<p>I have always heard that college will be 10x harder than high school so I am wondering how long typical freshman study each day for the new, more challenging classes. I plan on studying every day for a good 3 or 4 hours after homework to stay on top and be near the top of the class but I am concerned that I will have no life. Is this a good plan or should I reconsider how much effort I put into my courses? Also, is it easy to make friends in college as I have a bit of a problem with that because I get anxious easily in unfamiliar situations, which I would love to stop, and a few issues with relating to other teens and socializing.</p>
<p>I’m not quite sure that is realistic if you want to have any sort of social life. You’ll find that there just isn’t that amount of time in a day for you to study so much. Also, you don;t want to burn yourself out. Remember to have fun.</p>
<p>For me, the hardest part was budgeting time and actually devoting a certain amount of time to homework instead of gradually doing it all day if I wasn’t keeping myself busy doing other things.</p>
<p>You’ll figure out pretty quick how much work you’re putting into your classes. If it’s an engineering class you’re going to be hitting the books for a while, but I’ve had classes where I do about an hour of work a week for… honestly college is only difficult because you have to make your schedule. I’ve had college classes that were easier than the ones I’ve taken Sophomore year in high school.</p>
<p>A tour guide at Williams shared his daily schedule, which really seemed to underline how to balance studies with social life, imo. Basically, he got up early every weekday morning even if he didnn’t have class, which freed up his late afternoons/evenings to socialize and join student groups while still maintaining his gpa. Seemed like a good idea to me.</p>
<p>To the OP: the first couple of weeks will be devoted to getting to know other people. Remember that everyone else also feels awkward, but if you take advantage of those intro opportunities - in the dorm, joining a couple of clubs, even icebreakers in classes - you can get to know a variety of people and start to build a network of friends.</p>
<p>First off, it wont be 10x harder. Thats an exaggeration, and it really depends on what classes your taking/what your majoring in. You seem to have good intentions academically but don’t be surprised if that changes. </p>
<p>Socially, im much like you. Very introverted and nervous in new social situations. But also recognize that everybody is in the same boat you are. You dont have to join tons of clubs and stuff to make friends, you just have to be open to meeting new people.</p>
<p>Freshman year was awesome. If I could go back for a week or two I would in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>The hardest adjustment of freshman year was the realization that nobody is going to chase after you, or remind you about anything. I was always self-motivated in high school, but not overly organized, so it was nice to be told in class everyday what was due for the upcoming weeks. College is not like that. First, you might only have a class 1-3x a week period. Next, if there’s reading “due” the professor or TA mostly likely isn’t going to ask for proof that you did it. If it’s a lecture, s/he could care less, and if it’s a discussion you’ll simply be asked to contribute in manner that shows you read. But with nothing concrete to fill in or turn in, it’s easy to forget about assignments until the first test or paper…</p>
<p>Next hardest part for me was balancing my social life and academic life. I was not a social butterfly in high school, but first semester freshman year changed a lot of that considering I made LOTS of friends, the majority of whom are some of my best friends now. It’s always tempting to hang out instead of study when all of your friends literally live a couple steps away.</p>
<p>Honestly, scratch your study plan until you actually GET TO SCHOOL. You have no clue what’s in store, how your classes are going to be, what friends you make, what other activities you engage in. It is possible to get stellar grades and have a fun social life if you manage your time correctly. The people who spend their entire 4 or 5 years immersed in books are missing one of the greatest parts of college life imo.</p>
<p>There’s plenty of time for that in Grad school ;)</p>