Obsessing and pessimistic about attending college.

I found it significantly more difficult than HS because I had to learn how to study, not just rely on having a really good memory. That said, I also went in as an engineering major and discovered that higher math and I just don't mix. I could memorize and use formulas but not as a general case.

Once I switched majors to English things got much easier as I like to read and write pretty well.

I guess I'd say that a lot will depend on what you plan to major in and on learning how to study early on. I would plan on looking into what resources the university can offer around this, whether 'Howe to Study' classes, tutors, or whatever. Especially in your first two years you should focus on learning to study, do the work at the college level, and managing your time. Once you have those down, you will find it much easier to play around a bit but still get everything done.

Hope this helps,

Todd

 

Hey, dont sweat it. You probably werent focused in high school. Go to a community college and transfer to a university after two years if possible. You will have a MUCH better GPA, and by the time you get to the university, you will be closer to the age of 24, and you will get the federal Pell grant, which is a GRANT by the federal government, which you will not have to pay back. (Its NOT a loan). Community colleges are cheaper, the teacher teach you better, and help you prepare for college. You may be scared now, but when you get to school, you will realize everyone else feels just as nervous as you are, and you will learn that its no big deal and you will get over it.

As a junior and senior, you could get upto 5,000 dollars each year. So financially you will not have to worry about paying for school.


If money was never an issue to begin with, then great! Now regarding AP classes. When you get to college, no one really cares about them anymore. I took AP Latin, but went into Engineering, and i wasnt able to use it. Big deal, but move on. Lots of others retake classes even if they tested out of them.

Realize that while the business major may not be hard, its increasingly difficult to find a job in today's market with the degree. My suggestion is to go to school and take the basic requirements first. Go in undecided. Take the math placement test. and STUDY b/c you are now paying. Make the most of your money. Your GPA will be important too. The higher the GPA, the better your chances of scholarships, being accepted to your 4 year institution should you decide to take the transfer option, etc.


Got any questions for me?

 

The difficulty of any major is dependent more on the professors and the school than the content itself. I've taken a gazillion classes in both natural science and the humanities and there've been 400-level science courses that were easier than 200-level humanities courses, simply because the professors had different standards (not to say both weren't good, but I personally find labs and tests easier than twenty-page papers).

 

Disclaimer: I did do the whole AP classes thing in high school and I was guaranteed (assuming I didn't flunk my classes) an early graduation from university before I started so that my affect my opinion.

Honestly, I really don't think college is as difficult as everyone says it is. I never found college to be really difficult but I do think it is more work than high school.

If you're concerned about how you'll do, you can start by taking a small number of units to see how things go.

As for going to community college first, be careful with that. Make sure you find out if your classes will transfer to your chosen university before you take them. If you're planning on going to university in the same state as the community college you'll probably be fine but make sure to check. I know way too many people that went to community college first and then found out the majority of their credits didn't transfer

 

Depending on your college, generally your classes will be larger at a 4 year institution, and the tests will be WAY harder. They make is harder so that there is a larger distribution of grades. It doesnt look that good if the teacher gives everyone an A, so they will want a nice spectrum of grades, with mostly B's and C's.

If you take it at a community, the classes are smaller, the teacher are more readily available to help you, and WANT you to do really well. They generally dont care about having a wide range of grades.

My suggestion is to find a transfer guide at either at your community college or university that shows which courses will DEFINITELY transfer over so you know before hand how much coursework you can take at the community college, and try to take as many as you can before you transfer over. I'm glad 'castle walls' mentioned that fact.

I know when i took calculus 3, they told us b/c one stupid little topic, Stokes Theorem, was not taught, a certain school would not accept it. Thank god I didnt end up going to that school, but lots of people were upset.