Transition from College to University

I decided a couple of years after I finished College that I would attend University. In College I took the Child and Youth Worker Program and in University I planned to take the Bachelor of Social Work Program. I'd loved my college experience and had such a great time. But when I started University, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

I thought I would be able to attend full time and work part time just like I did in College. Man was I wrong! I was blown away by the difference between the two institutions. I found University to be intense and very different from College. In College I did a lot of hands on, touchy feely assignments and did very well without having to try really hard. In University, there is a lot of reading, a lot of paper writing, and a lot of independent work. People who are not self-controlled and task-oriented have a hard time staying ahead of the game. Maybe because I was a couple of years older, I was able to prioritize my time very well and manage many different things at once. I had to learn to do it, mind you, and I was sorry for the younger kids who got themselves truly screwed up that first semester.

A big help was the seminars the University holds, the study groups, the tutors, the writing help centres. I attended everything. If nothing else, it helped keep the stress level down and made the transition a lot easier.