Good Transitioning Into College Essay Example

Making the move from high school to college is never an easy task; there are all manner of social, educational and mental obstacles you must overcome in order to truly be able to deal with all of the changes you experience. In high school, you are still under the accountability of parents and teachers who see you for 9-hour blocks at a time; in college, you are responsible entirely for your time management and focus. When you first enter college, you have all of these expectations that you anticipate, things you remember seeing in television shows and movies, but college turns out to be something altogether different from that. There are many different things that one must do in order to transition into college successfully; these include being patient with yourself, staying aware of your surroundings, and maintaining your focus on your education.
The most important thing you have to do in order to successfully adjust to the college lifestyle is to be patient with yourself. Whenever you start college, you have a great deal of pressure and weight placed on you by yourself, your peers and your family to start the transition into who you’re going to be for the rest of your life. I personally found myself putting a lot of pressure on myself and forcing myself to grow up far too quickly than I should have been. The first few weeks of college can be tempting, in that you feel the instinct to start doing everything at once, especially socially. While it is important to make good first impressions and build a social network, you have to make sure you do not overly chastise yourself for not fitting in right away, or not making it to that very first early-morning class. The goal is to maintain that level of patience, learn from your mistakes, and not dwell on what you did wrong. It’s okay to take it slow and give new classes, friendships or organizations some time before deciding if they are right for you. This transitional period is full of growing pains, and so you want to let yourself grow, instead of assuming you should be 100% ready for the social and educational demands of college on day one.
Going hand in hand with this sense of patience is an awareness of your surroundings. You are in unfamiliar territory, and a whole new host of experiences awaits you. This means getting to know your RA, your suitemates, your teachers, and every classroom and student resources you have. Take a walk through campus early on and figure out the places you like best – that might be your new secret study area, and you’ll be less likely to get lost on the way to a new class. By being aware of the people, places and resources that are around you, it is possible to more easily transition with the tools that you have at your disposal. Awareness of your surroundings does not extend merely to college classes and infrastructure; look at what your classmates are doing to see what is working for them and what is not. By being patient and observing, you might find a solution to an awkward first day in class, or an uncomfortable experience with a classmate. Conversely, you can see that others have the same problems you do, and you might not be so self-conscious. By doing this, you can be more academically and socially prepared for the transition into college life.
Finally, you have to make sure that you put your education first. Before entering college, all the movies and TV shows we are exposed to give the impression that college is one big party – while parties and social experiences are a huge part of the college experience, you are here primarily to learn. To that end, it is important to remember that when figuring out your schedule. Always be prepared for your courses, always be on time, and memorize due dates and course requirements – the more you are prepared, the earlier you can get stuff done, which in turn can still free you up for guilt-free time spent with friends, socializing, or having free time. Being on top of your assignments goes a long way toward making your college social experiences less stressful and more free of consequences for your GPA.
The transition into college from high school can be a crazy one – there are entirely different expectations placed on students with less accountability. It is up to you to get up on time, go to class, study and organize your time, a far cry from the rigidity of high school and the simplicity of the assignments given to you. All you have to do is allow yourself to make mistakes, be patient with yourself, learn everything you can about the school and the way things work, and focus on your education first. While it can seem impossible to survive in college right away, with the right mindset and attitude, you can absolutely make a smooth transition into the college life while also enjoying good grades and a vibrant social life.