This post is a little different from the norm, but that’s okay! I have experienced so much stress (and growth) through my time in college so far, and I know that younger-Hannah would’ve appreciated some down-to-earth advice about what college is really like when making the big decision.
Here I’ll go through a few college expectations I (or others) have had and how they compare to the truth.
Expectation
I need to have a lot of transfer credits in order to save time in college.
Reality
Transfer credits are only helpful when you have a clear idea of what you want to pursue in college. They can definitely save a lot of time, but the truth is it will likely still take 2-3 years to get an undergraduate degree.
However, getting general education credits before starting at a university is very helpful and just getting a feel of what college level classes are like may ease your level of stress while making that transition.
The best thing to do is check with the universities you are interested in and make sure they will take the credits you are transferring! Don’t stress either way. No matter what, this will be a learning experience for you.
Expectation
I have to make all my forever friends during my first year of college and I have to let go of my high school friends in the process.
Reality
Honestly, it’s true that you will likely drift apart from many of your high school friends if you aren’t going to colleges near each other. However, that doesn’t have to be the case for all your friendships. If you really care about the relationship, then you will be able to make it work. It will just feel different, but different isn’t always a bad thing!
And don’t put pressure on yourself during your freshman year of college, especially when it comes to making friends. You may meet life-long friends during your first year, but a lot of people are in an adjustment period and want to get to know as many people as possible without making lasting comittments.
Though it hurts when people move from one person to the next, that’s unfortunately part of starting fresh in a new place. But that’s okay–you have plenty of time to make wonderful friends during and after college, and over time people will start to value lasting friendships.
Expectation
College has to be the best time of my life.
Reality
Wouldn’t it be sad if you limited yourself to thinking that it’s all downhill after age 21? You have so much of your life ahead of you. Don’t think that college is the “be all or end all” of life.
Honestly, my first few quarters of college were pretty rough. The college experience is different for everyone. But one thing I can promise you is this: No matter where you go, you will learn, find your people, and grow into who you are meant to be.
Expectation
I have to find the perfect college in order to be happy.
Reality
There is no perfect college. Instead of stressing yourself out over where you should go, ask yourself these six questions:
- Can I see myself living here for a year or more?
- Have I talked to someone similar to me who went here and enjoyed it?
- Do they have programs that I’m interested in?
- Does the school’s values and priorities align with mine?
- Is the surrounding area a place I’d like to explore or become familiar with?
- Do the other students seem like people I can learn from and feel comfortable with?
It can be hard to answer all of these at once, especially if you’re unable to visit the campuses you’re looking into. But community, campus environment, and the programs themselves matter so much, way more than I anticipated when choosing a college.
If after doing as much research as you can, you still feel lost, remember that you can’t do anything to mess up God’s plan for you. He will use you wherever you go to do great things.
To sum it all up…
Ultimately, no matter where you go or what you do, you will always be:
–Loved
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:12
–Made for a Purpose
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
–Treasured
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
Deuteronomy 7:6
–Chosen
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
–Beautiful
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
And so much more. ❤ Best wishes on this next exciting chapter!
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.
Colossians 1:9-11
The Will to Wake Up 