High School Resource Zone

Mollie, a freshman at an Iowa community college, answers student questions about what the first year of college is really like. Mollie participates in track and field and is studying nursing.

impact: What are some of the top reasons you picked the college you are attending?

Mollie: I liked their track and field program and nursing program, and it’s close enough to home.

impact: Do you believe that you made the right choice on choosing your current college since there are so many colleges to choose from?

Mollie: No; I think I’m going to transfer out next spring. The college just doesn’t seem like a good fit to me; I think there is another college out there that would be better. High school students need to take time to go to these colleges and compare them. They should get information about colleges they are considering and lay out the pros and cons of the different schools.

impact: As you were planning for and choosing your college, is there anything you wish you had done differently?

Mollie: I wish I had looked into the colleges better and toured more colleges.

impact: Did you know what you wanted to major in before you went to college? Has that changed?

Mollie: Yes, I knew my junior year of high school I wanted to be a nurse, but now that I’ve taken nursing classes, I may be changing due to my interests.

impact: How much do you really have to study and was it an easy adjustment from high school?

Mollie: Some classes I hardly had to study, which made it seem like high school, but with Anatomy, I had to study all the time.

impact: Are the classes as hard as high school teachers make them sound?

Mollie: High school teachers make it seem like you won’t have any free time at all, but it’s not the case for most classes. I think it depends on what major you’re going into.

impact: Has it been easy to meet new people?

Mollie: Yes; it has. Being on the track team, meeting them was easy. We’re always together. Also, on the dorm floors, there are other athletes so we can relate better. Students just need to learn to be open with people and just be themselves.

impact: What do you enjoy most about college?

Mollie: Independence. I don’t have to ask the parents if I can go to the mall or hang out with certain friends. They don’t have to know everything about my life now.

impact: Now that you are in college, have you found that you want to go home more or less than you thought you would?

Mollie: More. I’ve never been away from home for more than a week, so I went home about every weekend. I’ve always been close to my family so it was a hard adjustment. But next semester I won’t be going home at all due to track meets on weekends.

impact: What has been the hardest adjustment to college life?

Mollie: Moving away from home. My sister is my best friend, and it was hard leaving her. I’m really close to my family, and I’m used to seeing them every day. It was a really hard adjustment not being able to talk to them in person.

impact: What was the hardest part of planning for college?

Mollie: For me, the hardest part was figuring out how to pay for college. I work and I received a lot of scholarships, but I don’t know much about financial aid so I don’t know how else to pay for college except for just paying out of my pocket.

impact: Was your first semester scary?

Mollie: At first it was, but toward the end it was fun and exciting.

impact: Do you have any advice for high school students?

Mollie: Look around for colleges and prepare for college in high school by taking the necessary classes.

Thank you to the students who submitted questions for our chat today!