It’s that stressful time of year again for high school seniors where college applications are due and essays need to be written. If you choose to go down the path towards college, there are going to be many distinct changes from high school to college that will be new to some. Here are some of the changes that students will be experiencing: 

1. MORE INDEPENDENCE

Students will be moving out of their parents’ house, or even out of the state, which will give them more freedom on how they want to live their life. They’ll get more choices with what they want to major in, how they want to schedule their classes and when they want to go to school. 

2. YOU’RE AN ADULT NOW

You’re no longer a child anymore, which means you get to make decisions all by yourself and won’t have to ask your parents for things you want to do, but it also means a lot of responsibility. You’ll have to step up, get a job and pay bills. You won’t have anyone to rely on and must do everything yourself.

3. HARDER CLASSES

High school may be hard, but college will be more challenging and complex as you will have to keep up in a faster-paced environment than you would in high school. There’s more required, which means that you can’t procrastinate and will have to complete things in a timely fashion.

4. IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE

We all know that college means money. College tuition isn’t free and requires people to pay for their dorms and textbooks. People spend thousands upon thousands of dollars for college, whereas in high school it’s free. From textbooks to something as little as a towel for your dorm room, this will all come down to money.

5. MORE SOCIAL

There are sports groups you can join, gatherings to go to clubs you can be a part of, parties, and so much more. This new social environment offers new opportunities and the ability to meet new people who have the same interests and passions as you. 

6. BIGGER CLASS SIZE

We go to school every day and sit in a classroom with around 20-30 people where we all get to ask questions and have the opportunity to talk to the teacher if we need any help. But in most colleges, there aren’t classrooms with a few students. Classrooms can possibly consist of hundreds of students where the teachers don’t even know everyone’s name. This means that you won’t have the opportunity to have a helpful student-teacher relationship unless you put in extra time and effort outside of class. 

7. ATTEND YOUR CLASSES

In high school, teachers take attendance every day for all your classes, and if you’re not there they will call your parents as a deterrence from not showing up.  In most colleges, the professors couldn’t care less whether you are in class or not, and it is dependent upon you to choose whether you go.