by Kaelynd Brouillette ’29 on December 11, 2025
Opinion - Campus
As my first semester of college comes to an end, I continue to realize that I am not the same person I was when I first stepped foot on campus in August. Senior year of high school feels like a distant memory, replaced by numerous adventures, friendships, and lessons throughout the beginning of my time here. Speaking of lessons, I’ve learned quite a few of those. Nothing can truly prepare you for the transition into college, despite TikToks talking about it, your parents telling you about their experience, or your high school teachers saying, “college is nothing like high school.” There are just certain things you cannot understand until you’re actually living through them yourself. With finals week quickly approaching, I have been reflecting on what I have learned, not just academically, but about surviving and existing in college. Looking back, two lessons in particular stand out as the ones that defined my first semester and taught me what college life is actually like.
The first lesson, which seems obvious, is that it is so incredibly important to actually go to class, despite the struggle it can be. I have Development of Western Civ at 8:30 a.m., and it feels like it is the biggest struggle of my life to get out of bed and attend that lecture. In the mornings, the very thought of having to get out of bed to go will just convince me to skip. I also did not understand how much my sleep schedule would truly change here. In high school, I was up at 6:15 a.m. five days a week without blinking an eye, but in college, 8:30 a.m. is like 6:30 a.m., or at least it feels like it. At night, you end up staying up later because of noise in the hallway, having homework to do, or your roommate having people over late at night. Nothing is more difficult than making it to morning classes, especially if it was a late night or it’s 11 degrees outside, but despite it all, it is essential that you go to class. Anyway, skipping class even just once can lead to a full-on spiral, making it so easy to just keep skipping and skipping. I quickly figured out, after I received a 50 on a seminar quiz, that it is imperative you go to that 8:30 a.m., despite how horrifying the idea seems when your 8 a.m. alarm goes off. Once you start skipping class, it also becomes exponentially more difficult to catch up. Content moves quickly, and even missing one 50-minute class of material can cause you to be very behind. Although this lesson was definitely learned the hard way, it is, by far, one of the most important. Go to class.
The second lesson, and arguably the most wrenching, is that academically, high school is nothing like college. In high school, I was a very high-achieving student, often getting close to perfect grades without really trying, and being involved in every club I could. College breaks that pattern—fast. My first reality check on this was my first calculus exam, which I did not really feel the need to study for. It goes without saying that not studying did not work out in my favor. From that moment, I had to make adjustments, like learning how to properly study, and scheduling time to go to the library and prepare for important exams. To be honest, it was a terribly uncomfortable sensation of having to apply myself in a way I was not accustomed to doing. The responsibility of it all was quite different, too. Your professors don’t remind you of due dates or hound you about doing the reading. It’s on you, which was new for me. It is so easy to procrastinate when no one is preventing you from doing so, but the importance of staying on top of your work and building routines for yourself cannot be stressed enough. Although it can be overwhelming, it will pay off.
Speaking of overwhelming, college can be perfectly described as just that, which can take a toll on mental health, as it did for me. Between losing the academic identity you were used to, the weight of imposter syndrome, and the pressure of everyone around you seeming like they have it together, it can be a lot to manage. Having resources is important, whether that be friends and family to talk to, something you do to relieve stress, or visiting the Personal Counseling Center. It is imperative that you have methods to keep your mental health in check. In the end, this lesson taught me that college doesn’t just challenge what you know, it challenges who you are and how you show up for yourself. High school is nothing like college, for the better and for the worse.
It is hard to believe how much things can change in just a couple of months. These two lessons reflect only a fraction of what I have learned during my time here at Providence College, but they have been the most distinct in shaping who I am today. Both lessons, going to class and adjusting academically, pushed me out of old habits. My personal growth did not come from what was easy, but from what felt uncomfortable, embarrassing, or overwhelming at times. A more general lesson I’ve also learned is that college is not solely about academics and social life, but a big part of it is also a process of learning how to exist as a functioning member of society on your own, with this semester teaching me more about responsibility, resilience, and self-awareness than a single class ever could. Although I still don’t think I have this whole college thing completely down yet, I do know that with the coming years, I will figure it out, one lesson at a time.