Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?

We all believe that studying turns different when we grow up, but have you thought about how much different? Well, though there's not a big difference when we move from elementary to high school, I assure you that you will feel the change when you go to university because you mature during that stage of life. That said, if your time in high school is getting over, or if you are on your way to uni, I'd like to tell you my personal experience in some aspects that you might be interested in.

First of all, let's talk about your study's outline. As your teenager cleverness tells you, if you're going to study in university, then it should be the way you did in high school. Of course, you won't cry on the first day of school/uni, and in both stages, you will have homework to do and exams to take at the end of the term. Nothing new about this. In fact, it's true that in high school, as much as in uni, all the effort that you put into your studies will be worth it. Pretty similar, but not at all.

Now let's take a look at your study's inside. The nicest help that you have in high school is that your teachers always guide you in your activities. Classwork and homework are supervised by your teachers in order that you do them right. Well, it's sad to say that it doesn't happen in uni. There, you have to manage your own study. I mean, there's no reminder of pending homework, deadlines, or things to study. Everything depends on you and your organization. For example, in high school, the teachers write on the board the notes that you have to take, while in uni, you have to take your own notes for each class. Isn't that scary?

    

So... are you feeling it wild and crazy, Mr. Krabs?

Said so, it's time to speak on assignments. To my mind comes the time when I used to sit at my desk after high school and doing my homework. Sometimes difficult, sometimes not, but always viable, because it was related to the topics presented in class. Thus, it wasn't an excessive thing. On the other side, during uni, homework could be excessive, and sometimes you will have to investigate how to do it. The time that you spend finding out a solution and the big amount of it turn homework into a stressful activity. The same happens when studying for exams. While in high school you just have to take a look at your notes and books, in uni you have to start your own investigation on your exam's subject (besides the look at your notebook and PDFs) if you want to score 10/10. By the way, talking about grades, guess what? In high school, all of your grades are averaged out, but in uni, your grades are weighted according to the assignment. So, believe me, you will not want to fail that exam...        

Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?

To reduce the shock of exams, let's switch to some daily life issues to make it more enjoyable. If you used to hate your school uniform because it made you look ridiculous (I used to look like a smurf every day because all my uniforms were smurf-blue), you will like this next one. In uni, is not necessary to wear a uniform. In fact, you can wear casual clothes. Moreover, forget about the school norms about extravagant haircuts or accessories. There's no rule for that in uni. So if you are the type of person who transmits their style through your outfit, then it's time to rock it! If you always wanted to have your hair blonded, time to dye it! Of course, people don't have to judge you because of your look, but to tell the truth, it's good advice to try to dress according to the situation. Therefore, it's not a good idea to go with your punk mohawk the day you're presenting your final project (though it looks really cool with a suit on!).

Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs? Are you feeling it?

Last but not least, let's talk about your social background. In this theme, you are the protagonist. Whenever you had a bad day in high school, you get home and your family will hug you and tell you that everything's going to be fine. Unless your uni is in the same city as your house, then your family's support is something that you will miss the most. I had to move from my hometown when I entered uni, so the only way to feel the motivation from mom and dad was via phone call, and I couldn't wait for the weekend to go back home. Unfortunately, there were times when homework and exams made it impossible to do that. But as I mentioned, in uni you are the main character of your story, so you start supporting yourself! In fact, you become mature, and that's important in life. 

Are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?

Not only your family but also your friends are part of your background. You will find people of your age and older students during your time in uni. That's different when you were in high school with mates who all were your age. And as you and your friends are grown up now, you go from having fun in town, eating out, and playing videogames in high school to looking for internships/jobs in town, sharing your bag of cookies, and studying at the library in the university. Of course, there will be time to have real fun with your uni friends: wild parties, beers and cheers, late dates (and some things that you might have done illegally due to your age in high school, but now you are legal enough), but as I said, at the appropriate time, because when living by yourself, your responsibilities are first.

After that, are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs?

To sum it up, this review shows us that although studying in high school and uni has some things in common, you will feel the dissimilarity in your life from one to another, because you grow up when in there. After this, we can notice that there are more differences than similarities in each theme. However, I don't pretend to break your motivation with that. On the contrary, do you remember when I mentioned that you "become mature"? That's important when making decisions to manage your time and do well when studying. In that way, you will be able to enjoy your uni life as much as you did in high school, by the time you succeed in your studies. Remember that uni is something that not a lot of people can afford, but you can always try your best! It will be hard, but it will be all worth it!