I need to know what to expect in college!

[matt1993]

From all the mixed views I've heard about the difficulty level of college, all I can tell is that college is harder than adding 47 + 23 and easier than working in a concentration camp, so I decided to try and settle this once and for all:

Poll #1739803 How did/do you feel about college?

Have you been in college? If so, how did you like it? If not, are you excited or nervous?

I haven't been in college and don't plan on going
Haven't been in college, but excited about it
Haven't been in college, and nervous about it
Haven't been in college, and unsure about it
Currently in college; liking it
Currently in college; hating it
Out of college; liked it
Out of college; hated it

EDIT: For the record, I voted in my own poll :P

Expect the unexpected reposts

Comments

[rovanda.livejournal.com]

I haven't voted, because I liked AND hated it...

I liked the social aspect - I finally made friends who shared a lot of interests with me, like science fiction, fantasy and games, and once I wasn't around all the same people I had gone to school with since I was 5, I was sort of able to start fresh and work on figuring out who I was rather than reacting to who everyone thought I was.

I liked some of the educational aspects, although I slightly abused the fact that no one was checking up on me and sometimes slept instead of going to class... or slept while *in* class. The most useful college course I ever took was Rhetoric, which I've found useful in all sorts of real-life situations, but most everything else I haven't actually used in post-college life.

I didn't like the lack of sleep... between social life, school work, and working 20-30 hours a week, I was always sleep deprived, which is not a good state to be in long-term.

I think you'll get the most out of college if you have some idea of what you want out of that, whatever that might be. Part of the difficulty, of course, is that straight out of high school, most people have no experience with working for a living, and only a vague idea of what they want to do to make a living. :-p

I guess, in my personal opinion, if you can use your college courses and the whole college experience to hone your ability to learn - to research and practice whatever you find you need to know, whether social, skill-based or knowledge-based - then it should be beneficial, even if you never wind up working in the field that you study in school. (Which happens to a surprising number of graduates!)

It's also a great way to see more of the world, and different people from different backgrounds than you might have encountered living at home and going to grade- and high-school, while still being in a somewhat protected and controlled environment.

[matt1993]

I haven't voted, because I liked AND hated it...

The reason I didn't put that as an option except for people who haven't been to college yet is because I intended for people who are or have been in college to answer with how they felt about most aspects of college.

I liked the social aspect - I finally made friends who shared a lot of interests with me, like science fiction, fantasy and games, and once I wasn't around all the same people I had gone to school with since I was 5, I was sort of able to start fresh and work on figuring out who I was rather than reacting to who everyone thought I was.

I bet I'd like that, too. Almost everyone I know acts like I'm the reincarnation of Einstein or something, so it'd be nice to meet some people who don't expect me to know every conceivable fact about the universe for a change. And it'd be nice talking to people who like math, computers, Mario, and Enya instead of sports and Halo. But even then, I would still need a little alone time every now and then and I'm afraid there won't be any...

I liked some of the educational aspects, although I slightly abused the fact that no one was checking up on me and sometimes slept instead of going to class... or slept while *in* class.

Sometimes I fell asleep in high school classes whenever we don't really do anything (even if there's some homework I could be working on), so you're not alone :)

I didn't like the lack of sleep... between social life, school work, and working 20-30 hours a week, I was always sleep deprived, which is not a good state to be in long-term.

I've already been sleep-deprived for the past 4 years or so, so I can only imagine how bad it would be to get even less sleep for the next 4 years... :(

[awehla.livejournal.com]

I did a BA(Hons) in Literature and Philosophy for three years (our degrees are only 3 years for some reason). I started off on the Humanities open programme so in my first year I did Humanities Computing and History as well as Literature and Philosophy.

Intellectually it was challenging but there wasn't anything I couldn't understand. I found getting all the assignments in on time and managing my time and motivation more challenging than understanding the subject matter.

Oh and the social aspect was hard - I only made three friends I saw outside of class and I don't see any of them now 7 years (nearly 8 years) after graduation. Other people I know seemed to make loads of friends (and are still in touch with some of them) and really easily but my campus was in the middle of the countryside and was more of a commuter uni where people live at home and then commute in, a lot of people were cliquey and once they'd made friends that was it there was no way in and I spent weekends in my first year going back to Luton to see David and then in my 2nd year and 3rd year I was living with David and a commuter. Funny enough in the 2nd year when I was commuting and no longer cared about making friends I made more friends. Some people clearly only used me to sit next to in class and weren't interested in making friends but that's pretty normal really.

Lisa
x

[matt1993]

I found getting all the assignments in on time and managing my time and motivation more challenging than understanding the subject matter.

I understand - in high school, I often forgot to turn in my assignments after I've done them :(

Oh and the social aspect was hard - I only made three friends I saw outside of class and I don't see any of them now 7 years (nearly 8 years) after graduation. Other people I know seemed to make loads of friends (and are still in touch with some of them) and really easily but my campus was in the middle of the countryside and was more of a commuter uni where people live at home and then commute in, a lot of people were cliquey and once they'd made friends that was it there was no way in and I spent weekends in my first year going back to Luton to see David and then in my 2nd year and 3rd year I was living with David and a commuter. Funny enough in the 2nd year when I was commuting and no longer cared about making friends I made more friends. Some people clearly only used me to sit next to in class and weren't interested in making friends but that's pretty normal really.

I don't really care about making friends in real life that much. They're there when I need them, and I try to be there when they need me, but I don't like being obligated to force myself to make conversation or anything.

[awehla.livejournal.com]

Well if you're not interested in making friends at college then that gives you plenty of time to concentrate on learning which is the main reason to go to college.

What are you thinking of studying at college?

Lisa
x

[matt1993]

Mathematics and computer science. :)

[matt1993]

are you saying you dont want to go to college?!??!
I want to go to college, but I'm afraid that it might be really hard for me.

You're really brilliant & smart
Smart with math & computers, maybe, but if I'd had to do all the paperwork-type stuff in high school (FAFSA, transcript request form, graduation invitations, and so on) on my own, I wouldn't have made it. And, since I almost have to do that kinda stuff on my own in college... :(

[matt1993]

I'm already accepted at the college I'm planning on going to, and they actually have an autism support program (though I may or not get in it because there's a long line of applicants), so I probably won't have to worry about the scholarships and loans and stuff unless I have to do them again the second semester or second year of college.

Is the not-having-to-pay-student-loans back thing just for people with disabilities?

[matt1993]

Did you apply for disability benefits?

Aside from applying for the autism support program at Midwestern State University, I'm really not sure because my mom usually does all of the paperwork for me.

Do you have any scholarships now? I'm glad you got accepted.

Yep - quite a few actually! And thanks!

whats the name of your school? I forget where you live.. (sorry)

I live in Texas, but since this is a public entry, I won't mention the name of my school in these comments. I will, however, link to a post mentioning it that is only visible to autism members. :)

DANGER: Do NOT read the comments of that entry!

[pathvain-aelien.livejournal.com]

"...all I can tell is that college is harder than adding 47 + 23 and easier than working in a concentration camp." Lol.

I liked it.

[matt1993]

:)