A little over a month ago, I began my journey at Farmingdale State College and let me just say, I love it here. Back in high school, I used to dread going to school. That six AM feeling was not a good feeling at all, plus we had seven straight hours of classes and more schooling without a break! The first month of college, I already made a great group of friends. I have more friends now than I ever had in high school! I actually feel socially accepted, more so than I ever did in high school! This is a comparison of high school and college because I want to show all the positives about college that high school never had! The only thing is, no phones are allowed in class still because we have to learn. Professors still take phones away but instead of bringing it down to the dreaded office like in high school, they hold onto it until the end of class and then they give that person a lecture. Here are the comparisons of certain situations between college and high school.

1. Going to the Bathroom

2. Walking to Class

Back in high school, walking to class was the absolute worst! Students had only four minutes to get from class to class. The hallways were packed like sardines and sometimes, people had no clue what walking was. They would stand in a middle of a hallway chitchatting with their friends while I was trying to get to my next class on time. In college, the campus is huge and outdoors! It is never crowded getting from class to class because everything is spread out in multiple buildings on a beautiful campus. The minimum amount of time a person can go from class to class based on scheduling is ten minutes. Plus you get to have some fresh air every day!

3. Dress Code

Back in high school, I was dress coded for some of the most ridiculous reasons. My tank top strap was less than 3 inches thick, my dress was too short, my bra strap was showing, etc. However, the most shameful remark I have received was, "Call your mother, you need to change your outfit; we see your cleavage a teeny bit, this distracts the boys from trying to learn!" It was horrifying, shameful, and downright degrading towards women. I've seen other girls at my high school wear the skimpiest outfits and they never got dress coded, yet I did because my "bra strap was showing?" It was horrific. Luckily in college, THERE IS NO DRESS CODING! The things I got dress coded in high school for, I have worn in college and nobody has said anything! Just make sure you are wearing clothes! As long as you are wearing clothes, everything will be fine! We are adults here, we aren't children anymore.

4. Physical Education

Another thing I dreaded about high school was Gym; it was a mandatory class that everyone had to take. The worst thing was that twice a year, we were tested for physical fitness. We were forced to run a mile, do endless amounts of push ups, sit ups, and running until we were in so much pain that we physically couldn't move! In college, physical education is an elective. If you aren't physically active such as myself, don't worry because you will never have to take a gym class ever again. Also, you don't have to be embarrassed about changing into your gym uniform in front of people. If you feel insecure about your body, you don't have to flaunt it!

5. Making Your Schedule

Back in high school, we didn't get to choose our schedules. However, we got to sit with a guidance counselor to choose our electives. Main subjects were given to us. We didn't get to choose what period we would have the classes, what teacher we would have, or even which classes were guaranteed. We didn't find out until roughly a week before school started. In college, we meet with an advisor the first time. Then starting second semester of freshman year, we get to pick out everything on the schedule ourselves! As a college student, I am practically on my own. There isn't anyone holding our hand anymore; we get to make the decisions ourselves.

There are even more advantages about college such as joining clubs and finding out who your real friends are. Yes, you may have had friends in high school but college is where you find your true self. There are rules but they aren't as strict as they were in high school! When you get to explore the wonderful world of college, you will feel free. You will feel more independent and you will have more control in your life! I cannot wait to see where the rest of my college journey will take me!