<p>I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm not really enjoying it (I can't wait until it's over). I know I should be enjoying these years of my life but I don't like the social atmosphere of high school (too cliquish) and I don't really find the classwork enjoyable. I'm trying to focus on studying hard so I can make it to a decent college. </p>
<p>Bottom Line: Is college an experience I can look forward to? (I'm not the party kind of guy at all).</p>
<p>Yes, I have found college fun and it is so much better than high school ever was.</p>
<p>Larger colleges do not have cliques. Some smaller colleges do (as some have complained about on CC).</p>
<p>Sometimes in high schools, the jocks and cheerleaders tend to “reign” over everyone. That can’t happen at larger colleges. </p>
<p>*
Bottom Line: Is college an experience I can look forward to? (I’m not the party kind of guy at all).*</p>
<p>What are some of your interests? Would you enjoy any academic-oriented clubs? Would you enjoy any service-oriented clubs? </p>
<p>Would you enjoy going to a school’s football or basketball game?</p>
<p>You do sound like a person who would thrive in a larger school. The opportunities to do interesting things are many and varied. You <em>might</em> want to avoid your own state schools because a lot of your HS classmates will be going there and carrying with them all of their friendships, etc. But, even at your large state schools, there will be so many more new friends for you, and you will find that “ruling cliques” in HS do <em>not</em> rule in college.</p>
<p>If you are not the party type, also look for dorm opportunities that help you there - substance-free, honors, etc… You will have to deal with the environment you encounter in your dorm, and if it’s partying all night, that’ll get a little irritating after a while.</p>
<p>By the time you go to college, you may have an idea of what you want to study and you can look at departments rather than schools as a whole.</p>
<p>But I do encourage you to visit some schools and hang around a bit. Any colleges close to you?</p>
<p>You <em>might</em> want to avoid your own state schools because a lot of your HS classmates will be going there and carrying with them all of their friendships, etc.</p>
<p>That can be true if the state school is a local one or your state doesn’t have many state schools. But, if your state has many public colleges, the attendance by the clique will be diluted - especially if you go to a state school that is further away.</p>
<p>I’m looking at LACs. They seem to fit me the best. Are small schools really more likely to have popular cliques?</p>
<p>I would HATE that.</p>
<p>It better be. Four years of my life is too long to waste being miserable. ;)</p>
<p>*Are small schools really more likely to have popular cliques?</p>
<p>I would HATE that. *</p>
<p>Yes. Small schools can sometimes behave like high schools where certain groups (jocks/ popular girls) have a lot of power.</p>
<p>There were some threads last winter about this issue. Some parents and students were posting about experiences at smaller schools. </p>
<p>What size of schools are you looking at?</p>
<p>I’ve applied to some LACs, a public LAC (got into Geneseo - 5000 undergrads, not exactly small) My dream schools are Vassar and Amherst, about 2000 undergrads. I really would have to reconsider choosing an LAC if its going to be cliquey.</p>
<p>I’ll try to search for the threads where this was discussed. </p>
<p>Since my H, my kids, and I went to larger schools where no one person or group could have any real power, we never knew this problem existed at smaller colleges until I read about it here. </p>
<p>Obviously, if this does exist and a student is one of the “in crowd,” then it’s not a problem for that student.</p>
<p>By the time I finished high school, I had really come to hate it. Could not wait for it to be over. College was 100% different, both academically and socially. There were some cliquish stuck-up types ruining my dorm life, but I got out of the dorms after freshman year, and from then on it was a different universe.</p>
<p>Now, if what you hate about high school is studying, or academic challenges, then college is not going to be your life-saver. If it is just the boredom or the lack of a good social fit, then go into college with a smile and enthusiasm, and you will happy.</p>
<p>I did not like high school at all. The popular kids reigned supreme. I was friends with some of them but there were so many others that were jerks. I was somewhere in between “loser” and “popular”. </p>
<p>So I was really looking forward to a different college atmosphere. I chose LACs because of the small class sizes and the lack of TAs compared to universities (generally speaking, of course, this doesn’t apply everywhere)</p>
<p>Does academics or social life matter more when choosing a college? I’ve read that more people transfer out because of social issues, not academics, but it may be just anecdotal.</p>
<p>I think the “cliquish” feel is going to really depend on the school’s social atmosphere. Usually schools with a big emphasis on Greek Life tend to have a more cliquish feel than schools with less of an emphasis. I go to a small school myself (3200 undergrads), and it isn’t too cliquish because it is a residential college system (like Harry Potter’s house system). We have no frats/sororities; people are also randomly placed into the residential colleges.</p>
<p>However, although I wouldn’t call it cliquish, it can be quite annoying when you do something wrong and a lot of people in your residential college find out about it. However, I would rather go to a place where I’m not just a random person or number… its awesome to go to places around campus and always run into people you know. That is much harder to find at a large state school… but some people like the big school feel.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your replies. I live in Pennsylvania so U Pitt and Penn State are big draws. LAC’s are probably too small so a bigger school is probably my best fit.</p>
<p>College is better than highschool…</p>
<p>BUT</p>
<p>I really encourage you to get out of the mindset of “waiting for the future”</p>
<p>trust me…</p>
<p>You might not know if you’re “the party kind of guy” as a sophomore in high school. A lot can change in two years keep that in mind.</p>
<p>i believe college, and high school for that matter, is what you make of it yourself. sure in college u get a little more freedom, but on the other hand, a crapload more responsibility. some people will have fun and some wont, it depends what fun means to you.</p>
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<p>QFT. College can be more fun than high school, but not if you just expect the fun to come to you.</p>
<p>@dblazer
Pa native here. A lot of the people I graduated with in HS went on to Lock Haven, Millersville, and a lot of the girls to Ship U. I hear from some of them that they hate it because of the drama and cliques.</p>
<p>College is something to look forward to, yes, but don’t have overly high expectations.</p>
<p>Now, life after college, as a real adult with a job, salary, and personal space, now that is certainly something to look forward to.</p>