<p>Do you feel as if you've matured significantly since going to college, or perhaps just feel as if you're different than you were in high school? I'm only curious.</p>
<p>A lot. And I’m only done with 1 year.</p>
<p>I feel a lot more mature. YES. very much so. INDEED</p>
<p>yes foshizzle</p>
<p>Nope I was already independant before college.</p>
<p>I’d have to divide my answer into three parts based on different times I was at university.</p>
<p>Community college was enjoyable and rewarding. I explored a variety of academic interests while becoming more outgoing and exploring the world around me. I was an optimistic and outgoing person at the time. That said, this was basically continued growth in the direction in which I’d been moving during the last third or so of high school.</p>
<p>I then attended three different universities while pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. The universities weren’t a good fit socially at all. I was socially isolated and even ostracized. I also had second thoughts about whether I even wanted to study Computer Science. But based on my experiences, it seemed risky to switch to a liberal arts major because university had taught me that I wasn’t good enough for the typical person who goes into liberal arts majors. (Obviously, this is bogus on a nationwide level. But it was true to some extent at the universities I was at.) My experiences at these universities taught me to be negative, pessimistic and socially withdrawn. I no longer believed in myself.</p>
<p>Later, I was able to study at McGill. I was studying Economics at the undergraduate level with the intent to continue to graduate school and work on Wall Street. McGill was a life-changing experience in a good way. Academically, it was more challenging than I’d experienced previously. It was the first time in a long time that I felt challenged by material that actually interested me. Socially, McGill was very welcoming and tolerant. As such, my time there was the first time in many years when I wasn’t socially the odd man out. I learned to become outgoing again. I learned that I could safely express my true self without being ridiculed. I learned that I didn’t need to hide out in technical majors which were of limited interest just to be tolerated. I’d finally learned to believe in myself again.</p>
<p>The personal growth I experienced at McGill actually mooted my reason for being there in the first place. Wall Street would have been a marginally better way to use technical skills to get ahead financially than IT was. But the idea that I had to rely solely on technical skills to get ahead was a fallacy.</p>
<p>Not really. I’ve just become maybe more confident and outgoing, but I was like that in my last few years of high school too. Then again I haven’t transferred to my university yet, so I’ll let you know what happens after that :)</p>
<p>I was fairly mature and independent before school. But, after one year and I am very dependent and even more mature. I got a lot better at not procrastinating and just getting done what I need to get done.</p>
<p>Thank you for answers. I was interested because as many of my friends are returning from college after their first year, most of them seem far more confident and outgoing than they were before they left. I hope this will prove true for myself, as well.</p>
<p>Well being outgoing and confident doesn’t directly insinuate maturity. Most of your friends probably unplugged from living with their parents and are naturally more outgoing. They’re left to venture on their own, without the daily criticisms from their parents.</p>
<p>I have matured significantly but I don’t necessarily think it was the college experience in general that did that, more my volunteer work and the stuff I started doing for fun. </p>
<p>I was already very independent before college, but not very outgoing. I am much more so now. It is easier to be yourself away from high school BS.</p>
<p>Not really. College opened my mind to things I didn’t know existed, but I’ve been on and off on my own since I was 14 so college didn’t make me mature. </p>
<p>College may have calmed me a bit. I am highly opinionated and willing to debate with anyone who doesn’t share my beliefs. I think college moderated me a bit in that I’m not as quick to pounce anymore.</p>
<p>If anything, I’ve become a lot more laidback and chill. I’m “outgoing” sure, but to be honest, college has made me realize how great some personal alone time can be, and how I don’t always need to be around people. </p>
<p>I’ve become a go-to person for my friends when they need a solid, grounded outlook now :P</p>
<p>I was already pretty independent before I went to college, but I’m independent in different ways now I think.</p>
<p>I’ve also matured a lot in the way I see things and think about things. I can’t really describe it in any other way…but it’s a good thing =)</p>
<p>It definitely changed me for the worse. Am more depressed now… I use to be happy.</p>