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Maritess Sutton
Professor Wood
English 101-24
20 February 2014
Homeschool to College: Into the Unknown
I had no idea what to expect when I first started college. I had always thought about it, but, because I was homeschooled my entire life, I knew nothing about public school life, let alone college life. Everything about college was completely new to me, like having to walk from class to class or making sure that I was on time. There were many aspects of college life that I had to adjust to during this new transition in my life. In the transition from homeschool into college, I encountered many difficulties trying to overcome new challenges inside and outside of the classroom while, at the same time, trying to adjust to an unfamiliar environment.
Before all of the difficulties and challenges I would face in college, my life was much different. When I was still in high school, I was carefree and easygoing. I did not have to worry about taking notes or studying for a big test. I did not have to keep up with deadlines, because I did my work at my own pace. Basically, Monday through Friday, I would wake up around 7a.m. and start doing my work, regularly taking breaks, and then I would finish around 3:30p.m. I essentially had my own schedule, and I never had to worry about being late for class. Driving in the rain or snow was not an issue for me before. I did not have to wonder if class was going to be cancelled. My life was definitely much simpler before college. Being homeschooled, in a way, spoiled me and surely did not prepare me for what I would face in college.
Some of the difficulties and challenges I faced in the classroom were regular everyday occurrences. The first aspect of college life I had trouble adjusting to was be...
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...use I am always doing homework and studying, and I have gotten a lot better at managing my test anxiety. But overall, my college life has been and will continue to constantly change and adjust to new challenges and new opportunities that come along. It has been a learning experience, and I would imagine that it will continue.
At first, college life was very tough for me inside and outside of the classroom. Inside the classroom, I had to learn how to manage my test anxiety, take better notes, and focus more and not be as distracted. I learned how to manage my test anxiety and take better notes. Outside of the class room, I had to learn how to study effectively, do my homework every day, keep up with deadlines, manage my time wisely, and avoid procrastination. I learned how to overcome these challenges by learning from my mistakes and by being determined to succeed.
Going off to college is probably one of the best things a person can do to further their education. The promise of a degree from a university seems achievable but is shadowed with the many challenges that come with a higher edification. Often many college students find themselves bothered by these obstacles which can determine whether the college student succeeds or not. There are many endeavors in college but it depends on how the student reacts to these situations.
I always heard that college would be tough, but I went in to college with a set mind that I was going to finish strong and at the end be successful. I kept my head focused and always made sure to get my work done no matter how hard it was.
Colombo explains that “Beginning college can be disconcerting experience” (Colombo, p.1). That there will be more peer pressure from your peers and an increase expectations that you have never faced during your high school days. “In the dorms you may find yourself among people whose backgrounds make them seem foreign and unapproachable” (Colombo, p.1). Colombo also states “If you commute, you may be struggling against a feeling of isolation that you’ve never faced before” (Colombo, p. 1).
Returning to College as an Adult Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life.
In Jennie Capo Crucet 's essay, “Taking My Parents To College,” Crucet describes her own experience as a freshman college student who was faced with many challenges that were unknown to her, as well as the cluelessness of what the beginning of her freshman year would look like. I felt like the biggest impression Crucet left on me while I was reading her essay, was the fact that I can relate to her idea of the unknown of college life. Throughout her essay, she described her personal experiences, and the factors one might face as a freshman college student which involved the unknown and/or uncertainty of what this new chapter would bring starting freshman year of college. Crucet’s essay relates to what most of us
Students entering college for the first time become concerned with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These students are now responsible for how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands of college?
Anxiety ran throughout my entire body the morning before my first class of college began. Not knowing what to expect of my professors, classmates, and campus scared me to death. I knew the comparison to senior year of high school and freshman year of college would be minute, but never did it occur to me how much more effort was need in college until that morning, of course. Effort wasn’t just needed inside of the classroom with homework and studying but also outside of it where we are encouraged to join clubs, get involved and find a job. Had I known the transformation would be so great, I’d have mentally prepared myself properly. It’s easy playing “grown-up” in high school when one doesn’t have to pay expensive tuitions, workout a
After my first few months of college, I realized I enjoy being a college student much more than I enjoyed being a high school student. However, the transition between the two extremely diverse worlds, was challenging at first, I found out how to overcome it. Originally, I couldn’t realize how different the two were, but as time went on, I was about to notice the differences. Not everyone is able to be aware of the many similarities and difference. Some differences include: cost, amount of freedom, and reasons why people are there. On the other hand, both high school and college have similar class structure and both require time management. The better prepared a student is to challenged with these many similarities and differences, the more
One that stood out to me the most was Melanie's, who was a recent high school graduate and had just made the immensely stressful transition to Lakeshore community college. She states, “ I never realized how fast college would be -- comparing one year of high school with one semester of college. Its really fast pacing. Like, i'm taking french right now and that has really kicked me in the bum. Because in highschool, you have two weeks to learn one section.” I was able to relate to what she was saying. College is very fast pace and highly stressful compared to how high school was. Students were able to take time on assignments, make time for assignments and not feel as if they are being pressured to know the answers immediately. Many teachers want assignments turned in a couple days after students barely learned the new material. In college everything is thrown at you and you are now expected to know exactly what to do and have the assignments completed on time. That alone can cause stress and can cause a student to feel as if they should just give
High school, along with college are two major stepping stones in a person’s life. Many individuals are able to make the transitions from high school to college pretty easily, while there are others that find the transition into college to be somewhat challenging and hard to adjust to. When I made the jump from high school to college, I found that there are vast differences between the two, and both had very diverse environments. I found the key differences concerning high school and college to be the level of academic responsibilities, time management and scheduling, as well as the methods learning to be the main differences.
Let’s flash back in time to before our college days. Back to then we had lunch trays filled with rubbery chicken nuggets, stale pizza, and bags of chocolate milk. A backpack stacked with Lisa Frank note books, flexi rulers, and color changing pencils. The times where we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive, but we did. Through all the trials and tribulations school helped build who I am today and shaped my future. From basic functions all the way to life-long lessons that helped shape my character.
My High School life has helped shape the way for my college experiences that I will face. My senior year in high school is not the same as many other high school students. I am taking many advanced classes to help me prepare for college. These classes help me better understand exactly how much harder I must work to succeed.
Another area that high school and college contrast in is my attentiveness during classes. In high school, the instructors were strict about different classroom policies, mainly the cell phone one. It was prohibited for students to have phones in class due to all the distractions it may cause. I would text in class and drift from the lesson. In College, even though it’s more laid back it requires more attentiveness. I try not to text from time to time. I understand now that this may take part in the down fall of my grades. Eventually, being more attentive during class, and remaining consist with the “study time” days will help improve my grades for the most part.
First off, the college life has changed me for the better. I am much more responsible in many different ways. I had to change my study habits, or should I say I have to get study habits. I high school I never studied, because everything came so easy to me and I could just do the work and end up with passing grades. When I reached college I tried to do the same thing and it didn’t work. I had to start studying on a daily basis and it was hard to go from not doing any work to studying every night and on the weekends, I wasn’t use to that, but I had to make it a habit or I was not going to make it. Going to school everyday was not a problem because my parents made me go everyday, my major change was my study habits.
Entering into college, I thought I had everything figured out. I guess you can say I got a rude awakening. First thing I learned is that high school did nothing to prepare us for college. Attending the first class I was blindsided by the amount of work expected and how much was taught in