college and growing up in general?

Applying to college seems very scary, and don't get wrong it somewhat is. At first, i really had no preference for going or not going to college but my parents had always raised with the idea that "you're going to college" and the career i wanted, you have to attend college for. So I got all my applications in order, which a lot of schools have very similar ones especially if they're in the same state so the process went kind of quick once i went for. People and parents especially make is sound like a dreadful process which to me, it wasn't.

At first, i was just going through the motion, doing what i needed to do. Not really talking to people and just going to and from classes. That got boring really fast as you can expect. Now i go to a school that is known for its partying in Texas, which is Texas State University. I didn't go for this reason, i went because it is also one of the best for my major. I have never actually gone to a party though, not my kind of thing to do. There are a quite a few here but no more than others, i think that is just a bad reputation it has from a years back.
I can't really answer to much about coming out cause i only have told a couple people, but all the ones i have told are very supporting and excepting, some of which are bi themselves. Being independent is probably my favorite part about it though, because you can honestly decide what you want to do and when you want to do it. You also don't have to worry about your parents checking in on you or anything like that with the exception of the occasional phone call. My University is extremely excepting of all people and is extremely diverse, that is one of things it is also known for. You will always have haters, but you will always have supporters too. Also we have a program here called 'Ally' and it is a LGBTQ program.

The number on thing i can suggest you do, if it is possible, is to go to the school you're interested in and take a tour or walk around the campus.

 

Hey,

first off, university is great! I can study things i'm interested in, ask as many questions as i want and meet lots of like-minded people. Also, nobody cares about my lifestyle and i can express myself freely (up to a certain level of course) without anyone judging me. People are more mature and act like adults.

I just moved across the country and didn't make any real friends yet - but that's because i'm a quiet person and enjoy being on my own. There actually are quite a few opportunities to make new friends (like the university organizing events and meetups) and with facebook groups it's really easy to talk to people, so i guess you'll be just fine! I see lots of people making new friends all the time (maybe i should start looking for some, too?)

As for living on your own and being independent, it's great! Cooking the food you like, staying up as long as you want, having your own money to spend on things you like and having your own place to come home to. No seriously, I really really love having my own place :love:

However, you'll also be responsible for everything you do. Didn't do the dishes? too bad, no one is going to do that for you. Spent all your money on drinking? too bad, gonna eat a whole lot of cup-ramen the next few weeks (i'm not even joking). Didn't go to that lecture? too bad, the professors don't give a damn and you'll probably be flunking that exam.

Only after moving out did i realize just how much effort my parents put into raising me (guess i've been an ungrateful brat :redface.

Unfortunately i can't give any advice on US college applications.

Good luck!

 

I'm not sure about the independence part, but university is great .

I wasn't bullied or anything is highschool, but never really fit in socially. Not having many/any good friends , having over my fair share of days eating alone- highschool sucked.

For the most part I've just been myself and made a few good friends, and TONS of bus/lab buddies that I talk to on the bus or during the labs. And if anybody in particular is giving you grief it's really easy to avoid them in the thousands of students. Oh and I say for the most part because I'm still not out. But a lot of the people I talk to a neutral to LGBT+, and some are pretty strong allies. I just don't have the courage atm :lol:

So if the weird person I am can make friends/acquaintances, I'm sure you'll have no problem

 

I'm a freshman now. I always knew I was going to college. I knew what I wanted to pursue since I was about 12-13. I don't know if it was my h s or me or my parents ( who are both college educated ) or all of the above but there was never any problem with applications , testing , interviews , visits, etc . When I got called to my advisors office it was always routine stuff that I simply did since it was part of the retinue for college admission. All of my classes were AP ( honors courses don't translate over). By the time i was a senior I had 2 classes at school and was enrolled in 3 courses at the local state uni. I wanted to maintain myself on the roster for baseball and i had to have a minimum of h s credits during my senior year to qualify . Otherwise I probably could have graduated earlier. That was never an option for me . I received partial scholarship offers that had contingencies as they're sports based . I finally applied to 5 schools. I always knew I wanted to go here though because it's totally different from the environment that I went to h s in and it's on the other side of the country and the law school is here as well.
I don't know why you're not getting guidance to navigate this stuff . Just make sure and do everything you need to do and take both the sat and the act . And make your advisor work for you ! And make sure your parents know how to do fasfa if that applies to you.

