SCARED OF RUSHING

[Luz]

Originally Posted by smiley21

college is hard, period. fwiw, i thought high school was a cakewalk compared to college.

/agree. Completely. I was involved in every group, 4.0, graduated valedictorian etc in high school no prob. That's just not the case in college- for 9/10 of the people I know, not just me. I like most of my classes, but I bust my a$$ for my grades. There's been some great advice given here. good luck with whatever you decide!

[dgdramadawg]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

interestingly enough, every graduate from my high school said that college was ten times easier than junior year at our school...so i dunno....

The only people I know who might say this took 3 or 4 AP courses as juniors in high school and a more strenuous courseload as seniors so they would not have to take core classes in college. It's a lot more fun (which can seem easier) when you are only taking classes that you like (which should be the case after you have completed your core classes and are into your major classes). If you have difficulty managing your academics in high school, though, college is going to be a lot harder because unlike high school teachers, college professors do not care what grade you receive and will not baby you or manage your time for you.

Focus on your grades right now. I believe all NPC groups have minimum GPAs and depending upon your school the individual chapters may have higher minimum requirements. Even though sorority life should not be your reason for bringing grades up, if this is a good motivator for you, then use it!

[acuisla]

juniyah08, please pay close attention to what people have been writing here. They are giving you excellent advice. (Esp. AChiOhSnap, EGAOPi, and mystikchick)

Let me give you one more thing to think about - go to the very best college or university that you can manage. A 4-year degree from a great school says much more than a 2-year degree from "where?" community college. It doesn't even really matter what the degree is in. But that degree is what is going to set you up for success in your work life, far more than membership in any sorority. Without that degree, your job choices and earning power are going to be much worse. Even being part of a sorority won't make up for it.

I'll give you an example. I have an undergrad degree from an outstanding University. I am not using that degree in the field I currently work in, but the fact that that University degree appears on my resume has opened WAY more doors for me than I would have expected prior to going to college. I have had more than one employer say, "wow, you went there? And you graduated!" before they ever see the list of positions I have held and do currently hold with my sorority (which I think are far more pertinent and impressive).

In this day and age, a 4-year college degree is practically required for top jobs. Sorority membership is not. Think about that, and good luck with the rest of high school!

[navane]

Originally Posted by smiley21

um no. i don't know who you have been talking to, but i wouldn't take it too seriously. college is hard, period. the school doesn't have to be ivy league for it to be considered hard. if people seriously think that college is easier than high school, then more power to them, although i think that is pure crap. so until you get to college and experience it yourself, don't believe people who say things like "oh high school was a nightmare. college was so easy." if you start believing things like that, then you are only hurting yourself by going to college with no intention of working hard.

Just as a point to following on to what this poster and some others have said, college is not easier.

I am an Academic Advisor and I work with thousands of students at a fairly competitive university. I have personally worked with MANY freshmen who have come in to see me due to being on academic probation or who are just struggling in general. Most of them tell me that they don't understand why they're flunking college. They say things like, "I was an excellent student in high school. High school was so easy for me; I figured I could just skate through college. I found out I was wrong."


Reality check.


College is harder. That's why it's called a higher education.


.....Kelly

[juniyah08]

well no one at my hs ever says hs is easy...i guess that my hs's course load is rigorous to the point when they get to college it's similar or easier...

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by acuisla

It doesn't even really matter what the degree is in. But that degree is what is going to set you up for success in your work life, far more than membership in any sorority. Without that degree, your job choices and earning power are going to be much worse. Even being part of a sorority won't make up for it.

I'll give you an example. I have an undergrad degree from an outstanding University. I am not using that degree in the field I currently work in, but the fact that that University degree appears on my resume has opened WAY more doors for me than I would have expected prior to going to college. I have had more than one employer say, "wow, you went there? And you graduated!" before they ever see the list of positions I have held and do currently hold with my sorority (which I think are far more pertinent and impressive).

While this may be your experience, plenty of jobs very specifically DO care what your degree is in. I really wonder what you are applying for when people are impressed just that you graduated.

[petals]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

well all thoses graduates went to duke davidson brown stanford upenn cornell columbia, etc, so it's not like random state university...basically every graduate says that college was so much easier that hs

Because no one who goes to a state school breezed through high school with flying colors or anything.

[AlexMack]

Originally Posted by petals

Because no one who goes to a state school breezed through high school with flying colors or anything.

