Was College a "New Start" for you?

[GammaPhiBabe]

At my high school you can only get into Honors programs, etc only if you have the "right last name".

Unfortunately, it's also like this at some colleges.

[BSUPhiSig'92]

Originally posted by valkyrie
That's so funny -- I was avoiding UIUC as well since that's where most of my high school classmates went.

Me too! It seemed like half of my graduating class went to UIUC, and I had no desire to go where anyone else from my high school went. I was the only one from my high school at Ball State (although several people went after I did)and I liked having a totally clean slate. I didn't really have to change who I was or my image, it was just I didn't have any baggage.

[LionTamer]

High school was okay - I got along well with everyone and knew almost everyone (at least superficially) in our class of 450. But I was kind of a nerd, but had a small group of close friends, and very little social life. I am almost 6', which doesn't make it easy to get dates in high school.

But in college, the environment changed and I did have a new start - being tall and thin and well-read didn't suck anymore. And as someone said - it's also nice to be away from the people who remember your 7th grade fashion faux-pas.

Sometimes I'd be sitting around someone's room, and they'd be comparing their experiences on homecoming court or in cheerleading, and I'd sort of wonder how I wound up with these girls.

But I didn't spend too much time worrying about it.

[LionTamer]

To amplify what 33grl said: Not being expected to change to fit in was what I loved about ASA. I saw my best friend go through a lot of pressure to fit the Chi O mold (she was strikingly beautiful, but WILD, and they were convinced they could work the wild out of her.).

Even though the ASAs weren't at all geeky, they had no problem having a bookworm in their midst. Never tried to change me at all. In fact, I became go-to girl for odd questions.

My favorite:
"Pattie, you read a lot. Why don't Jews celebrate Easter?"
This in a sorority with the highest percentage of Jewish girls outside SDT.

[Tom Earp]

In High School I was a class officer, played sports and everyone new me, I also knew a lot of students.

College Time, My Dad said I could work my Senior Year, buy a car and get a job or go to college!

Da, me I chose college! Would have been retired by now!

But, chose a College that no one else from my HS went to. Did not want to have a ride along HS experience. Needed New, new people and new experience. Boy did I get it! Freshman Hazing on a college level! Well in my dumb assed way, I broke that rule! Damn did I stir S**T up and had no plan to do it! It just happened. Of course, I was asked to leave after 4 years!

Actually, getting booted out of there and a College Fraternity led me on to other things!

Very long story, PM me if you want to hear all of the sordid details!

[deuika]

I came into college the same ole' me. Unfortunately, I decided to stay in the my hometown, it was funny still, because no one I went to high school with came here. Anyway, after two years I am leaving and going to a larger school with a bigger Soc program. Small and Private was definitely the wrong decision. A lot of people consider college a time to re-invent one's self. But I say, I was created on my day of birth, you can only be so perfect....lol
Would you repaint the Mona Lisa?

tehetehe

[Dionysus]

deuika started over in college because she gave up the crack...

[AGDee]

I thought that I reinvented myself in college, became more confident, more flirtatious, more outgoing in general, but then I went to my 20 year high school reunion. I told a classmate that I was pretty much a wallflower in high school and he laughed hysterically at that statement. Apparently I was all of those things in high school too, I just didn't perceive that I was!

Dee

[AchtungBaby80]

In my town, your label is pretty much determined by the time you finish middle school and that's it. Everyone knew who I was in high school and most of the teachers liked me (except the gym teacher and the journalism teacher, but I didn't like them either ), but I wasn't, like, Homecoming Queen or anything like that. The "popular" guys would never think of dating me because 1) I wasn't blonde, 2) I wasn't easy, and 3) I lived out of town and didn't go to the same elementary school they did. They'd flirt with me, but oh, no, they could never ask me out because it wouldn't be the right thing to do. So I went to college at a pretty big state university, and I was absolutely miserable for the first semester and a half. I would cry and cry all the time, and I hated it with a passion. The thing that bothered me the most was that you used your student number to identify yourself more than your own name. But after that it got better--much better...I joined DZ, I made some friends, I ditched my high school boyfriend, I got my anxiety under control. I personally don't think I have changed, but people in college definitely perceived me differently than my high school classmates did. My roommate in the sorority house told me once that I was "the most laid-back person" she's ever met. I was like, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You've got to be kidding!" I mentioned that I was shy one time around some of my other sorority sisters, and they looked at me like I had sprouted horns--they just couldn't believe that. The best feeling, though, was when I went to the fair in my hometown summer before last, and I ran into a group of the hotsy-totsy guys from high school (who, I might add, stayed around here mostly). At the end of the night, Mr. I-Was-Too-Good-For-You-In-High-School himself asked me out on a date, but I told him, no, I just didn't think I was interested. That felt so good.

