College LIfe.

College is weird. Somehow, it feels like high school, but it’s really not. Here are my reasons why:

1. First of all, I don’t have a service van in college. I commute now. It was tiring at the beginning, but I’ve gotten used to it. Still, I am now prone to storms and the like. No more vans to shield me to and fro the school. Argh.
2. Speaking of, the weather in UP is always unpredictable. I come to school expecting a storm, but there’s none. Only a scourging sun greets me. The same goes in the other way around. That’s why I really can’t leave home for school without an umbrella and a fan.
3. Next, the grading system is different. I came from a high school whose passing grade is 85% for major subjects and 83% for minor ones. In UP, the passing grade is 60%. It affects me a lot, because when I receive a low grade, it feels as if it’s beyond the lowest. You can’t blame me; I’m not used to believing that half of my score meant I passed.
4. About midterms and finals, it’s hard to believe that some professors just give two exams. Actually, English 1 has only one exam, the departmental exam. I mean, compared to high school that gives a lot of quizzes and exams, college is on the contrary.
5. Then, I get to choose my own subjects. Imagine, archery for PE! My dreams are coming true. Haha. I plan to take ballet next. Wahaha. I love it.
6. Also, I get to choose my own clothes. Sure, having no uniform means getting dressed double the time, but it’s worth it. I like experimenting with fashion. Still, I can’t unleash it fully; I still have a face to protect. I can’t go to school in high-heeled boots, fishnet stockings, short shorts, a black jacket, and a beret without people staring and ‘psst’ing, right?
7. The classrooms are waaaaay apart. Sometimes even buildings apart. I high school, we have just one lecture room, two labs, one reading center, and one covered court, and I could walk to get there in just minutes. In UP, my classes are located in AS, CAL, MB, and the archery range, and you have to take a jeepney in most cases. How about that.
8. In UP, I’m told that I have to chase after profs. Which is actually true, since I, hypothetically, have to woo them for pre-rogs, grades, and requirements. In high school, we chase after teachers, but only for clearance.
9. I just remembered: I call my instructor/lecturer “PROFESSOR” in college, as opposed to “TEACHER” in high school. And my professors may have just graduated freshly from my university. :)
10. My classmates differ in college. I have classmates of different ages, such that I should call them “ate” and “kuya”. I’m going to miss my current classmates in the next semester, since we might never see each other again and we have gotten close over the sem.
11. As for the suspension of classes, I have to get a lot of contacts just for me to know classes are suspended. Word just spread through the mouth and texts.
12. We have a lot of activities in college, though I miss class activities like the Carol Fest in high school. Nonetheless, I know I’m going to have a lot of fun in UP, save for what the others call “the crazy week”.
13. Lastly, there are no rules. I can curse and do whatever I want in UP, as long as it’s in the right. I can be with my, ahem, *special friend* without people looking as if we were not supposed to be together. That’s what I love the most in UP, I have what I call “my freedom”.

In conclusion, college is NOT high school. :)