First Year Focus

School Daze

Recently, after poring over numerous letters from my readers (not to mention a lot of spam e-mail), I realized there was something they all had in common. Everyone is excited about college, proud they got in, and already packing -- but a lot of people aren't really sure that the life they'll find at college will be any better than the life they already have.

For me, that was the case. But for some others out there, it might not be. So I'm offering a little reality check today -- 10 reasons college is better than high school, 10 reasons high school is better than college, and 10 reasons they're pretty much the same thing.

Why College Is Better Than High School:

Your parents aren't around to tell you what to do -- and when you do go home, they pamper you.
Most of the courses are somewhat stimulating, as compared to those two classes in high school that you actually liked (shoutout to Mrs. Newman and Ms. Sheehy!)
The people are better-looking. Remember how bad most of us looked as high school freshmen?
High school parties don't EVEN compare, and the weekends start on Wednesday.
If you miss class, they don't call your parents, because your class has 300 students in it.
You get to decorate your own room -- and if you don't want to, you never have to clean it.
Relationships can be taken seriously, but only if you want to look at them that way.
Riding the bus is the accepted thing to do.
No one knows about the stupid things you did in third grade.
With time, you mature (well, some people do.)

Why High School Is Better Than College:

Homework? What homework?
The SAT isn't half as bad as the MCAT, LSAT, or GRE.
Your high school probably provides decent parking lots.
Your best friend from childhood lives across town, not across the country.
You probably aren't woken up by 10 girls running up and down your hall at 3 a.m. every night.
Basketball games are easy to get into -- no camping out required.
Prom.
You can be involved in 15 different activities and handle them all.
Nobody can laugh with you about the stupid things you did in third grade.
You can be as immature as you want, and people blame it on your age.

How High School and College Are Similar: