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EDIT: Finished this section of the project already, though feel free to answer the questions if you want to give advice to a (hopefully) future university attendant.
Hello TLers! I'm a Junior in High School in the United States right now, and one of my teachers has decided to incorporate an interview with a current college student or an alumni who has graduated in the last four years. This is completely voluntary, and I only need one interview. Any help would be appreciated. My questions are pretty trite, so it should be an easy 'interview' overall. Feel free to PM your answers or respond in the thread.
If you plan on participating, I would appreciate your first name and the university you are currently attending/attended.
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
 
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1. People told me it was going to be hard and change my life. No and Yes.
2. Smooth, first two years were a vacation compared to high school.
3. You care less about stupid stuff, you meet better people
4. 10x more free time. Work is naturally harder but it's very spread out.
5. Manage your time wisely, be smart about money, meet people
6. Can't say anything about this yet
7. Summer vacation is only nice because you can work more, that's how great college is.
8. Computer Science/Japanese
9. There's time for lots of things
10. Put up with the BS and make yourself a nice resume.
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1 year left bro 
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group projects suck
that is all
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1. Pretty much.
2. Extremely easy, even though I had terrible roommates when I first started.
3. Freedom/free time
4. Full-time school is fairly rigorous but I feel like I have sufficient free time since I'm not working at the same time.
5. ???
6. Don't know.
7. Yes.
8. Mechanical Engineering
9. Not enough to be a pro  But, there is definitely time for it if you make time.
10. Don't over-work? lol
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Is there time for Starcraft/ Starcraft II in college?
10. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
1. Yes. I skip class more than I thought I would though.
2. Easy. College is better than high school on so many levels.
3. Living on your own is so much less stressful in my opinion, but you have to be more responsible. It's great not having everyone tell you what you can and cannot do though.
4. Way more leisure time. You spend so much less time in class at college than you do in high school. Between classes, work, playing rugby, and going to the gym i still had free time most of the week if i wasn't getting slammed by a bunch of test or something.
5. Figure out how your classes work (where the teacher gets the material for the tests, importance of attendence/hw/reading, etc), Join a club/team/group, and NETWORK
6. No idea. I'm in business pre-law which i imagine leaves me pretty wide open.
7. The last two years of my life have hands down been the best.
8. General business and pre-law (michigan state/eli broad college of business)
9. Yes. I found other things to do with my time instead though
10. re-read above. and DO NOT FUCK UP YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR. STUDY YOUR ASS OFF AND GO THE EXTRA MILE so you dont spend the rest of the time making up for your crappy starting GPA
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1. No
2. Easy, nice, awesome
3. College makes you feel like an adult
4. more
5. making all the contacts you can, trying every opportunity, avoiding drugs
6. heavily
7. yes
8. music performance
9. yes but you should socialize. Video games are here all your life but a concentrated group of people wanting to further their horizons, with bags of free time and the desire to also socialize, exists nowhere else.
10. You'll regret not doing things more than doing them (exclude activities that lead to jail  )
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Colton
Attending Texas Tech University
Architecture Major
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
Kind-of, I had quite a bit of college experience graduating high school (45 hours), so I was prepared for the course load. Having had my own house my senior year, living arrangements were about the same.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
Very smooth, roomed with a buddy of mine I've had for 15 years and thoroughly enjoyed living in a larger city and being engaged in my work.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
College life offers you much more socially and educationally. You really have to be self-motivated, your mother isn't going to be there to wake you up in the morning or give your moral advice.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
Much more time for yourself. You aren't uselessly spending 8 hours a day in a classroom. You go to class (or don't) for a few hours a day and get business done. If you want leisure time, you'll have it.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Keep an eye on your budget, particularly food spending.
Be sure you pick your living quarters/room-mates carefully, they can make-or-break a semester.
Watch out for the clingers; don't be a fool, wrap your tool.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
Architecture directly correlates into a graduate program. Conveniently enough, we have a architecture graduate school. We have a couple of options as far as what we want to pursue before going into graduate school. Such as dual majoring in Business and Architecture.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
I enjoy college quite a bit. It's nice to have a variety of people on-hand, along with all the amenities that are offered on-campus and in a college-town. It is also self-satisfying to know you're working towards something that will one day make you successful.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Architecture major
9. Is there time for Starcraft/ Starcraft II in college?
Definitely.
10. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
When you start college, don't get overwhelmed by freedom. Be diligent, go to class. Also, if you're a fairly "conservative" guy who doesn't do a lot of recreational activities such as drinking/smoking. I would be weary of getting sucked into that. Have had many friends "go wild" as they say.
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Evan / UCSD Alumni (2004)
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
I think it was pretty much what I expected.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
From a social aspect I was afraid to leave all my friends...but once I did and met new people I had the time of my life. Academically I don't feel HS even remotely prepared me for college-level courses.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
Living on your own & away from the parentals for the first time is a huge deal, also the ability to re-invent yourself without the perception/reputation/social standing/etc you may have carried throughout HS.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
Wayyyyy more time at University. Not even close.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
#1: Don't let your academics slip. It's easy to get caught up in socializing/partying, and you don't necessarily have to go to all your classes, but don't be lazy and let your grades go down. That's the reason your there!
#2: Live on campus! Dorm life is a completely different experience from off-campus housing - and you should take advantage of it while you can!!!
#3: Have fun! I know this contradicts #1, but college is pretty much the last hurray before play time is over and you have to start working a "real job" (unless you go to grad school :D), so enjoy it while you can.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
There is a lot of flexibility in terms of changing your focus in the first two years (I started off as pre-med/biology freshman year and switched to economics second year and still graduated in 4 years).
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
Yes, college was the time of my life.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Economics and Management Science
9. Is there time for Starcraft/ Starcraft II in college?
Let me put it this way - I didn't really have a computer in HS and didn't play many computer games (this was back in 2000), so when I first discovered starcraft me and my suitemates would play starcraft all night, sleep though our classes (and most of the day), set our alarm clocks for 7pm to catch the cafe before it closed for breakfast (dinner), and do it again. This lasted about three months. I did however go on academic probation my first year as a direct result of this, so you be the judge .
10. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
You aren't expected to have everything figured out your first year of college (almost everyone doesn't - trust me). But try to at least have an idea of what you like and what you'd want to do career wise. One thing I regret is never doing any internships in college - I had to work some really crappy jobs just to get entry-level experience that I could have gotten in college part-time.
Good luck!!
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Mike: Queens University, Kingston ON CA
1. Yeah, for the most part... I didn't do the residence experience so I can't comment on that, but the classes were easier than I thought they would be.
2. I did a victory lap (5th year) so I was a bit more mature than the average 1st year... it wasn't too bad for me. I know some friends that just collapsed given that sort of freedom
3. Freedom I would say... I mean there's nobody holding your hand through the stuff... you have to get off your ass and blast through it.
4. More time for sure... as long as you're not in a massively demanding program.
5. Teacher to student ratio (Time you're able to spend with a prof improves your experience dramatically), Campus aesthetics (A beautiful campus really improves your mood... never underestimate it), Library (During exams you spend alot of time in there... make sure its nice and comfy)
6. A lot... but I'm not worried about it, since I enjoy what I do
7. Yep for sure
8. Medial in Chem and Math
9. Yup, for sure... perhaps not as much as you would like, but its there
10. Have fun... you only get one time in your life when your responsibilities are so low and the probability of great times are so high.
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i would imagine it depends a lot on where you go to school, but here are my answers:
1 - no, it was way easier
2 - i dropped out of high school, and didnt go to college for another 3 years after the fact, so i cant really say. school sucks either way though. atleast high school was free
3 - theres not really much different, but you have more responsibility in college. professors dont hold your hands like they did in highschool. you dont get to 'make up' work [atleast not in my classes] and shit like that. other than that... you can sleep in a little later if you register for the right classes, which i like but really, not much changes. just the responsibility factor
4 - i feel like, school wise, i have more time for myself, however im working now too, so that cuts down on it. but if you are strictly comparing high school to college, i think college yields more self-time, atleast until you get into some of the advanced classes, but for basic math/science/etc etc etc, college is easier.
5 - 1, dont miss class. 2, dont miss class. 3, dont miss class
6 - if you 'declare a major' then its like saying you already know what you want to do after college, say being a doctor, you would major in something medical. however if you dont 'declare a major' you basically take whatever classes you want and see where it gets you. you can, at any time in your college years, declare a major.
7 - i like college, sure. its nothing really special, to me atleast, cause im not a big party guy. i just smoke a little weed every once in a while and hang out with a few buddies from work om my days off.
8 - im a psychology major, but im only in semester two
9 - yeah, theres time for games. definitely not like there used to be when i was dropped out of school, but also its cause i have a job now. but... yea, youll make time for what you love, just remember to get your shit done before you game it up, cause college aint cheap man.
10 - try to do your entire major at one universtiy. if you take X amount of credits, and then transfer to somewhere else, you might not be able to take all of your credits with you. so once you start, i advise not stopping until youre done. also, think about what you want to do long and hard. do some research. if you want to be a doctor, go to your local doctor, or even the hospital. talk to someone who has experience doing what you want to do. theres no sense in taking classes to be a doctor, if you change your mind and decide to be a criminal justice major, or something like that.
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United States24612 Posts
I'm not sure what class this is for or what the purpose of this interview is supposed to be, and I'm sure you already know this, but your questions are going to give much different answers depending on who you ask. Just asking one random person certainly isn't a good way to try to determine what college is going to be like, but just so long as you already know that then okay I guess.
Also your questions are fairly open ended which isn't necessarily bad... it has advantages and disadvantages... but just for example "is there enough time for sc in college?" is a weird question because the reader doesn't know how to interpret 'enough time.'
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On June 02 2010 12:46 micronesia wrote:
I'm not sure what class this is for or what the purpose of this interview is supposed to be, and I'm sure you already know this, but your questions are going to give much different answers depending on who you ask. Just asking one random person certainly isn't a good way to try to determine what college is going to be like, but just so long as you already know that then okay I guess.
Also your questions are fairly open ended which isn't necessarily bad... it has advantages and disadvantages... but just for example "is there enough time for sc in college?" is a weird question because the reader doesn't know how to interpret 'enough time.'
I appreciate the feedback. I'll be sure to change that to make it more specific ( in fact, I think I'll remove it outright, since Q4 seems to answer it already), however I believe I have gotten all the information I need from all of the helpful people that have posted so far.
Additionally, I'm aware that the questions are relatively mundane and highly subjective, though they fulfill the requirements of the project.
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
If you plan on participating, I would appreciate your first name and the university you are currently attending/attended.
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
i'm attending university of waterloo, canada
1. i don't really remember what i expected university to be exactly. although, i *do* recall having the impression that basically everyone did terrible in every class and bell curves were how people got good grades. i guess that turned out to not be true at all. know your shit and roll in 90s, no problem (i don't, but that's another matter..)
2. kind of a hassle with moving to a different city and all, but overall not that bad. i was kind of eased into the 'living on your own' part by living in a dorm first, not having to worry about cooking or anything.
3. freedom. definitely freedom
4. yeah, i have all day, every day, if i so choose. it's a dangerous road 
5. people, people, people. you don't go here to learn stuff
6. none really; back in hs i thought i wouldn't wanna do grad school. now i don't wanna graduate and just stay at uni forever, rofl
7. yes, see above ^_^
8. majoring in computer science & finance
9. ain't a big deal, just roll with it. you'll love it.
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Attending Schulich School of Business in Canada
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
Nope. I'm in a really small program so it feels kind of like high school without all the awful drama and crap =).
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
Super easy. Didn't feel a difference.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
A LOT more freedom with my time.. you can really excel in school if you want to, or just do whatever the hell you want with your time.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
Infinitely more time.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
a) its really important to have the right professors...
b) personally, I think being in a small program helps a ton... much easier to make friends =D
c) EAT HEALTHY... I was fairly skinny before college... I gained 15 pounds.. ='(
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
I have no real concrete evidence for this, but I feel like its almost none
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
love it =)
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Finance
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Have fun =D.
quote from above:
10. re-read above. and DO NOT FUCK UP YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR. STUDY YOUR ASS OFF AND GO THE EXTRA MILE so you dont spend the rest of the time making up for your crappy starting GPA
this is REALLY true. First semester I only did average, and I realized how awful that felt and had one of the highest GPAs in my program in second semester. Unfortunately, it didn't even make up for my half-ass 1st semester and I'm barely in the top 15% of my program overall.
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
Hello TLers! I'm a Junior in High School in the United States right now, and one of my teachers has decided to incorporate an interview with a current college student or an alumni who has graduated in the last four years. This is completely voluntary, and I only need one interview. Any help would be appreciated. My questions are pretty trite, so it should be an easy 'interview' overall. Feel free to PM your answers or respond in the thread.
If you plan on participating, I would appreciate your first name and the university you are currently attending/attended.
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
My name is Allan, and I go to Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT.
1. Yes.
2. E-Z peazy
3. In one you're shackled and bound. In the other you're free.
4. More time for leisure activities, less time for myself
5. Activities, visitor presentations, community get-togethers
6. Unsure.
7. Yes, I'd say so.
8. Psychology
9. Not really-- just pull through HS. College is a lot more fun... Except during finals week. I'm only a psych major, but the work they pile onto you at the end of each semester is pretty hefty.
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Lyriene
United States346 Posts
Andy
Carnegie Mellon University
1. Was college what you expected it to be like? For me, yeah. However, it really depends on what you're looking for in college. If you're expecting a lot of parties, you will find them. If you're looking for studious friends and study groups, you will find them. You have to make college live up to your expectations, not the other way around.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College? Depending on where you went for high school and where you're going for college, the gap may be either really small or really large. If you've been studying throughout high school, you'll know how to study in college, although the material is a lot more difficult. On the contrary, if you have never touched a book in high school, you may find the material a lot more challenging than it should be. Time management is the key!
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life? Many say that you're more free with your time, but in reality, I think you're more bound in college. Yes, there is more freedom in terms of choices but there is also so much you HAVE to do with your time. Until now, you were expected to go to your classes and do whatever, but in college, no one is forcing you to go. In return, you would have to make it all up with your free time. Also, there is so much social freedom that you will want to commit some of your time to your social life. As I've said before, your classes will be tougher so you will have to spend more time studying if you're aiming for good grades.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University? This will depend mostly on your course load. If you're taking like 6-7 classes, you're better off devoting all the time into studying, whereas if you're taking 4, you can probably put a lot of time into clubs and such, even work-study.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college? 1. Make good friends that you can trust. Seriously, I've seen people become so screwed with their life from hanging out with the wrong people. They worked their ass off to get into the college in high school, and then they throw it away by getting heavily influenced my their "peers". You will know when you've found the right group. 2. Don't skip classes. It is VERY tempting, and I am guilty of skipping them a couple of times but you're throwing away the money into thin air as well as your grades. If you must skip a lecture because you're sick or you have appointments/meetings, you should ask one of your friends for their notes. It's also important to have friends in each of your classes. 3. Know your priorities. If you had to choose between a party of your lifetime and studying for a test the next day, you would obviously have to choose to study. That one was obvious but there will be times when the two choices are be very subtle. Trust your conscience in doing the right thing.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities? As far as I know, as long as you get good grades in undergrad, you can do anything in grad school. I personally know a BA music major who became a surgeon.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college? Yes it is fun, but only if you make it out to be. Mentality is the key to everything.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in? I've been swaying back and forth between some majors, but I think I am finally set on dual BS in math and computer science in 5 years.
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career? Have fun this summer. It's the last "free" summer you might ever get.
I hope it helped!
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Michael
Tulane University
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
No. I put my eyes too high on what college would be. More or less, I was disappointed. Though, I think the college I went to fit that description for me.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
Rather simply, classes are fairly easy for me. The hardest part for myself was making new friends after being comfortable for 9 years.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
Less sleep in college, and for me the food was terrible. Also people in college for me are less intelligent, somehow...
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
More time actually. Since I don't have my parents breathing down my back I can use all my time efficiently to play, eat, or study.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Staying on top of studying by using your time wisely. Getting out a lot and doing things actively, social events etc. Finally, go after your professors all the time, and ask them questions, never take no as an answer.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
Nothing really, since I'm planning to go to Law School, I'm trying to get a foundation in business as I want to do corporate or financial law. Many Law School grads tell me that your undergraduate major is near to useless in law school.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
Somewhat, its more enjoyable than High School. But it has many drawbacks for myself.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Accounting and another in Econ, maybe a minor depending on time.
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Yes, unless you are certain you can get 5s on AP exams, just skip them. They really don't give you anything for college. I would suggest you take more classes that could help you practically, auto-repair, welding, crafting, etc. In HS you should just finish up taking the easiest classes and spend all your time outside doing what you love.
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On June 02 2010 14:57 CCGaunt wrote:
Michael
Tulane University
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
No. I put my eyes too high on what college would be. More or less, I was disappointed. Though, I think the college I went to fit that description for me.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
Rather simply, classes are fairly easy for me. The hardest part for myself was making new friends after being comfortable for 9 years.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
Less sleep in college, and for me the food was terrible. Also people in college for me are less intelligent, somehow...
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
More time actually. Since I don't have my parents breathing down my back I can use all my time efficiently to play, eat, or study.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Staying on top of studying by using your time wisely. Getting out a lot and doing things actively, social events etc. Finally, go after your professors all the time, and ask them questions, never take no as an answer.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
Nothing really, since I'm planning to go to Law School, I'm trying to get a foundation in business as I want to do corporate or financial law. Many Law School grads tell me that your undergraduate major is near to useless in law school.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
Somewhat, its more enjoyable than High School. But it has many drawbacks for myself.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Accounting and another in Econ, maybe a minor depending on time.
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Yes, unless you are certain you can get 5s on AP exams, just skip them. They really don't give you anything for college. I would suggest you take more classes that could help you practically, auto-repair, welding, crafting, etc. In HS you should just finish up taking the easiest classes and spend all your time outside doing what you love.
Get a fake ID and get into the palms and you'll feel better. Try to expand your social activities to outside of boot/palms/broadway st. Explore downtown, etc.
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
1. Yeah pretty much
2. Not too bad rly, need to force yourself to work mostly
3. Assloads of free time, need to force yourself to work
4. More
5. Don't be a loser, get good grades, work hard and get a decent internship and kick the shit out of all the future unemployed kids when you walk out of uni with a good job. And work your ass off at getting fit and healthy
6. Dont do a PHD in maths. Just dont. Unless you wanna be a quants. But then youre a genious anyway.
7. Nope not really, but im just a pessimist. I don't enjoy uni, i enjoy the things i make for myself out of it.
8. Pure maths baby
9. You wanna be one of the guys with high grades, AND one of the guys who is smart to get a good job/internship, AND be one of the guys who is fit, does amazing sports (just pick some, you can do all the alternative bs that i do or more traditional stuff) and just be amazing at everything
Don't be a loser. Its such a mediocre amount of hard work to get all of that given the amount of time you have
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1. Pretty much
2. Had to resist a lot more temptations but still went to class, still did hw, still did well
3. freedom to do whatever you want
4. infinitely more time
5. Undergraduate research opportunities, not over-drinking, getting good grades
6. Not much, just make sure you finish all of your core curriculum classes so you can graduate on time
7. I loved it
8. Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering
9. If you can't excel at 30 different things, choose 1 or 2 and really put your heart into it, if you can write good essays / get good recommendations from 1 or 2 really strong activities that's better
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5003 Posts
I rather not give my first name since it's pretty identifiable. But I currently attend the University of Chicago.
1) No. I sort of have mixed feelings about it. To a certain extent, I expected the material to be more rigorous and thorough, and I was honestly surprised by a lot of the coursework that is offered. But on the other hand, the difficult courses are fairly difficult, which is somewhat what I had expected. But even then, there's nothing like college to tell you that you actually don't know anything. All in all, depends on your major, and what kind of courses you take -- you can take the hardest classes or the easiest classes to adjust your experience as you "expect" it to be.
2) My transition was rough. I never touched a book in High School so I didn't know how to manage time and spent a lot of my time slacking of doing other things. I don't think I learned anything useful from highschool to help me for college, save Calculus.
3) At least in the courses I took, there's no more spoonfeeding. Professors will have no qualms about just throwing you into the swimming pool to teach you how to swim. They'll lecture about one thing and the problem sets will be about something completely different you haven't learned.
4) I definitely had more, but I'm also a big slacker and I take it easy when it comes to school work.
5) The number one thing you should look out for is variety. It's a great way to expose yourself to various different things. So, I would say career exploration. The second thing is that you have opportunities to help research with a lot of professors, so I would definitely look out for opportunities like that. Last thing, I used to not care about grades at all, justifying myself as "as long as I know it better than everyone else who cares about the grade", but honestly that came back to bite me in the ass when getting a summer job this summer (although it all worked out in the end, but not through my grades but through connections). So, concentrate on getting good grades, learn how to game the system. But don't forget to learn.
6) Not much. As long as you're qualified, dedicated, and send the right signals, it shouldn't matter.
7) I love college.
8) Economics, thinking about picking up a double in Statistics.
9) Learn how to manage your time. That will singlehandedly make your college life many many times easier and I honestly learned that the hard way through a rather difficult course I took my first year. Just force yourself to study even if you don't want to, learn how to just concentrate on what you're currently doing and not anything else. Once you master those skills you should be fine in no matter what you do in college.
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1. The way everyone was talking about how the jump from HS to University is insane, I found it way easier than expected, but the hard part was doing all this boring bullshit courses that I didn't wanna do.
2. Study-wise, it was OK. You need to be better at dealing with distractions, or dealing with loud floormates, but if you can do that, or atleast find a quiet place to study and get into the habit of doing it often, you'll be fine. Lifestyle wise, you have more freedom to do whatever you wanna do, and you have more oppurtunities to meet a lot of different people
3. You'll see a lot of people doing stupid things, partly due to alcohol, partly due to kids living away from their parents for the first time and not knowing how to do anything
4. I'm not sure, I found myself spending more time doing leisurely activities, even though I'm spending more time studying. Makes no sense, but I was fine time-wise
5. It's easy to look at some of your friends and get sucked into the "Well, they're getting shitty marks, it's OK if I'm not doing well, Uni is hard!" or look at other people's lifestyles and start slacking. Don't do it. Don't slack off. You may regret slacking off and getting shitty marks, but you're not going to regret earning that shiny A
6. I didn't even think about this, though I guess my major is pretty good in that regard
7. Yeah
8. Mechanical Engineering
9. Study hard, have fun, look for people with similar interests, maybe join some clubs that look interesting
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1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
I'm an economics major for reference.
