Cobbler Grad Confirms: College Is Different

People say things will be different in college than in high school, and as Cobbler grad Calvin Moehlman has confirmed, they are right.

With graduation just around the corner and scholarship deadlines quickly approaching, seniors are closer than ever to a completely different life. As freshman year draws closer for many high school seniors, they may need to know what to expect going into college. Calvin Moehlman, a freshman at The University of Minnesota and former Cobbler, has a bit of perspective to offer on the ins and outs of that first year in college.

Right away college puts you out of your element, Calvin says. Moving to a completely different city, you have to make new friends and learn who your classmates and teachers are. Calvin found that having no friends is scary at first, as you are in a completely different social atmosphere.

For Calvin, who grew up in Rapid City, Minneapolis was a huge life change. “Living in Rapid City, I could offhandedly tell you where the nearest McDonalds was,” Calvin says. “It was highly stressful because I didn’t know where the nearest bathroom was, much less where to feed myself.”

Not only do you have to learn a new city or town but you are also fully responsible for yourself. “No one reminds you to do this or that, and your day doesn’t fit into four nicely blocked hour and a half segments.” Going into college, you are finally set free of your parents telling you what to do. If you don’t manage your time, you could have a bad experience. After all, college is a lot harder than high school in many ways. “Even though I knew it would be hard, it has been even harder than I expected,” Calvin explains. “Ninety percent of college advice I got turned out to be true.” Although your first year of college can be a shock, the stress and workload is manageable, says Calvin.

Calvin gives one more piece of advice, which he says is the most important: take advantage of senior year. Teachers are taking it easy on you right now, they understand and even expect senioritis. Your life won’t ever be the same, says Calvin. Enjoy your last year in your hometown while you can and take advantage of everything high school has to offer.