Opinion: High Schools Are Doing A Disservice To It's Students

One of the harshest reality checks I experienced transitioning from highschool to college in 2015 was in regard to the concept of time management.

In high school, I, like many other highschool students, endured 8 hours of classes, about a 20-30 minute bus ride home, and an evening full of homework, a quick family dinner, and a small time of relaxation before bed.

However, when I went to college, I was hit with this newfound freedom–time.

Instead of being in class for 8 hours a day, I was in my college class maybe two hours each day but no more than 4 hours depending on what classes I had.

It was incredible!

Especially when a class suddenly got cancelled or the professor finished lecturing early.

However, I, like many other college freshmen, had no idea how to use this abundance of time to my advantage. 

And I quickly felt overwhelmed and confused on what to do.

Luckily, I was able to keep my grades afloat, but I felt lost and didn’t know how to create a actionable study plan or plan out my days to be productive. 

Instead, I spent a lot of time doing things that most college students waste their time on.

It was not until my first summer college semester when I truly felt in control of my time in college, but that was two semesters too late, in my opinion.

I believe that high schoolers need to do a better job of preparing their students for the realities of college, especially in regard to time management.

It’s quite difficult, especially when high school students already have a loaded schedule, but students could be required to take a time management class or life skills class (even better). 

OR high schools could find a way to structure their curriculum (in some, not all classes), where students get to take a class that’s structured like a college class.

Of course there’s dual enrollment, which I regret doing myself, but it can be difficult for many high school students to get the grades and test scores they need to become a dual enrollment student.

So it would be better if high schools took it upon themselves to make a course that is similar to a college class.

In this type of class, students would be given a syllabus and given less deadlines, like less homework, or just a midterm and a final, which is similar to college classes.

That way students can learn how to structure their time appropriately to meet deadlines, but in a “safer” and more forgiving environment.

My idea is pretty rough, I’ll admit, but if we can help high schoolers earlier adjust to college life, we, as a society, can make college a lot more enriching instead of overwhelming.

I know I wanted to drop out of college by my second semester because I simply didn’t get it. I didn’t understand how college was structured and how to be successful. However, I’m glad I stuck with it and got to hang of it.

But I truly wish high school would have prepared me more for it, so I would have had to waste my time doing things that didn’t benefit me or my education.

So what do you think? How can we better prepare our soon-to-be college freshman for college life?