1. Yes, but I expected it to be harder.
2. No transition really, I didn't have to move, so I pretty much kept all my old friends and made new ones at college.
3. Smarter people around you, people who you can talk to about the major and they will understand what you're talking about.
4. About the same really, work is harder, but there's less of it, so it balances out.
5.
Decide on your path in life. Once you get your major and get a job, it's not as easy to just go back to uni and change career paths from lets say art to computer science.
Don't slack off entirely, but don't overdo it either. Find the perfect balance between work and leisure.
Make friends and try new things, find a longterm hobby.
6. Dunno, don't really feel like going into post-grad. I'm guessing not that much.
7.Not at first, but as courses became more challenging and focused on my major, I started liking it a lot more.
8. econ
9. HS is not a career bro. Also college is what you make of it. You don't need to go to harvard or MIT to get a good education.
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
Hello TLers! I'm a Junior in High School in the United States right now, and one of my teachers has decided to incorporate an interview with a current college student or an alumni who has graduated in the last four years. This is completely voluntary, and I only need one interview. Any help would be appreciated. My questions are pretty trite, so it should be an easy 'interview' overall. Feel free to PM your answers or respond in the thread.
If you plan on participating, I would appreciate your first name and the university you are currently attending/attended.
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions.
Queen's University Electrical Engineering
1. It's awesome
2. Really easy for me fitting in seemed instantly.
3. Freedom and you no longer care how profs think of you and your grades. You won't care about your grades because if you get a 50 on something it can feel like getting perfect. Your average will drop around 15-20%
4. You will have a lot of time to do leisure activities if you mangage your time. It's all about time management.
5. I would look at which faculty you are interested in the most and their alumnus. Also their history.
6. That I'm not sure as I'm only in second year
7. Fuck yes i'm enjoying it
8. EE major
9. At college: Just chill the fuck out and be your self and you will meet tons of people and many of your friends in college will stay with you for the rest of your life.
At HS career: Work diligent and do not slack
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1. For the most part. It's more difficult than high school and there's certainly less homework and absolutely no babysitting by professors.
2. It was pretty easy because I always did what I was supposed to do in high school. If you just go to classes success is pretty easy.
3. In college you have to do a lot on your own. You have to study without any incentives but getting a higher grade because no one's there to make you do anything, even go to class.
4. Being social in college is one of the funnest things possible, and depending on the workload you take you can have a very nice social life.
5. In college you should study not alone but with friends, you should definitely go to class, and you should get good grades so you can hopefully land an internship that will help you get a good job.
6. It depends on what you major in. For example, if you get a bachelor's in something like fitness management don't expect to be accepted into a graduate program in physics unless you at least have a minor in it. If you want to go to grad school, make your undergrad something related to it.
7. College is the freaking best.
8. Double major pure math/theoretical physics
9. Get scholarships because loans suck. That is all.
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Osaka27130 Posts
On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Realize that for these answers, I started college ten years ago, and have not been in a "typical" college setting since 2005.
Trevor
University of Victoria / Temple University
1. Yes, I think my college was what I expected it to be. Some things that surprised me was the commercialization on campus (on the first day I got a free tshirt and a CD from credit card companies preying on first year students). In terms of classes though, it was what I imagined.
2. I spent three years after high school working. What I found was that high school did very little to prepare me for practical college skills. I wish there had been a "college skills" course that could have given me insight into how college classes function / things to know.
3. College life is completely up to you. Make what you will of it.
4. More. Way more. I grew up in a rural town that featured a 90 minute bus ride home. At university I had hours and hours of free time during the day, despite the fact that I also worked.
5. If your goal is to do well, then I would suggest:
A) Go to academic advising and plan out your entire program. You don't have to fill in your electives, but get your core courses planned out in a logical fashion, understand your graduation requirements, and make a plan. It will save you headaches (and possible an extra semester or year) if you do it right.
B) Treating professor office hours as an extra class. The vast majority of my professors had no visitors, so that time could basically be free 1 on 1 tutoring with the person that decides your grades.
C) It wasn't until my fourth year that I really understood the process of doing course work and writing papers. There is a system you can follow that allows you to produce good work quickly, and takes away the agony of sitting at your desk and saying "what do I say next".
