High school is important, fun, and amazing for so many reasons.  We are all so lucky to have a place like Regina Dominican that allows us to have these wonderful experiences.

However, the purpose of high school is to prepare each of us to go into the world. It’s a stop along the way, not a destination. Moving on is a necessary part of growing up, and leaving high school is a big step in that direction.

While not being able to see our best friends every day and moving out of our parents’ house seems daunting, these changes allow us freedom. Want to go to that concert?  Want to have ice-cream as a meal? Want to try that aerobics class?  You can!

Even though those examples are silly, they show that when we go to college, we have complete control over our own life. We also gain so many more opportunities both on and off campus for each of us to grow and learn. For the first time ever, we are given freedom to take care of ourselves and to choose what we want to do.

This is so exciting! As a senior with less than a month of school left, it is truly the reason I get out of bed in the morning. I can’t wait to go to college, try new things, and make new friends!

There are so many options of things to do and ways we can spend our time once we get to college. There are clubs, intramural sports teams, sororities, and research opportunities to be a part of. It is the perfect opportunity to put ourselves out there. Trying new things will make us grow in so many more ways than we ever thought we could. Plus, everyone is “in the same boat,” so there is no reason to be scared or tentative to reach out!

The main part of college is obviously academics. Finding a major can definitely be baffling, but colleges know that! There’s no reason to freak out about choosing a major or career path! Colleges have advising systems to help those of us who are unsure about what to do with our lives choose or switch a major.  Also, being undecided is the most common “major” among college freshman! You usually have until second semester sophomore year to decide, so there is plenty of time!

Plus, a bonus of college compared to high school is the amount of classes we can choose from. Yes, at Regina we can choose electives to take as we become an upperclassman, but in college these choices are multiplied drastically.

Professors teach about things they care dearly about, including quirky applications of their subject. For example, there could be classes relating economics to life at Hogwarts or political theories to The Hunger Games. It is a whole new way of learning, and it sounds awesome!

Other classic worries about college include dorm rooms, dining halls, parties, and just simply being away from home.

I am not worried about this because all of these issues are in my control! There’s no reason to worry about them! Keeping an attitude of going with the flow and rolling with the punches makes everything less stressful.

Even though doing that might seem hard when you are walking alone into a new class or sitting by yourself in the cafeteria, everything will get sorted out the longer you are there.

Just remember when you first came to Regina, right?  In the beginning, everyone was scared and shy, but as we got to know each other, we got into the groove and are now more comfortable with our environment and our classmates. Although it is on a larger scale, this will be your same experience in college, and it will turn out just as great.

Although Regina is truly a wonderful place, college is going to be awesome. Leaving high school is bittersweet, but going to college is just “pure sweet.”