Author: cheese pizza

The experience of learning in college has been very different from learning in high school. While in high school you had people who actively reached out to you to help you with everything you needed such as homework, test preparation, grades, mental health, etc. In college, resources to help with many of these areas are available, but you will never use them unless you take the initiative. Another difference academically is the environment you will learn in, with only 3-4 hours a week for each class you will have to learn and figure the material out on your own for the most part. In college, you need to reach out for support on your own, you need to study and figure things out on your own, and you need to take care of yourself on your own. These are all challenges at first; however, once you get used to it, this autonomy makes personal success even more satisfying because you know that it all happened due to your own effort, solid 9/10.

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The social atmosphere of college is also different from high school. It is much easier to find people with similar interests in college due to various organizations and events. Through the esports lounge you can run into people who play similar games as you do. I have also found some people on campus who play chess like I do, and I met some people who played soccer through intermural sports. In college, I have found success meeting people whom I can bond with in different ways than before. The social atmosphere gets a 10/10, making my college experience so far, a 9.5/10.

It’s Probably Not As Bad As You Think

When we are in high school, people often tell us what college is going to be like. Parents, teachers, siblings, media, and others tell us what we will experience in college. Oftentimes these portrayals can cause a great deal of anxiety, such as the idea that we will have no support when we are struggling and will have to deal with everything on our own. A pleasant surprise for me was the support system here at UWGB, the learning center, wellness center, library, fellow students, professors, and many other groups have created an environment here at Green Bay that provides help for students who are struggling in any way. For example, professors have so far gone out of their way to accommodate all of their students and welcome them to their office hours. We have also seen library and learning center resources reach out over email and through classes to ensure as many students are aware of their resources as possible.

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Another thing that surprised me was the social life at UWGB. I was expecting a greater struggle to make friends while attending college here, but what I found was that most other people were just as open and proactive with making friends as I was. Since the start of college, I have been able to develop close friendships with other people who have similar interests as mine. I met my first few friends at the welcoming events that are hosted for all freshmen, these are a great opportunity for all people to meet others.  Just as you are interested in developing friendships with people, other people are interested in developing friendships with you.