College Is a Huge Transition

¶ … college is a huge transition and usually marks the end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. There are even formal rites to accompany the change, such as high school graduation and a university commencement ceremony. The transition from high school to college is one of our culture's most significant rites of passage. Before a person enters college, he or she usually lives at home with parents. Yet even if the student attends college locally and still lives at home, he or she is still a more mature person and is less dependent on parents for financial or emotional support. When I entered college, I left home and my life changed dramatically on three main levels. First, I achieved a sense of financial independence, paid for my own tuition, and worked part-time while I studied. Before I entered college I was completely dependent on mom and dad for the necessities of life. Second, my social life has changed dramatically since entering college. The friends I had in high school went to different universities than I did and we grew apart. I have met new people in college and have broadened my outlook on life. Third, my emotional and psychological state changed remarkably once I entered college. I became more mature, confident, and independent as well as more worried. Furthermore, my interests and goals in life were different after entering college. In general, my post-college and pre-college selves changed on financial, social, and emotional levels.

Whereas my former self spent indiscriminately, my post-college self spends conscientiously and carefully. Before entering college I didn't think about money because my parents took care of everything, but after starting university I was forced to think about finances every day. Because I paid for my own tuition, I had to get a part-time job as well as take out student loans. Taking out loans was a huge step that marked the beginning of adult fiscal responsibilities. I also pay for my own food and luxury items and therefore find that I am forced to make important financial decisions I never had to make before college started. For example, I always used to eat whatever I wanted when I wanted because my parents kept a fully-stocked fridge. Now, I can't afford to eat out as much as I did when I was living at home. I have to buy cheap foods to cook in the dorm, such as ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese. I also have to consciously budget my expenditures such as movies and music tickets and avoid spending money frivolously. I also have a part-time job in order to pay my bills; having a job gives me a clear sense of the flow of money and I am more aware of the value of a dollar now that I am in college.

My social life has also changed significantly since entering college and college has changed the nature and meaning of friendships. In high school I had a group of friends that I knew since early childhood. We did everything together and talked about the same things all the time. Most of what we talked about was superficial subjects like clothes or celebrities. However, after entering college I left all my hometown friends because we each went to a different university. Meeting new people forced me to expand my idea of what a friend was: instead of focusing on shallow things like appearance, I noticed that the individuals in my classes were people who I could relate to because we had the same interests. Therefore, my friendships became deeper and more meaningful after college than before college. I also met people from around the world in college, which expanded my mind and my awareness of other cultures. In high school I mostly had friends from similar backgrounds as me, whereas after college I mostly have friends from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds.

Finally, I am a different person psychologically since entering college: whereas I was dependent, egocentric, and lacked a clear sense of identity before university, now I have a strong sense of self and a clear vision of my future. My pre-college self was more self-absorbed than I am now that I am in university. Whereas I thought mostly of myself before, now I think a lot about worldly issues and matters of global importance like pollution and war. I am also more interested in other people on a personal level than I was in high school, where I could afford to be insular. I can't afford to be insular in college because being insular would mean never making new friends. I am also far more confident and goal-oriented in college than I was in high school. In high school I went through the motions in class, not really understanding the relevance of an academic subject to the "real world." Now that I feel I am entering the real world, I take note of what I am learning and apply what I learn in class to how I live my life. I have a stronger sense of self now than I had when I was in high school and my identity is more clearly formed. As a result I am more outgoing and amicable. However, because college life entails having many responsibilities I did not have while in high school I am also more worried and anxious than I was in high school. Being worries and anxious are part of the maturation experience and one of the hallmarks of transitioning from childhood to adulthood.