If you don't have anything to type, it means you haven't read enough.
6. My graduate program basically looked at my grades from the past two years, as well as a standardized test score and references. However, they are not in the market of declining students as it is a very small and specialized campus, so it was easy to get in IMO. My undergrad was a BA in history and my Masters was in educational science.
7. Best time of my life. I might still go back again. Each time I have finished I have said "thank god that is over". And each time I have gone back for more. If I won the lottery, I would just study all the time.
8. See #6.
9. See #5 about college. In terms of high school, I suggest examining what you like to do, but also what is viable for your future. I like history a lot and it was interesting, but your career prospects are not outstanding unless you want to teach history. Basically, be a doctor.
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Rui, Stanford University
1. Was college what you expected it to be like? Honestly I didn't know what to expect for college, but so far Stanford has exceeded everything I have hoped for. It's wonderful here.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College? Not bad at all. The close friends I formed in my dorms made it very positive and smooth. Only thing that's a little bothersome is I sometimes lack motivation to work.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life? I would definitely say: Independence. You are free from your parents and you can make so many choices on your own. You don't have to go to class.. nobody would care if you decide to sleep at 5 everyday (after watching some SC:BW of course ;-) )
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University? Actually more time, but this really varies on individual basis.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college? Overdrinking, relationships, networking (do not combine the three)
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities? Thinking about business school, which means any sort of techie BS degree will be fine
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college? Tremendously. Wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in? Mathematical and Computational Sciences
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career? Choose your friends wisely. They really influence you and change you in imperceptible ways.
To all future responders, thank you for your time in answering these questions. No problem!
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On June 02 2010 11:48 vlaric wrote:
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Anthony
UC Berkeley // Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
1. Nope. More things than you can imagine to spend time on/get distracted with/experience, but there's only time to do 1-2 of them.
2. Pretty rough academically. Very fun socially . Live in the dorms ur first year.
3. In High School, you have many people pushing you to do well. In College, you have to push yourself - especially in the general courses because classes are so big and its tougher to meet and make study groups.
4. More and less time, but that's because of the way I manage my time. I tend to have a long period of leisure, followed by a longass period of just academics.
5. Don't ruin your GPA doing stupid shit (keep 3.5+ please). Have an open mind, but always ask questions. Meet new people and keep those connections!
6. I think a lot. Good post-graduate degree opportunities a lot of the time are based on the research you've done as an undergraduate.
7. I enjoyed college (too much).
8. EECS
9. See #5.
Good luck
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1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
A little.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
It was quite easy.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
A lot more studying, at least for me. More independence.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
Less time, probably. Although, you have more freedom in your studying, which to me is pretty much leisure time.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Never give yourself more than you can handle. I took 3 classes my first semester, thought it was way too easy. I took 5 the next semester. I had to stop going to one of them because the work load was just too much for me. I took an F while I tried to salvage my marks in all my other classes. Not a great position to be in at all.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
I've heard they really don't matter. I've heard of people going into jobs completely unrelated to what they studied in college. If you go for graduate school then I expect it to be different, more oriented to your major.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
Yes. I enjoy the short class time a lot more and the degree of study freedom.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
My first year of college has been full of twists and turns. I never did science in high school so I was expecting to just go into economics and political science and, hopefully, to law school. As I was taking classes related to economics, math and econ classes, I found I enjoyed the mathematics much more and took to reading books about physics and math. I am now, probably, switching into a math major, but I'm taking the summer to seriously consider it because it is a long, arduous path in mathematics. I had some talks with the math professors and they told me to really be sure before you put yourself into it.
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Be open to new experiences and never have concrete plans going into college. Take a wide variety of classes your first term, and even your second term, unless you are short on cash or don't want to rake up too much debt. In my own experience, you will only find happiness and satisfaction doing what you truly want to do, which is why college has been such a great experience for me (more freedom of choice). Do what you love to do, study what you want to study, follow your passion. You will not find that passion in material things or money, so don't go into a program that boasts the highest average salary just because you want to make a lot of money *cough business majors cough*.
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Ho Joon/ Santa Clara University
1. no, not at all actually but I am first generation so I had odd expectations
2. a lot easier than you think if you have good time management skills
3. much more free time, you do what you want when you want
4. a lot more time for yourself
5. Similar groups of people, the right classes, the right professors
6. for engineering, or at least my school, a lot
7. enjoyed the whole year so far, first quarter because of getting to know people/the parties second and third more because I found closer friends and academic success
8. Mechanical Engineering
9. Be optimistic, do what you want to a certain extent/limit
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Thanks for all of your responses. I finished the questionnaire section of the project thanks to all of you guys. Additionally, I appreciate all of the time that everyone here has taken to share their knowledge on college - I've read a lot of (what I think is) important stuff after reading through all of this.
