From High School to UAF: The biggest differences

Now, as a well-adjusted college student, looking back on the months leading up to the move from high school to college, I remember the anticipation and excitement. I was leaving my well-established group of friends and my family behind and heading off into uncharted territory.  I was super excited!

Upon arriving at UAF I checked in and started moving into my room. I got all set up and soon realized that living in a dorm was going to be a bit of an adjustment. I was used to a relatively quiet household; I soon realized that some people never sleep. There was always someone awake hanging out in the lobby or watching a movie in one of the lounges. I thought it would be hard to get used to, but I was pleasantly surprised. The noise that I thought would keep me up all night soon lulled me to sleep.

Then the real work began. Classes started. But it wasn’t all bad, in fact most of it was good! I got to pick which classes I wanted to take for that semester within my major, which was a big change from high school, where I was handed a schedule of the classes I had to take that year. And, in picking my classes I got to decide when I wanted to start and finish class for the day. If I didn’t want to start class until 11:30am, I would just plan my classes accordingly. It’s great! Of course, now that I’ve settled into the college schedule, I take earlier classes, like 8am Biochemistry classes… It’s not as bad as it sounds trust me.

In high school I got used to seeing the same faces every day, every year, for four years. But at UAF, almost every class had at least one person I hadn’t met, usually more. Through the course of group projects and class discussions I got to know some of the people and still see them around campus.

Probably my favorite thing about college is the friends I’ve gained in the few years I’ve been here. There are several people I met my freshman year, that I am still good friends with today. The cool thing about the friends you make in college, they more or less become your family.  They’re the friends you’ll have for the rest of your life!