It's all up to you It's all over now. No more strict teachers, no more guidance
counselors that tell you what is best for you, no more restrictions; this all
happens when you graduate high school. Once you throw that cap in the air, you
begin a new stage in your life that will carry out for the rest of your future.
In college, you are now becoming an individual and now you are responsible for
you own actions. High school and college are very different and as incoming
freshmen, you think that it's the same but the work is much harder. Well let's
get this myth straightened out. The capacity of work does get much harder, but
other things come along with the experience of college. Freedom is one of the
biggest privileges that are given to you as a college student, and now it's up
to you do know what to do with it. No one will be there to tell you what you
have to do, whether or not you go to class, whether or not you are on time; it's
all up to you. You are thinking, "well that's great", but what you
don't realize is that for all of your actions there will be a consequence. As
freshmen, you are vulnerable to the evils of freedom. This is when prioritizing
comes in handy. You must realize what is important and what's not. The first
thing you should have in mind is academics. Then the rest follows. In high
school teachers were always behind your back and telling you what you had to do.
They reminded you when an assignment was due and if you didn't do it than they
would call your parents. They would extend their helping hand so you could do
well in their course. They would go that extra mile for you. They never let you
give up and they always believed that you could achieve the goals of the class.
They gave you support and if you asked for help they wouldn't deny you it. This
is what you are giving up and freedom is what you are getting in return. In
college it changes in a dramatic way. You lose teachers and gain professors. The
first day of class the professor hands out a syllabus. By doing this, the
professor eliminates all the doubts and possible excuse that a student might
give. "The homework is due today, I thought it was due on Friday", you
will never use this excuse because it is clearly stated on the syllabus. You as
the student know what is ahead and must be ready to handle a course that is
demanding. You are responsible to make sure that everything is handed in on
time. Professors don't attach themselves to the pupil and this is one of the
differences between a professor and a teacher. During high school you had to be
at school at a certain time or you would have to face punishments such as
detention. If you didn't go to class or school they would call your parents and
tell them that you absent. In my high school they would mail out every month how
many cuts or skips we had in all of our classes. If you had more than a certain
number of absences, you would lose credit in that class. Everything was very
strict and regulated. You are the one who chooses what is best for you while you
are attending college. It's up to you if you go to class or whether you are on
time. If you do you work, or if you skip class or if you study, these are all
your choices. Most colleges don't keep attendance. If you don't go to class, you
are the one missing out on the lesson not the professor. He doesn't care as long
as you do what you have to do in order to survive in his class. The professor
will not become irate with himself because of your childish manners. It's up to
you to show that your parents, school, and anyone that has surrounded you has
shown you what an etiquette behavior is. Here is when prioritizing comes in
hand. First you have to realize that the reason you are attending college is to
further you education. Also, you are paying for a higher learning education so
you must take full advantage of it. Therefore you must keep up your grades and
maintain a good overall grade point average. Going to class is very important
because this is the place that all of the learning takes place. If you are not
there in class then what do you get out of it? College life means social life
because now you are figuring out what kind of person you are and who you want to
become. Hanging out with friends, going to the club/bar, going to play pool, all
seem very important in your college life, but here is where you make the
decision. One solution that I usually use is that first I finish all the work
that needs to be done then I go out and dance until my feet fall off. As I come
towards the ending of my freshmen year I must say that I have done well in all
aspects. I now know that college means hard work and freedom. Put these two
together and you have a problem if you don't find a way to separate these two
and realize which one is important. I don't mean giving one up, I just mean
knowing when to work and when to have fun. You can't let these overlap. The
first thing in your mind should be academics because this is going to take you
the road of success and glory, so take care.