Once again, thank you TLers for helping me finish this project and taking your time to share your knowledge.
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Indiana University
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
Yes. The one thing that really took me by surprise though was the freedom and independence. This was both good and bad. Good because suddenly, you could skip classes, do no homework, hang out with friends and party literally all night and go 30+ hours without sleep. Bad because of the exact same reasons lol.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
The transition was pretty smooth. Especially during freshman year, everyone feels new and alone in such a large new setting so people were much more friendly and open than I thought.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
See question one. The parents factor is the biggest change. In college, professors, AI's, advisers, all really don't care at all about you in the end. I mean they care, but nowhere near like your parents do. If you fuck up, they will not be looking out for you. You learn to take care of your own business and keep yourself on track. (deadlines, applying for everything, grades..)
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
I personally feel like I have SO much more time. In college, because you get to pick your classes and major, you generally end up taking a very specialized set of courses. The courses are much harder but because you don't need to apply yourself to such a wider range of subjects, I find it takes less time overall.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Drinking, Procrastinating, and Relationship. All three of those have the potential to completely fuck you over
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
As a music major, I feel like I'm not really qualified to answer this. Because music majors are only required to take music courses, I don't really have a choice but to go into music lol
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
College is awesome.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Violin performance
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
Enjoy yourself. Work hard but work harder to have fun. Don't stress!
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1. Was college what you expected it to be like? No. That's a good thing
2. How was the transition from High School--> College? kinda rough, my laziness and procrastination from HS are still with me, which is the reason why I'm writing this instead of working on my 5-page paper
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life? courses are way harder + faster-paced, people are generally more mature, diverse groups of people, and you have more freedom over pretty much all aspects of your life
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?definitely more time, like i said before: you have way more freedom
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?1. grades. don't let anything distract you from the importance of these. 2. getting as much experience as you can (this means internships, research, jobs, volunteer..), start mid to end of the freshmen year if you can 3. this is probably way more important than the other two: meet new people
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities? this question is kinda broad lol. I guess my answer is a lot? What are you planning to study?
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college? didn't enjoy it my first year, but I'm beginning to enjoy it more now that I somewhat have the right mentality
8. What are you majoring/minoring in? major in computer science, minor in korean
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career? how your college experience turns out is completely up to you. don't feel obligated to study/live like anyone else, just do whatever you want.
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My name is Wyatt and I am working on a Mechanical engineering MS/BS degree at the University of Utah. This fall I will be starting my 4th year.
1. Was college what you expected it to be like?
Pretty much yes, except for some very unexpected free-time especially my first year.
2. How was the transition from High School--> College?
Very smooth really didn't have to change my work ethics or anything drastically.
3. What are the primary differences between High School and College life?
In college I have much greater freedom in my class scheduling and also usually have more free time. It is, at least for me, easier to find stuff to do socially over how it was in high school. There aren't as many silly things like cliques that get in the way.
4. Do you feel that you have less or more time for yourself/ leisure activities at University?
This has varied over my college work. For me my first 2 years were very forgiving and had a lot of extra time for leisure activities. When I started taking upper division courses and got into the harsher material this extra time was taken up with mostly studying.
5. In your opinion, what are the three most important things to look out for in college?
Break up your homework and studying over days/weeks instead of doing everything in the last possible moment. This really makes things work smoother in the long run and really helps with stress from coursework. Make sure to set your priorities on hw/studying right as well. So you don't do stuff like not studying enough for a midterm in favor of finishing a very insignificant assignment.
Be social and active. College life is really bleak when you do absolutely nothing but studying and starcraft 1v1.
Get an internship. An internship really helps your post college job opportunities as well giving you a decent paying job while you are in college. It also gives you a good glimpse about the field you are trying to get into.
6. How much do your subject choices in college factor into Post-Graduate degree eligbilities?
Not much for me.
7. Are you enjoying college/ did you enjoy college?
The first few semesters were pretty bland. Thankfully I am to the interesting material and I can safely say that I am enjoying college.
8. What are you majoring/minoring in?
Mechanical engineering is my major.
9. Do you have any general advice to give for me regarding College or the rest of my HS career?
I cannot emphasize enough how important time management is. It really is the difference between getting a 4 year degree in 4 years or getting a 4 year degree in 6-7 years. I am literally the only one in my classes that is still on track and it is all due to proper time management.
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EPT
