have after school (this was a rule at my high school – if you have an unexcused absence for school you cannot participate in sporting events that day).
College courses are harder
In college, the course work is harder, you don’t have a mandatory study hall period every day to do homework and study. You also have more free time to spend with your friends or to spend on your hobbies.
In high school, my schedule was so packed with extra circular activities, I didn’t have time for leisurely things like Netflix. Having more free time allows college students to procrastinate. Also, you want to hang out with your new dorm friends.
More homework in high school than in college
Photo by Tim Gouw on UnsplashIf you think about it, you probably had a lot more homework in high school than you do in college. I know I did. In college, a professor does not want to grade hundreds of written assignments every day.
Most college homework is to read a unit for a possible pop-quiz, but let’s be honest. We are going to skim it even if we read it at all. Most of the course points in college are from midterm and final exams.
Phone is more of a distraction in college than high school
When you do go to a college class, no one cares if you sit there on your phone the whole time. In high school, I left my phone in my backpack during class, and didn’t even really think about it.
In a typical large college lecture you can see several people on their laptops watching Netflix during class. You can tell a lot of students are there only for attendance points. I’m guilty of zoning out during a boring lecture to play Candy Crush countless times.
Denial and procrastination
Photo by Michael Discenza on UnsplashMany of these straight-A-in-high-school students play it off as no big deal because, “I’m smart. I always get good grades. It will be fine.” But then it is finals week ...
College is all fun and games until you realize you have to learn a whole semester's worth of course work in a week.
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