Many of you are under the illusion that once entering a college, you are at your own command. You can get rid of the stress of examinations because, to you, getting into a university represents assignments and exams “unnecessarily demanded”; grades do not really matter. You join extracurricular activities because you think these are the “courses” you need to take. You schedule your timetables and skip classes as you feel like, because you don’t think instructors take class attendance seriously. However, not until you become a college student will you understand you are totally mistaken in your “belief.” Is that true? Now, since you have experienced your first semester as an English major in Soochow University , you should understand that college is more demanding than high school as you need to arrange your timetable, attend classes and take notes and you have to strike a balance between your studies and social life.
College is more challenging than high school because you’re responsible for your timetable. In senior high school, you don’t have to worry much about your schedule of classes because they are all arranged. All you have to do is attend classes and make sure you take the right textbook with you. It is completely different in university. You are obliged to schedule your timetable, excluding the compulsory subjects; you should take optional courses to reach the credit standard or you might not graduate. Take my “previous” classmate Michelle as an example. She only took 16 credits in the second semester in her freshman year and I did not see her at school in my sophomore year because later I learnt that she had been expelled. As the credit regulations say, students are expelled if s/he fails half of the credits s/he takes in a semester. Michelle did not take notice of the “danger” of being expelled until she received her semester grades.
University is more difficult than high school because you take responsibility for yourself; whether you go to classes or not is up to you. Don’t forget that “class attendance” is also an important index for professors to grade students. Although some lecturers claim that they don’t “really” take it seriously, they still bear in mind whether you come to class or not. Attending class regularly shows that you take account of the class and respect the instructor. Besides, some lectures are connected with one another; once you miss a class, you could feel confused about what the instructor is talking about at the next class. Even if you can borrow notes from your classmates, you can’t expect to obtain the most of it from others’ notes because they “pick up” things they want to take notes of. Also, some professors lecture like they have something in their mouth, murmuring to themselves. Do you still expect that your classmates always take “comprehensible” notes? Professors usually announce important points for attention at class, especially a week before the midterm or final exam. If you skip classes, you would miss essential information. It is especially obvious at Literature classes.
College is more complicated than high school because you should struggle to balance your work and social life. Oprah Winfrey, an American actress and TV host, once said that ” We can’t have everything and do everything at the same time .” Getting into college, similarly, urges you to learn how to balance your studies and extracurricular activities. Most freshmen think it is “very easy” to participate in clubs and organize activities and, at the same time, go to classes and get good grades. Entering college means that you need to immerse yourself in assignments, essays, and term projects because you will have a heavy study workload. However, not all students can balance studies and socializing equitably. Rebecca, my roommate and classmate, joined the Primary Culture Service Club in her freshman year. Thanks to joining in a club, going back to the dormitory late, finishing her assignments before deadline, oversleeping, and dozing off had become part of her routine. She once told me she did not take off her contact lenses all day long. Although she learned how to arrange activities and cope with others well, she lost her health and nearly failed her courses.
In contrast to high school, you can schedule your timetable once entering college, but you should go to classes and pay careful attention to the lectures for fear that you fail your courses. Class attendance is often mistaken for a minor procedure, yet you should be aware of it because most instructors are concerned about it very much . To strike a balance between your studies and social life is rather challenging in university. To sum up, getting into college ostensibly represents that you are “free” from the mandatory education that you have undergone in high school, yet college is more demanding than you have imagined. Are you really ready to enhance and embrace your college life?
Peishan Liu