Okay, so don’t hate me. I know I literally said not to talk about high school in my freshman dos and don’t article. However, I think culture shocks are so important to talk about so just forget I wrote that for right now. The change from high school to college is one of the biggest changes I have been through. And trust me, in my 18 years of life I have been through many. Look at Covid for example. Anyways, not the point. I remember walking into my first college class and my professor introduced himself with his first name. Major culture shock because my high school teachers would have been so confused and I would have probably gotten in trouble. There is plenty of more where that came from, and I am here to tell you about it. Or at least give incoming freshmen a glimpse at the college life!
Culture Shock #1: Don’t have to ask the professor to use the restroom— okay we are starting off nice and easy to ease your way into this. I remember one teacher in high school who would get so mad at us for even standing up and grabbing a tissue let alone not asking to use the bathroom. I don’t know why teachers were so strict on bathroom policies in high school. College you just get up and go. Truthfully, it is better than asking because you are not interrupting the professor’s lesson. Trust me, they will appreciate that because professors only have a limited time with all their students. So please don’t be that person who asks. Just go!
Culture Shock #2: You only have 2 to 3 classes a day— sometimes this can even be one to zero classes a day. You may be thinking that sounds like the dream, which it is, but it also calls for wanting to skip the class you do have, procrastinating every assignment imaginable, and honestly being more tired than you were in high school. I had school all day, clubs, activities, work, and somehow a social life all throughout high school. I was a busy bee, and I still am now, but not near as close. But somehow, I am more tired than I have ever been. You may experience this too. Many college kids do, and that tiredness makes you want to skip or just wait until 11 pm to do your due at 11:59 assignment. Haven’t done that before…anyways, I am not telling you this to give you ways to prevent this feeling, but to prepare you for it. Only having a couple classes a day is so nice, but it can also be brutal to your productivity. Also please don’t let this scare you. If you set a routine, you will be fine. Have an accountability partner if that helps you!
Culture Shock #3: Communal living and bathrooms— I am eternally grateful that I don’t have to use a communal bathroom. I lucked out on that. However, I have heard some horror stories. But I still must share a living space and a bathroom with my roommate. For some of you, if you are like me, you never had to do that growing up. I had my own room, bathroom, and closet. It was a little hard for me to adjust at first, but I got the hang of it. This is a culture shock because for people like me, you must learn how to compromise with said roommate which can be difficult at times. For bathrooms, the culture shock is honestly having to deal with the grossness and the people. Please. Wear. Shower. Shoes. That is all I will say on that. The culture shock will get easier with time, but when you first move in, try to set boundaries with your roommate right away so you are both on the same page. That will help so much.
Culture Shock #4: The amount of walking— look, I don’t care if you go to a small school or a big school like KU, the amount of walking and exercise you do is unreal. In high school, you would have to walk just across the school at most. At a college, you have to walk from one school to the other. A couple of miles, a lot of steps, and steep hills. Everyone underestimates the fury of the KU hills, but I promise you that your calves will be feeling that. So just be prepared for exercise you will be getting just from walking on campus. Drink water, eat food, and take care of yourself please.
Culture Shock #5: The utmost freedom— this is one of the best parts of college. You get to control your schedule, your free time, and your life. You can walk out of class if you want to (this is not encouragement to do so). You can stay up how late you want, go wherever you want (within reason), and no one oversees you. In high school, you have teachers telling you what to do, parents, etc. but in college you have control. How you utilize that control is up to you, but it is still a major culture shock going from supervision under your parents and then straight to freedom. A word of advice: use your freedom to your greatest advantage to better yourself.
I could go on and on about culture shocks. I experienced many of them myself. No matter the culture shock, college is a million and one times better than high school. I know it may seem scary. But trust me, you can make it truly an experience to remember. Reach for the stars!✨