I didn't...even though my 'random state university' was ranked by the Daily Telegraph as one of the top 50 universities in the world. Yes, the renowned and respected Daily Telegraph of the UK. But whatever, state schools are for slackers.

Originally Posted by centaur532

I didn't...even though my 'random state university' was ranked by the Daily Telegraph as one of the top 50 universities in the world. Yes, the renowned and respected Daily Telegraph of the UK. But whatever, state schools are for slackers.

Eh, I think most of us are smart enough to not put too much weight into what she says. For all we know, she's just pulling that info out of her ass. She is 16, after all.

But I went to a state funded school, so wtf do I know, right? I must be dumb because I had a hard time in college -- probably because my college tuition wasn't as much as my HS one.

I'm curious to see what munchkin03 thinks of the OP's statement. She went to one of the prestigious schools listed earlier. I can't wait to hear how easy she had it.

[VeniceIsSinking]

Originally Posted by juniyah08

well no one at my hs ever says hs is easy...i guess that my hs's course load is rigorous to the point when they get to college it's similar or easier...

I might get flamed a bit for this, but whatever.

I can see your point juniyah. For me high school was incredibly hard because my courses were so rigorous. My school had a program that was actually above the AP/Honors level. We didn't even offer AP or Honors, just the International Baccalaureate program. So when I got to college, I really didn't find my courses difficult. They're challenging, but they're not hard. However, that doesn't mean I just disregard studying or homework. I study for hours on a daily basis to ensure I fully comprehend and memorize things as necessary. I don't consider that to be hard though.

IMO, college is about dedication and determination. If you can dedicate yourself to take the time to study and are determind to learn, you will succceed at the collegiate level.

[alexandrapaige]

i can understand what the op is saying. i went to one of the best high schools in my state (which was public, yet ranked above several nationally recognized private schools) and struggled to get A's and B's (and even a C in one case). I was also involved in several productions a year as well as worked, so that may have had something to do with it.

when i went to college, however, i was still just as busy, but managed to get a 3.75 my first semester. i didn't have to work nearly as hard as i had in high school. now, my school wasn't the most competitive, but i was in an honors program. i transferred out of that school into a pretty competitive university, and while it's definitely more difficult, it's not nearly as hard as high school was.

a lot of the kids i went to high school with went on to ivy leagues, and the general consensus from people i knew who went to harvard was that it was much harder to get in than to stay in.

sooooo, what she's saying is possible. i just doubt it's very common.


(please excuse the incoherentness. sick. you know how it is.)

[ΑΓΔSquirrel10]

My high school was a joke; I felt soooo unprepared for college!

[tinydancer16]

Originally Posted by VeniceIsSinking

My school had a program that was actually above the AP/Honors level. We didn't even offer AP or Honors, just the International Baccalaureate program.

I'm sorry but that is bull. I went to a high school that had both IB and AP and one is not harder than the other, they are simply different. The IB program covers and teaches information differently than AP and offers a unique learning style for above-average students for whom AP may not be a good fit.
I know this is off topic, but I felt compelled to clear this one up.

[ChildoftheHorn]

My school doesn't allow you to rush until after your first term. If you decide to go to a school, be sure and check for that. I mean in high school I graduated with a 5.4 on a 4.0 scale (all AP's and such) and it didn't mean squat for me. Now I dream of a day when I will get a 4.0 for even one term (nature of my school and chosen major).

Just worry about the school first, seriously. I would never eliminate a school simply because of greek life. Remember that if a school does not have greek life, there is usually something that acts similar to it or goes in its place.

For instance, at certain Ivy schools, they have secret societies and "schools" based on where they live. EVen where I go you can live in a residential college. They have IM teams, weekly events, meetings, socials, and everything else. You even have to do an application for the house you want. I did it my freshman year, but then decided to go with the small house (<37 ppl) system where I would have a single. The systems are like "Harry Potter" and where he lives - it acts like a society.

Go with where you feel at home and it will become home.

[ErinIsBadNews]

My junior year of high school was much harder for me than college. I don't know if it was the four AP classes or the mono or a little bit of both, but it was extremely hard. I've always thought that high school was tougher than college. I had extremely difficult teachers who prepared me for college. I'm not saying college is easy, it's far from easy; I just think that for some people high school can be harder than college. We’ll see if I’m still saying this after taking Chinese this fall.