Excited and scared at the same time

[kyliegurl]

I am in grade 12 and I get good grades so I signed up for a program through my school that allows me to take two university courses at the same time I complete grade 12. I was accepted and everything has fallen into place, stuff like student loans and registering and all that. I know it is going to be a lot of work full time high school and part time university. I am enrolled to start the Bachelor of Arts program for two and a half years then I hope to get into Social Work, so I can help people that are going through what I have been through. So I am very excited about it all.

I am also so scared at the same time, I have a lot on the line. There is a lot of pressure to succeed, from my dad and the fact I am currently on probation. I am supposed to prove to my lawyer, and the judge that I am making progress moving beyond what I did to get in trouble, that includes doing counselling, going to groups, attending the step-up program, and attending and doing well in school. I am so scared that I will fail. How much different from high school is university? I am so nervous I go back to school on January 2nd and then start the university classes on the 9th.

[Elizabeth]

Honestly, and maybe this is because I took all AP and honors classes in high school, college is easier. In my experience, there isn't busy work, there aren't stupid partner projects and people are more mature. Good luck!

[Kanye West]

Hey Kylie,

The experience with transitioning from high school to university can be different for many people. From my experience, I found first year courses to be simpler than those I took in Grade 12. If you're alright with communicating with students who are a bit older than you, I don't see why it should be a problem.

First year classes are usually large and in a lecture setting. That in itself can be a culture shock for some students, but it's nothing to worry about too much. The assignments are usually worth much more compared to high school, so make sure that you are understanding the material from week to week. You don't want to have to go back to understand material during the week you need to finish an important assignment.

I would advise that you do make friends in your classes. It's much easier when it comes time to study and you have people to bounce ideas off of.

I hope everything works out for you and good luck with your university experience! :]

[Kate*]

Hey Kylie,

It looks like you will have a lot on your plate and it can be stressful, but I'm sure you can do it. Classes your first few years of college a lot of times are either the same or easier than the one's you're taking now. I started at a community college and I called it both high school 2.0 and high school on steroids. The professors treat you more like a person and an equal than your teachers do now and they won't hunt you down or sit on you to make sure you get your work done. The job of learning the materal and asking for help shifts from the teacher to the student.

I felt the same way you do with the pressure to succeed from my parents, my dad especially. Do the best you can, that's all anyone can ask of you.

Organization will be key for you. I strongly recommend getting a planner (if you don't already have one) to help keep track of everything and that you write stuff in pencil because the due dates and test dates tend ot jump around a little. Skim your reading assignments because there's no way you can read everyting they expect you to read and keep up with both college and high school work. If the professors post their notes online print them off and then take additional notes on top of them to save time and energy.

Fear of failure and the unknown is perectly normal just do the best you can at everything you're trying to do and if you have any more questions feel free to PM me with them

[Iris. ♥]

Hey Kylie,

It definitely sounds like you have a lot to be stressed about, but I know you can do it. You've already made so much progress from the point that you were at when you went on probation! Don't doubt yourself because you ARE smart enough for this. You ARE capable enough to handle this. Keep reminding yourself of that every day.

I'm also a senior in high school, but I've taken AP classes and attended a couple courses at a university. Honestly, it's not that bad. Try to go into it with a positive mindset and you'll be fine. When you have the excitement to learn, it makes class that much easier because it's something that you actually care about.

Good luck with all of this. I know you'll rock it.

[Marguerite]

Hey.

I did this last year in year 12. It can be challenging at some points. The thing I found was the the work in my year 12 classes were constant but moderate, and the work for my university classes became a lot harder at certain points but wasn't a frequent.

It got really difficult when I had assignments due, but the good part about it was that, like I mentioned, this wasn't as frequent as in my regular classes.

The hard part was probably trying to fit in all the reading, but of course that will depend on what classes you're taking. Also expect to become an expert at referencing to a much higher standard than you're probably used to, and get used to finding information at the library in books rather than online (not that you can't use online sources but often books are more reliable).

I guess the best advice I could give you is to be on top of everything. Try and stay one step ahead. Do things earlier than you need too and don't leave everything until the last minute. Also remember that all your work is equally important so don't slack on the others to be perfect at uni.

Good luck!

