Do you often find yourself wondering what it is like to transition from high school to college? Is college as scary as it seems? Well, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s take a look into the daily schedules between a high school student and two other students: Heather, who is attending Bellevue College, and Alexandra, who is attending the University of Washington.
A high school student starts off their day by waking up around 5:30 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. while Heather and Alexandra are waking up between 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. for their 8:30 – 11:30 classes. The difference is the privilege of waking up later for classes. Students at Renton High School attend in-person classes (excluding running start students) from 7:20 am – 2:03 pm. Heather’s day begins at 11:30 a.m., and ends around 5:00 p.m. With breaks in between, she has both in-person and online classes to attend. Meanwhile, Alexandra stays on campus all day traveling to different buildings for her classes. Her day lasts from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Renton High students follow an everyday schedule with five classes five days a week. However, Heather and Alexandra may have class Tuesdays and Thursdays, then no classes the rest of the week. A college student’s schedule is much more flexible than high school, which follows the same strict schedule every day.
What’s life like outside of school for these students? Let’s dive into responsibilities. Most students have chores, after school activities, and/or helping with younger siblings. This can be different for college / university, but especially for Heather and Alexandra. This is different for them because Heather lives at home and is still under the rules of her parents, whereas Alexandra lives in a dorm on campus. Heather shares similar responsibilities with high school students, since both live at home. On the other hand, Alexandra is living on campus and has the responsibility of caring for herself, getting homework done, going to the gym, and getting fed. These priorities differ depending on whether you still live at home after high school. Additionally, not needing permission to go out is also a big privilege for college / university students, since they are adults that can make their own decisions, rather than a parent doing it for them.
Lifestyle changes from high school to college can be big changes that can take time to adapt to. When both college students answered the question, “What is the difference from your everyday life now from when you were in high school?” Alexandra responded with, “More freedom. I can do anything I want. I can be more independent and be more social.” Heather responded with, “There is a lot more freedom in your schedule and everyday life, but there is a lot less guidance. No one is there to hold your hand and walk you through it, but it helps you become very independent.”
