Confessions of a First Semester Freshman.

The ideal scenario for people who are fortunate enough to receive an education requires the completion of different stages in their educational journey, from the early years of kindergarten to the more challenging years of higher education. The more levels students complete, the better their chances are at getting a good job or a high salary. School is unquestionably a leading agent of socialization. Our years spent in educational institutions aim to shape us into well-rounded, well-informed individuals who can contribute positively to society in the future. We also learn certain life-skills that aren’t particularly outlined in an official syllabus but are just as important. This “hidden curriculum” demonstrates abilities such as interacting with other people from diverse backgrounds, building up our competitive nature in order to prevail in the real world and also teaching us the importance of discipline, timeliness and self-control. However, transitioning from stage to stage of an educational journey can be just as challenging as it is rewarding.

In high school, students are introduced to tracking systems in order to get the most out of the subjects they excel in. In university however, most classes are a mixture of students, from freshmen to seniors, all at different levels of their university careers. Another difference is the actual workday. Unlike the 7-hour-long days in high school, university classes are more lenient when it comes to scheduling, and it’s the time management and discipline skills we learned that help us with adjusting to that change. Students also become much more independent in college and aren’t “spoon-fed” as much as they were in high school to build up their self-image and character.

I’ll be the first to confess (as several other freshmen would); starting college was probably the most emotional, terrifying and exciting time of our lives so far. Emotional, because of the rapid changes we faced being away from family and friends; terrifying, because of the inevitable amount of stress, work and challenges coming our way; and exciting, because of all the opportunities that await us. With all the change happening though, I’ve realized that although high school is very different from university, it helped ease the transitioning process through both the formal and hidden curriculum.

As my first semester comes to an end, I have to admit it wasn’t the apocalyptic disaster I thought it would be…then again, finals are just around the corner so I probably shouldn’t speak too soon.