Transitioning From High School To College: What Your Parents And Teachers Did Not Tell You

1. Transitioning From High School To College: What Your Parents And Teachers Did Not Tell You “Oh high school was so easy, I didn’t have to do any work; college will be the same way!” -Unknowing Former College Freshman *Snicker* -Knowing Upper Classman, three years later

2. Myths About College-Busted • Freshmen year of College is just 13th grade. • No it is not, there is a lot more work to be done in college then what you did in high school. • College is a time where you get to party every night. • Only if you want to spend a lot of money and end up without a degree. • My parents aren’t here, I don’t have to do laundry or any other chores! • It is because your parents are NOT here that you HAVE to do your chores! No one else will clean up after you. If your room is so dirty at the end of the year that you can’t get it clean, you will be charged a cleaning fee. • The only way I will get that A is by doing nothing but studying. • While studying is good, there is a thing as too much studying. Avoid burnouts by joining a club or two on campus or just hanging out with friends at least once a week.

3. You Tube Video: Students Discuss Their Transition to College http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLOPcrS_1t8

4. What’s the difference-Academically High School College • Around 2 hours total a night for all classes; Some may not have studied at all • Lots of assignments, don’t turn in one or two and you still can get a good grade • Need extra help, teachers will make you come to tutoring • For 1 credit hour of class, 2-3 hours studying for each class even if you did not have to study in high school • Fewer assignments, don’t turn one in and you could possibly drop a letter grade • Need extra help, up to you to visit your professor during office hours or seek tutoring

5. YouTube Video Discussion Of The Differences Between High School And College http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OjG595MTXE

6. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • “Actually go to class. If you don’t go to lecture, read the book or do homework, you shouldn’t expect to pass the class.” • “Sit in the front row. This has several benefits, including fewer distractions.” • “Check the attendance policy before skipping a class.” • “Do your work REALLY EARLY!! It is harder than high school.” • ''Make sure the instructor knows you are interested in doing good work, not just in good grades. Learning to please your instructor is part of your education and will be useful in learning to please your future boss.”

7. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • “The end of the semester gets muchharder than the beginning. So, if you have an easy time at the beginning of your first semester, don’t get cocky – it will get harder.” • ''Take advantage of all of the academic resources on campus. In high school, I thought I was a great writer, but reality set in when I received my first F on a paper. After a few trips to the writing center, my grades improved by three letters.” • “Ask upperclassmen for help with classes.’’ • ''Never buy new books. Used books are usually much cheaper and have notes and highlighted passages as helpful hints.''

8. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • ''Get a study buddy and quiz each other.” • “Do your papers well ahead of time and let them have a few days to cool, so you can make last minute changes if you have to.’’ • “Do not expect to print out a paper one hour before class. All of the library computers will be taken.” • ''Ask upper classmen for advice on which professors to take. You'd be surprised at how much of a difference it can make if you have a good professor.”

9. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • “Use your time wisely.” • “The No. 1 one cause of plunging GPAs is putting partying before studying.” • “Don't freak out if your major is undecided. Remember everyone is lost at some point. You'll figure it out.”

10. What’s the difference-Socially High School College • Clubs are heavy with advisor involvement • Travel to get to your friends house • The cafeteria was a place you had limited time in each day • Clubs are mostly student run with some advisor involvement (depending on the advisor) • Friends are right there in your dorm or a nearby dorm, don’t overstay your welcome • Be careful not to be late to class by spending too much time taking in the cafeteria

11. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • ''There's a lot of cool stuff on campus, but you may have to look for it. Join a club affiliated with your major. You'll meet faculty and make contacts that you will need in the future” • “Do not sign up for a hundred and one different clubs. You will not like one hundred of them, and they will all have your email and will message you constantly.” • ''Take advantage of free concerts and lectures. After all you are paying for them.”

12. Advise From Real College Students Across the Country • You Tube Video: Be Involved in Campus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axjyxgp8dEE • You Tube Video: The Advantages of Joining Clubs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZiF8TTC0eo

13. McDaniel Office of Student Engagement • Location: Decker Center, Lower Level • Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30a-4:30pm • Phone: X2765

14. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • You Tube Video: Building A Social Life in College http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKkw0_FCXXs • You Tube Video: Relationships in College http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJsg4RSuPJI

15. Advice From Real College Students Around The Country • “Remember that you’re not in high school anymore and that nobody cares what you were like in high school. It’s ok to take good memories from high school with you to college, but make sure not to get caught up in them. You’re going to want to make all new friends and have all new experiences in college….” • “Don’t feel like you need to be best friends with the people in your hall because of your proximity. Be selective about those who get to spend time with you.”

16. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • “Put down the video games and go outside.” • “Going to the cafeteria alone is not weird; it means you’re okay with yourself.” • “Build others up whenever you can, support those close to you and help whoever you can – you never know when the tables will turn!”

17. What’s The Difference-Personal Well-Being High School College • Students can sometimes count on parent(s)/guardian, other family members, and/or friends to support them with their personal well-being. • High School Guidance Counselors assisted students with personal well-being. • Students may no longer be living in the same home or even in the same state as their family and friends so must find a new support system. • Counseling Centers are available at most colleges (At McDaniel....The Wellness Center)

18. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • “Everyone is probably telling you right now that these will be the happiest four years of your life. What they probably aren’t telling you is that these will also be some of the worst years of your life. In college you will feel on top of the world and utterly defeated (sometimes in the same day). So just try to remember that you’re not doing anything wrong if you’re having a hard time. And before you jump to any conclusions about how much happier everyone else is, and how much more fun they’re having than you, go sit down and talk to a friend. You’d be surprised by how many people feel lost and directionless at least some point in their college careers.”

19. You Tube Video: Your Mental Health • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPuZcUBs5gI

20. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • “You will be miserable at some point” • “Stick it out. Sh– Happens.” • “You’ll often panic, and feel like you have no idea what you’re doing.” • “There will be expectations that will not be met.”

21. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • You Tube Video: Stress with Sexuality, Anxiety, and Depression, and Courageous Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V8xSYmWRCI • You Tube Video: Homesickness in College http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1FyzmLgcMk

22. McDaniel College: Wellness Center • Location: Winslow Hall, Second Floor • Hours: Mon-Friday 8:30a-4:30pm • Contact Campus Safety For After Hours Emergencies • Phone: (410) 857-2243

23. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • “Growth is a beautiful, incredibly bittersweet process and there is (I’ve learned) nothing to fear from it. At the end of the day, that’s what you’re here for: to learn, to blossom, and to flourish into whoever it is you decide you’re going to be. Part of that process though, is making mistakes; so be kind to yourself, forgive yourself, and then, keep going.” • “Wait a few weeks to decide whether your like it here or not. The first few weeks are too much of a transition.” • “Take yourself out of your comfort zone. Make yourself deliberately uncomfortable. It is an unparalleled character-building exercise, and you might be able to discern the things you want out of life as well as the things you don’t as a result.” • “You should know that change is both necessary and inevitable, so try to embrace it as best as you can.”

24. Advise From Real College Students Around The Country • “Embrace failure. This is somewhat cliché, but I have come to realize in the few weeks that I have been [in college] that rejection and failures, as small or big as the might be, are the experiences that fuel me and inspire me to grow.”