<p>how much of an adjustment was college for you guys in your first year? obviously we all had different upbringings and events in our lives up to hs graduation, which all may have affected how we adjusted to college life in our first year. from those of you who had may have been far away from home almost year round for boarding school, or for weeks every summer, to those who had never slept away from home until college.</p>
<p>how about those who drank/partied often during high school and were given lots of parental freedom, or those who had strict/protective parents and had their first real taste of freedom in freshman year?</p>
<p>how different was your pre college life to your college environment? and do you think it affected how you adjusted to college/learned to thrive in college, or your grades? how/how not?</p>
<p>discuss...</p>
<p>p.s. do not attack my lack of capitalization/any grammatical errors. i actually do know how to write properly in real life..:P</p>
<p>My parents were overprotective and made me go to an middle-college high school so i could get into college.</p>
<p>Then i go to the University of California. I had freedom, but with all the people I got scared and decided to just be the emo kid and locked myself up in the dorm all the time playing guitar. I got decent grades, but was pretty much bored. Not until second year did I being more sociable. I got used to the atmosphere, got a social life. Yeah... Now when I go home, my parents protectiveness seems unreasonable. </p>
<p>So, it just took a really long time for me to adjust, with an emo period.</p>
<p>What a loaded question. I didn't have to adjust to the sudden amount of freedom, but I did have to adjust to the lack of privacy. I think people find their groove after a month or so, some sooner, some later.</p>
<p>well, It was somewhat of an adjustment... I mean going from being able to do whatever I want, to being forced to wear only 2 sets of clothes, not talk while eating, run and/or march everywhere, not being able to leave an area of 40 acres except every few weeks... plus the academic load was hard...</p>
<p>Guess that's what I get for going to a service academy</p>
<p>I grew up with a very overprotective, fairly strict mom. I was not a partier in high school, and due to family things, I am extremely close to my mom
The adjustment to the state school that is 3 times the size of my home town, and considered a party school, was much easier than I expected. My biggest problem was lack of privacy. I was in a built up lounge, with 3 other girls. I lived on a very community oriented dorm floor (doors open all the time, people out chatting, etc). There were many family problems this year that I found out about over the phone. Nothing like being surrounded by tons of people when you're a sobbing mess and want to be by yourself.
It was tough to be away from my mom and sister. We're really close. There was only one day this year when my mom and I didn't talk on the phone. I went home roughly every three weeks, which was about the right time for me. I feel that I did adjust well. I have lots of friends at school and had a blast. Still don't party, and am totally accepted even with that by all my friends. I cried when I left on Wednesday, and can't wait until I go back in August. The adjustment had its tough moments, but it wasn't terrible</p>
<p>I had really strict parents it sucked. Now I drink/smoke alot, its good. I now realize how much I hated living with my parents. I'm just so much of an individual, i need to be takin care of my own s hit.</p>
<p>I worked on APU's orientation staff last year and most freshmen seemed to adjust pretty quickly and well. All of my freshmen LOVED their first semester. Of my 20 freshmen from last year, only 1 of them transferred out, and she only transferred because she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life, so she felt she should return home and pay less for school until she'd chosen a new major. The rest of my freshmen loved their freshmen years and grew a TON. Of course, your experience will greatly vary simply because you're unique AND because every school is different!</p>
<p>mine was kind of like ndhawk; i had strict parents who never really let me do things. i went to my first real party in college. and i definitely drink more than i should on the weekends. and i definitely hate living with my parents, this summer's going to be a challenge</p>