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Sambriana Harkins Jane Blakelock English 1140-01 10 December 2013 My Experience of High School vs. College That thin line between high school and college can be hard to grasp sometimes, especially for a first year college student like myself. I found my first year of college experience to be difficult, but manageable, at the same time. Some of the classes that Ive been taking this semester have been really fulfilling, and interesting. One of my classes in particular which is my English class has been the toughest class that Ive had so far. I am one of those people that like to write, and jot down everything that I feel about a situation, or cause with my own emotions behind it. Before coming to WSU, I s excited about my English class, because I enjoy writing, and all throughout my high school years, Ive maintained a B or higher in my English class. I walk in the classroom, and Im pumped to find out what kinds of writing projects Im going to do. Then I start learning about things I never knew before, or have heard about, but didnt quite really understand it. Text analysis is one of the many writing concepts Ive been taught this semester, and I can honestly say that it has gave me another outlook on ways to write about something or someone in such writing project. In high school when I was taking English my senior year, I was thrilled about writing papers, and learning different writing materials. My English teacher during my senior year of high school was my mentor in everything I didnt know, or quite understand in English. She motivated me in so many ways by pushing me to do my best, and never quitting any assignment that I start. She also took out her time to go over assignments with me that I didnt do so good in,

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and kindly explaining to me how to make my work better with clear understanding of what makes a writing piece good. Ive done writing pieces such as poems, adaptations, and summarys pertaining to English literature. One of my favorite movies/ book that I did an adaptation on was Othello. At the time in English my senior year I s learning about symbol, which represents something or someone. In the movie I caught attention to Othellos handkerchief, which was a symbol of love, and cherishment. The main point is that high school is different from college in many ways, from which in high school I had a mentor, and a best friend that pushed me and motivated me to do my best in everything I do. Since coming to Wright State University, my first year experience has been overwhelming, a tough. In high school my parents were the ones that took care of everything, by providing food, and making sure that I stay focused on my school work. Even though I as in high school, my parents were sill responsible for me, and mad sure I mad smart decisions that impacted me in all good ways. When I was in high school, I had people there for me from teachers, friend, and family that supported me in everything I do, and helped me in everything I do. Here at Wright State, I really dont have a support team like I did in high school, because everything and everybody is different. I still get support from my family, and my best friend, but its not the same as when I was going to high school. In college I am responsible for myself, and I have to make sure I get to my classes on time. I also have to provide my own food, and buying books that I needed for my classes as well. These are only some of the things I had to do, with starting off my first year. Also, whenever I had an issue, or concern about an assignment or professor, I had to handle it myself, not like in high school where you tell mom and dad, and they take care of it. Responsibility is one thing I definitely learned through my first year, because without that, I wouldnt know how to carry myself.

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Although my experience with being on campus has been difficult, I have found some of my classes to be worthwhile, and important. My English class has tough me so many new concepts regarding how to, and what to look for in a writing piece when I start my own writing assignment. I found English to be my toughest class, but challenging as well. My English teacher sets up materials for her students to view, and later on goes over everything that is important in finding and/or researching in a paper. Now that I am done with my first semester of college, I can look back at all the tough times and use them to motivate me into not falling back in what I call my bad times. Learning new things in all my classes has shaped me into a better person by looking at things from other peoples perspective, and gaining new knowledge of concepts that I didnt know before. My Sociology class has been one of my enjoyable classes, because in there we touch on different social problems affecting people every day, or most days. I got the chance to watch documentations on families suffering due to poverty, and learning about how someones sexuality can change the way people look at them. I find sociology to be an engaging class Ive taking this semester, because it has taught me the value of questioning, and challenging someones elses belief, or theory about an important topic in social media. Overall I had my ups, and downs while attending Wright State University this semester, and there is definitely a thin line between high school and college. I had to meet deadlines almost every week in most of my classes, especially English, and I find that to be tough, and overwhelming, but with the help of the different resources that Wright State provides, like the library, and writing center, I achieved my goals of completing my writing assignments. High school and college will never compare, because when youre in high school, there is a support team with you anytime you need it, and at college you have to pay for that support team, such as

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a tutor, and/or study coach. I sometimes still think like a person in high school, but its my first year at college Im yet to just getting settled in good. The statement made by Julie Ballantyne. They suggest that these students conceptualized their university experience in terms of a relationship in which the university and students both have roles and responsibilities to fulfill. I agree with that statement because as a student at Wright State, I have many responsibilities to fulfill such as making sure I use my time wisely when doing an assignment, and coming up with ideas to how I want to portray my work. The professors at my school has the same responsibilities that I have to maintain, for which I as a student need to get my work on time, and the professor needing to teach me as a student all the criteria I need to know, and making sure I understand everything before completing an exam, or writing assignment. Tracy L Hull talks about how Duke University has launched a program for first year students to gain a lot of techniques, and learning styles in an equipped way by using the libraries.as the key tool. Wright State has not yet started a program for freshmans to learn about the libraries system, and its contributions to successful learning strategies. The libraries at Wright State is just a place that students go to if they need help starting their writing papers, or if one of one or more of their classes requires a book to read, and they need check the book out. Wright State libraries doesnt offer an orientation for freshmans to learn about their techniques, and learning styles of the library, and that is something that I as a student would of thought would have been a really good way to start freshman off like myself a long path of ease when finding a way of going to an unfamiliar place.

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Work Cited Hull, Tracy L., and Kelley A. Lawton. "The Development Of A First-Year Student Library Instruction Program At Duke University." Reference Librarian 73 (2001): 323. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. BALLANTYNE, JULIE. "Valuing Students' Voices: Experiences Of First Year Students At A New Campus." International Journal Of Pedagogies & Learning 7.1 (2012): 41-50. Education Research Complete. Web. 7 Dec. 2013.