How College Can Make You More Independent

College is full of surprises, most of which come from your own realizations of what you are capable of achieving and the things you need to improve on. Many people consider college as the time to seriously think about the future, and with this careful consideration comes the freedom to do things your way. Here are some of ways college can teach you how to be independent.

You Make Your Own Grades

Some high schools spoonfeed lessons to students, whether they realize it or not. It is only during the first months of college that the students realize just how different the teaching methods are in college. Suddenly, students are expected to read three or four chapters ahead before the class, because the scope of the day’s lesson may cover all these. Many students cope by doubling their review time, sacrificing their social life in the beginning to deal with the study load. At the end of the semester, most students gain momentum, find their best study rhythm and become smarter when it comes to managing their time.

Students learn how to become independent when they start managing their time according to their own capabilities. They soon realize that they learn at a different pace compared to their peers, and the carefree studying they did in high school is no longer applicable in college. Finding the best time to study is a challenge, and students have to rearrange their schedules to make time for reviews on top of everything else they have to deal with, such as social life or a part-time job.

You Learn How to Do Your Own Laundry

Something that you probably took for granted in the past, because there was someone who does it for you, is now a big deal. Doing laundry is not just about chucking your clothes into the washer and adding soap. It also involves planning which clothes to wear while the rest are in the laundry bin. If you develop the habit of buying clean underwear rather than wash the dirty clothes because you just don’t have time to do the laundry, you’ll end up broke. Worse, your dorm mates may already be talking about the freshman with the big pile of smelly clothes under his or her bed.

You Become Your Own Police

Because there’s no one around to monitor which parties you attend, you may feel like going to each and every single weekend party around. But too much partying could throw you off your game, and you end up regretting that you blew off a few hours of precious study time to attend a concert. You start discriminating between parties that you can attend and those that would only waste your time. You also start sorting through your friends and hanging out more with the ones that are on the same page when it comes to working hard and playing hard in college.

College is harder compared to high school, but there’s a chance that you may learn a lot of the values you would need when you get to the real world.

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