It might not seem like it, but college is right around the corner. Yes, even for you as well, sophomores. High school goes unbelievably quick and before you know it, you’re already in your senior year and the time has come to begin submitting college applications.

True preparation for college is often disparaged by many high school students, and unfortunately, sometimes by their parents as well. A high school student entering the college life and atmosphere is a major reality check. This transition opens their eyes to new realistic challenges of a newfound independence and responsibility. New college students face moral and ethical decisions that they have never faced before.

There are several dissimilarities between the high school environment and experience and that of colleges. High school is mandatory. College is voluntary. College classes make high school classes look relatively small; they may reach up to or exceed 100 students depending upon the class or professor. In high school, teachers will not care if you don’t do the homework, if you don’t take notes, if you don’t show up to class, etc. College professors, unlike high school teachers, will not check your homework or take attendance (although they will probably recognize which students do not come to class). If you chose to live in a college dorm, you will not have your parents around to make sure you are awake and getting ready to leave for school. College, for many, is a wake up call and you will find that it is crucial that you balance your responsibilities and work industriously.

In an article entitled “The College Transition” by a member of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, Derek Melleby conducts an interview with two new college students and asks them for their take on the transition from high school to college. Melleby asked them, “If you could talk with a college bound high school senior about the transition to college, what advice would you give him or her?” One student replied, “Think about the kind of person you want to be and what you are going to stand for before you get there.” The other student said, “Go to college knowing what you believe, but with an open mind, willing to think about how you are living and what you are learning.  Find a community of people.”

College is an intense learning environment in which YOU are alone in taking responsibility for being independent, working hard, utilizing your skills and reaching your full potential, thinking through what you are learning and applying the information you’ve learned to the real world. College is what you make of it. It is up to you and you only how your college experience will go, so make it a successful journey! It is essential that students use the time from the moment they step into their first classroom of their sophomore year to their graduation day, wisely.