Words From a Weary Mind

You know, in doing this blog, I try to provide insight into my own mind, my personal thoughts. And, I've always got a lot to think about, so each night I try my best to post something as interesting as it is new. I like to pride myself in being anti-formulaic sometimes.

So, I'd like to draw some comparisons between college and high school academic life. As we all know, they differ tremendously, but I would definitely venture to say that it is not a particularly infrequent occasion to draw a parallel between the two.

In terms of differences, college is essentially an entirely new academic (and social) playground. Reading levels soar, owned textbooks increases exceedingly, study is a requirement, attendance is no longer a sustainable route to a fair grade, classwork and homework loses much of its value, tests and exams constitute most of your grade, group work can no longer be handled by a single leader, and the teacher becomes a professor whom lacks as much availability and hand-holding as that of a high school teacher. The differences between college and high school solely in the academic field are astounding, but they are not without a collection of similarities.

To me, college is high school at an elevated plane. Both institutions require work to be done, but while high school enforces this with credit, college lets the student enforce his/her own work ethic. Both institutions utilize tests and exams as material evaluations, but while high school understands that you had a bad test day, college has expectations that are assumed to be adhered to. Both institutions provide the student with an appropriate academic atmosphere, but while high school tends to be more immature and less goal-oriented, college tends to be serious and meticulously motivated.

And, in assessing the academic capabilities of each institution, I dare not claim that one be greater than the other, for the context is completely altered for each. Maturity levels raise, personal awareness sees a rise, and determination is often time boosted.

I've learned a lot in high school, more than I thought I would have. I've learned just as much within the school campus as I have around my neighborhood. And, my time in high school has, indeed, been invaluable. In fact, I get all the more excited for my senior year as the summer gets closer to the end. So, I could never claim that college is all that much more omnipotent in comparison to high school, because high school is a necessary step on the way up life's ladder.

That said, I look forward to college more so than I do my senior year. I honestly do not think I'll learn more, or that college will be a better experience overall, or that I'll have done more by the end of my time in college. But, I know that I will do much, more than I expect to just as I did in high school. And, I'm excited for the experiences I will endure and the person I will become as a result of both high school and college.

And, those are my disorganized, rambled thoughts for today.