Most high school students are incredibly excited and yet worried about getting accepted and going to college. However, once they finally get into their dream college they realize that being an undergraduate student is not as rigorous as they anticipated or prepared for. 

Many high school students take advanced placement (AP) classes to prepare for college by taking a college level class. These classes require much dedication and hard work. Students in college usually have around four classes which is, in a way, similar to students in high school who take around five AP classes. This shows to prove that some high school students are already treating school like a four year university. 

According to Soham Bhanvadia, currently a sophomore at UC San Diego, “AP classes in high school were only difficult for me because I had little time after school for studying. But now, I live at school and don’t have to worry about every single class that I am taking on a daily basis, so I feel like I have more time to study.” Although college classes are more difficult, living at school allows more time to be put towards studying. Most high school students are too busy to handle rigorous classes, but when they are put into an environment like a college campus, they’re able to take difficult classes more easily.

Another assumption that high school students make about being a college student is that they will not have much free time. However, Soham proves this wrong by stating “I have enough time to go to the gym, spend time with friends, join clubs, meet new people, and go to the beach while staying on top of my school work.” School work is not the only thing that college students are concerned with, much like high school students. 

According to Karina Shah (10), “The majority of my day consists of school work and I’m not left with a lot of free time.” The amount of time that students in high school spend studying, doing homework, and in class adds up to take up the majority of their day. Whereas college students, who spend time doing school work or in class, is almost less than that of a high school student. They have more time to enjoy portions of their day and are not constantly working or under the pressures of school.

College students are allowed to cater their schedules towards their personal preferences. Unlike high school, college students only have classes for around about three hours spread throughout the day, allowing themselves to have much more free time compared to high school.

High school students are more prepared for college than they believe to be. Although being able to push oneself is a very positive characteristic, students may not have to do so in college.