[ACTDXDeltaDeut]

I know how that is. I hated college for first year as well. It wasn't so bad my second year first semester, but I spent a lot of time by myself and avoided social contact in fear of a repeat of my first year. I tried to bust a clean slate at Cal, but it just didn't work out. I had come from a high school where most of the kids had known each other from elementary school and picked on/excluded those who they didn't know -- so I was practically friendless with the exception of a few of the other "non-Charter Open Elementary" kids and I was always told that I would have a great time at college, that I would find my place and everything else.

For whatever reason, people didn't take to me right away, probably because I had a bit of trouble trusting people because of social anxiety and the fact that a lot of the people had already lived together the previous year and weren't exactly thrilled about letting a "frosh" hang out with them.

The resultant episode with severe depression halfway through my first semester and the remainder of the year didn't help either. I also had terrible roommates who were wholly unsympathetic who thought I was weird for being reclusive and sleeping a lot because of the depression and word got out pretty quick in the dorm that I was "crazy" and "weird."

I almost didn't come back my second year -- was about to join the army as an 11B infantry (translation: grunt) and go to Iraq because after a miserable high school experience (some of which, individuals in particular, followed me to Cal.) and then a miserable first year at Cal made me feel like I really didn't have a niche anywhere -- so I figured I'd go have myself remolded elsewhere. Fortunately, I didn't enlist and went back to Cal, hauled my first semester of second year and decided to try the Greek System in Spring of 2004.

Let's just say, I've never been happy and I finally got that clean break I was looking for. Things have never been better and I have never been happier. Pledge semester as the only guy was tough, but spring is always slow at Cal for recruitment.

[azdtaxi]

I went to college 350 miles away and only 3 people from my hs went there. I grew up in a huge city and went to college in a small town. I got tired of the small town and came back home were everyone goes to college when they get tired of where they are. When I meet people again they dont even know me really. I was a wallflower and now am very outgoing etc. I think most people change at this point in their life though.

[deuika]

Originally posted by Dionysus
deuika started over in college because she gave up the crack...

Yes, Crack Is Whack
I've Moved On To More "Elite" Products...lol

[TSteven]

I grew up in a college town. As such, it was "expected" that I would attend the local college. However, I did not and it was totally a new start.

However, the "college experience" was ingrained in me. As such, going to a different college environment was not foreign.

I'd like to add that my bio-brothers - who are members of the same fraternity - never pressured me to join the chapter at my campus. As Providence would have it, I did so on my own account.

[CardinalSM]

I was definitely B group in highschool. A semi quiet person but super involved with an extracurricular list as long as my arm. I wasn't overly outgoing and nobody, I mean nobody, really knew the real me. With the crowd I was in, it was difficult for me to be 100% myself. I went to school in a different state where I didn't know a single soul and decided to start off as the real me from Day1. I figured if I was myself than I would attract the friends that liked that. Best though I ever had in my life. I found that the real me is a lot of fun, loud, outgoing, confident, and that people actually liked being around me! I go back to my hometown and people don't even recognize me, I changed my look some from highschool, started dressing more grownup, doing my hair, and wearing makeup occasionally. Between looks and personality people hardly know me It is kind of nice when Mr. Out-of-My-League in highschool who lives across the street at home flirted with me when I came home thinking I was a girl from school that came home with me or something and then realized it was actually me and was like "wow, oh my gosh!" One of my friends that I graduated with transferred up to my school after I had been there for a year and she told me that I had changed a lot since DHS but she said that it was a great change and that she can tell that my happiness and confidence levels are so much higher than in highschool! So I definitely reinvented myself in college!

[LionTamer]

TSteven -

How did the people from your high school cope at college?

I always felt a little sorry for the kids from State College High - so many of them got a free ride because their parents were employees that they all ended up at Penn State (felt sorry for them socially, NOT economically!!) .

Every fraternity and sorority had at least 2 people in it from SCHS. Really nice girls would come through rush and get heavily cut because they had pi55ed off someone in 10th grade or something and she had gotten in the sorority first. One of the few sisters I didn't like had rushed as a freshman, and proceded to cut every girl from SCHS that came through rush for the next 4 years. Ugly ugly ugly.