Recently I had the opportunity to visit Miami University of Oxford Ohio. It was parents’ weekend and I had gone up with my mom to visit my sister, Kelsey, who is a WHBHS alumnus. I also got the chance to speak with another WHBHS alumnus, Caitlyn Nill, who is also a freshman at Miami.

After greeting my sister when we first arrived, I didn’t waste any time to start asking her some questions. She definitely had a lot to say. I first asked her if she regret anything she did or didn’t do from high school. She quickly answered, “I wish I had studied harder for all my AP exams because the transition into college would’ve been much easier with more credits.” She went on to say that it is important that the seniors take these exams seriously. One of her answers stuck out to me and I felt was very important for the graduating class to hear. I asked how the difficulty level and work load differed from that of high school. I could tell by the stressed-out look on her face that she had a lot to say about this. “In high school, almost all of the homework assignments given are graded. Which was a good thing because this made me feel motivated to do it. In college, you are not given a homework grade and you have to learn to motivate yourself to get it done because you realize that in the long run, it will benefit you.”

Between going to a football and ice hockey game, I found time to talk to Caitlyn. I asked her very similar questions that I had asked my sister, but she gave me some very different answers. I asked her how she has been able to adjust to college life. She said, “I’ve been able to adjust to college life by surrounding myself with friends. It was a hard transition, I left the most important people in my life and was in a place where I knew no one. It definitely helped being close with my roommate and making new friends together.”

For my final question for these two freshman, I asked if they had any advice for the graduating class. Caitlyn said, “Don’t let your last year go to waste. It goes by so much faster than you think. Make sure you spend time with your friends and family as much as you can because by this time next year, you’ll be missing them like crazy.” Kelsey agreed with making sure you make the most of your last year here at WHBHS. She also added, “Although the beginning of senior year can feel stressful, all your classmates end up feeling like a family.”

In the month of June, “senioritis” is in the air for most high school seniors across the country. Getting ready for the new chapter of their lives, most students are feeling many different types of emotions. Sometimes, students tend to over-estimate or under-estimate their college expectations. I read an article called “High School to College Transition, Part 1: Freshman Myth” which was written The Huffington Post. It talks about what students go through when it comes to transitioning from high school to college.

The author talks about how too many students go into college with their heads full of unrealistic ideas of what’s to come. He states that, “Most new college students have not dug deep enough to understand the realities of college life and how they will react to their new environment before arriving on campus.” After speaking with my sister and Caitlyn, I found that they have adjusted very well to college life.