As I sit down at the desk that occupies approximately one fifth of my dorm room to finally get started on homework, I look at the clock and realize it’s 2:30 in the morning. Welcome to college.
Everything in college moves a mile a minute. Sure, it’s easy to sit it all out and spend a whole day asleep on your futon, but at least for me, the problem is fitting everything I want to do into the maximum hours I can spend awake in one 24-hour period.
Choosing when you want to take your classes is great, but don’t be fooled. Just because you get out of class at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays does not mean you have the rest of the day to do whatever you want. Rather, it means you spend from 12:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. reading and doing work.
Here’s the trick no one tells you until after you start classes: For every hour of credit the class is worth, expect one to two hours of work outside the class. I’m taking 17 credit hours this semester, which means my work outside of class should be occupying another 17-34 hours of my week. Add that up. It’s a lot of time considering all of the other opportunities college offers.
Work outside of class is different in college. Instead of going to a high school class, learning something, then having homework reviewing it, college classes require you to prepare before class and then review the most important parts of the material in class with the professor. This can be great, if busy work is not your cup of tea — as long as you don’t get behind on the readings.
College is definitely not all about the classes, though. The ways to spend the remainder of your waking hours are endless. There are countless clubs, organizations, and activities on campus. It’s actually a little paralyzing if you’re used to being one of those people involved in everything. Let me tell you, it’s impossible.
UGA has an incredible meal plan, and I’d be lying if I said a good chunk of my day wasn’t spent eating. I live across the street from the 24-hour dining hall, so I can frequently be found studying there after midnight eating a waffle (they’re so good).
The social atmosphere is great too. I live in the “honors” dorm, so I’m surrounded by the perfect mix of friends and potential tutors. Yes, sometimes it’s hard to tear yourself away from your friends to actually do your work, but if you can find a group of friends you can study with too, you can motivate each other to get your work done.
One downside is that dorm rooms are small. It’s really not like a slumber party every night, even if you love your roommate. One day’s worth of mess makes your room look like a disaster zone. How so many things get lost in a room that is probably 11 feet by 13 feet is beyond me. I have become the most meticulous person since I got to college because the shoebox I’m living in wouldn’t be bearable otherwise.
I could go on and on. It’s literally a whole new world. If you’ve been to college, I know why you miss it. I still talk to my parents almost every day, but I feel like I’m on my own. I feel in control. My future is what I make it from here on out.
The greatest thing about college is that it’s cool to be nerdy. In high school, if you said you liked any of your classes or acted like you knew what you wanted to be when you grew up, you were lame. In college, people are on their way to growing up and actually becoming what they’ve dreamed of, and almost everyone is happy to tell you their major, favorite classes and professors, and what they want to do with their lives. Everyone dreams big.
When it comes down to it, college is inspiring. There are people around you doing incredible things every day, and you can feed off of their passion. You have the freedom to do things your way and to forge your own path. It’s the most fun you’ll probably ever have, but it’s also your best chance to figure out who you are, who you want to be, and how you can change the world.
Megan Ernst, a recent graduate of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School who worked as a student intern with Reporter Newspapers, has started classes at the University of Georgia. This is the final article in her occasional series of reports about her experiences becoming a college student.