[dr2005]

Hey Kylie,

As others have said, the biggest difference is in how the courses are taught and assessed. The emphasis is much more on you, the student, insofar as doing research and wider reading is concerned - your lectures will be the springboard into this as it were, giving you the basics and then pointing you in the right direction for your own work. Depending on how well you handle independent learning, that can either be a good or bad thing, but if you are genuinely struggling they will help you out and explain things further if you contact them. Other than that, as Marguerite says assessments can get quite stressful but as long as you keep on top of the workload and manage your time properly you'll be fine. In some ways it can be easier than in school because they publish reading lists in advance so you can look at topics ahead of time and start to build up knowledge, whereas school tends to be more structured and you go at the pace the teacher dictates really. Anyway, as long as you keep up with the material and manage your time appropriately then you should find the transition okay.

Hope that helps and best of luck.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

First-year university varies on the university, courses and profs. I took almost all AP courses, except in English and non-science courses. It was pretty similar, there was a good amount of review so it was a fairly easy transition. The part I found to be difficult were the lab and lab reports. At my high-school, there were labs but nothing like at university, so I was kind of lost at first. I also found the grading to be difficult because in high-school, we were usually given a rubric or the teacher explained precisely what was required. In university, there weren't many guidelines for how to do lab reports, such as the formatting, reference style, and key phrases to use.

If you're going into social work, you won't have labs to do so that won't be an issue for you. What will be an issue is the tests. Generally, the test themselves weren't too difficult, rather the marking and knowing how we should answer was very difficult. Also, you're expected to be very independent and it can be confusing at first as high-school doesn't expect that much independence, so time management becomes something you have to figure out. Part of this includes group studying which can be very useful and take off some of the burden from your shoulders.

There are very few projects where you must work with a partner. I've had a few, each of which involved research on a particular topic. The most recent was for a fourth-year research-based course where my partner and I each had to give approx. 40 minute presentations. One of the other recent ones was for a third-year behavioural neuroendocrinology course. However, you won't have these in first-year and probably not in second-year either. Later on, in third year and definitely fourth year, you will have this and have to do longer research papers (my longest was, including references, abstract and title page, 36 pages).

[esfdhtfy]

I'm Canadian so I can offer insight re: Canadian universities and such. If you want to PM me with specific questions, feel free to do so. I know how you feel. The transition from high school to university was undoubtedly a scary one. I had a 95% average in high school and was worried about failing in university. I also feared that I had chosen the wrong university or the wrong program. I was all over the place.

If there's one thing I've learned is that, at 17/18 (when you're graduating high school), it's so hard to know for certain what you'd like to do when you're older. It seems as though you have yours planned out - Social Work. All I ask, and I stress, is to go into university with an open mind and take courses that satisfy your interests. It may very well be that you're meant to go into Social Work and, if after you explore your interests and options while in university, you still decide Social Work is the route for you - great! If not, don't fret and panic. Everybody changes their mind about their major/program/etc. while in university. Trust me.

With regards to the difficulty of university - I'm not going to lie, it's very tough. I had a 95% in high school, as I've said, and I struggled to keep an 85% average in my first year. I learned where my strengths were and where my weaknesses were. Expect a drop in your grades, trust me. I've seen friends drop from 90s in high school to 50s in university. Don't let this happen to you. In university, you'll have to work hard but I know that you can do it. If you want to achieve certain goals in university, with the right amount of hard work and dedication, you'll be able to successful achieve those goals. Just expect to work.

Also, don't be too hard on yourself. That merely sets the stage for a disaster. You may not do as well as you'd hope in first year (most people don't), but don't let that bog you down. You aren't defined by the number grades you receive; remember that. You will be able to achieve anything you want if you truly put your mind to it. Take things one day at a time and try not to stress yourself out too much. That will hurt you more than help you, believe me.

Another point, try to enjoy your undergraduate years. While achieving good grades is extremely important, get involved on campus - join clubs, sports teams, volunteer, etc. You'll never have the opportunity to go through this again so enjoy it while it lasts. I am a firm believer in having a balance at university. I know that a lot of people are worried that getting involved will hinder your grades, but it doesn't. I'm proof of that. I managed an 85% average in first year and was involved in all sorts of things - student government, faculty councils, sports teams, etc. Be who you want to be and explore every option available to you.

Good luck, and PM me if you need anything else.