 

I was in your exact same position last year. I had zero motivation for applications, and I remember missing a few deadlines here and there, much to my parents' disappointment. I had a whole roster of colleges that I'd been planning to apply to, but I only ended up applying to about four or five of them. For the most part, there was never any doubt that I'd get into my top choice.

I had been planning on going to this tiny private college in Florida because I liked the atmosphere and I figured it'd be easier to make friends in a smaller student body. But, at the last minute I changed my mind, and now I go to a university that's pretty much the exact opposite of the one I described. It's huge, and I think I've actually had a much easier time making friends because of it -- there are just so many people to meet, and there are always events going on. I had originally thought that a big university wouldn't be right for me (I'm not typically much of a social butterfly), but it's actually a great experience. Don't write off large universities prematurely.

If you can, go visit the campuses of whatever schools you're thinking about. I know that was a big deciding factor for me. Thing is, every university you visit is going to seem better than the ones you visited before it, but that's just your mind playing tricks on you. Take some time to think about it objectively before you make any commitments.

I don't have a license either, and I do get teased occasionally when people find out. But it's all in good fun. Try to take it in stride. People generally don't intend to be mean about it, but a college student without a license is a novelty. I usually just crack jokes about it, though it did make some of the initial paperwork difficult when I first arrived.

There will be people who think your lack of a license is an indication of immaturity (though they're probably only pressuring their own insecurities onto you), but remember that your reaction to their attitude will determine whether or not they're right.

If you end up liking a college with a large campus (area-wise), check to make sure they have a campus bus system first, or you'll be in for a world of pain.

Also, after you decide where you'd like to go, check to see of there are any special communities or programs that you can get involved in from the get-go. I was able to attend a special month-long program in July with about 200 other freshmen, where we took a core class and an elective for early credits. It was a great way to meet other students and professors before the influx of people came in the Fall. Besides that, I joined a learning community for the Pre-Law program -- it's basically a group of about 20 freshmen who take many of the same classes and are enrolled in one specialty class just for us. It's a great way to build a solid base of friends with similar interests, and gives me an instant group of study buddies. At this point, we've basically gotten to where we're like a big dysfunctional family. It's fantastic. If the school you end up going to offers similar programs, join them. You won't regret it.

 

*take it from someone who graduated recently*

COLLEGE.IS.AWESOME!!

You get to take classes and make friends based on YOUR interests. You're not stuck there forced to learn stuff because the government mandates that you do. You'll find a lot of different people from different backgrounds, places, etc. and you might be enlightened a lot. And guess what? You get to do what *you* want to do. Your schedule, what you want to eat, whom to hang out with ,etc. But realize that the knife cuts both ways. You have to be responsible for everything that you do and that your parents can't bail you out.

I joined a Freshman Learning Community in my freshman year. We had 4/5 classes together and thus formed good friendships. I lived in a building farther from the center campus, with two Korean roommates. One of them was born in Paraguay, thus he was fluent in English, Korean, Spanish, and Japanese too. It was awesome that I was able to have that experience with him and learn about his background and more about Korean culture (Korean food is AMAZING!!!)

Sophomore year, I was a part of a similar program called SAIL (Sophomores acheiving in life), akin to the FLC. All of us lived on the top floor of the student lofts near the center of campus (I moved there because it was cheaper housing). I lived in these lofts for the remaining three years of college. I formed more friendships with people from France, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Spain, Venezuela, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It really made me interested in world affairs, possibly working for the UN, and wanting to go teach English abroad someday . Oh yeah, a few of the foreign guys were cute though

I got to become president of the Spanish club on campus, along with joining a French meetup group that was formed by a few students. We'd hang out at a French café on campus and chat among ourselves and the Parisian owner entirely in French, which was cool. The LGBT alliance on campus was cool and it made me feel like I wasn't as weird/misunderstood as I originally thought. I got to meet some cool people there, some dating from that, along with being able to go to Pride, drag shows, and appreciate the LGBT community along with myself more .