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As a high-school senior who's graduating a year early, has been taking college classes through duel-enrollment for four years, and heading to my first choice university this fall with a major in Political Science, what should I expect in terms of a shift in workload, if any? I do anticipate an adjustment overall but as far as the actual change in the amount of work I'll be expected to do, I'm curious.
I'm currently sixteen years old, and am graduating from High School a year earlier than my age-mates. I think my time taking college classes in tandem with fulfilling the requirements for my diploma has adequately prepared me for the university workload, but I'm still curious as to what changes I should expect and how to prepare for them.
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Amber’s Answer
Hi Akina, congratulations on getting into the university of your choice! In my experience, the workload at university (undergrad specifically) did not shift very dramatically; in fact, it almost felt lighter for me. I was already pretty disciplined so I was able to build a routine that worked, but I have also known folks who found the sudden lack of structure to be challenging and had difficulty keeping themselves motivated enough all through college without some kind of external pressure.
As a college student, you need to take ownership of your own work because no one is going to keep reminding you something is due next week--you either turn it in or you don't get credit for it, so it is helpful to develop a system early on to make sure you're managing your tasks in a timely manner. This is especially true if you have other commitments outside of school, whether it's a job, taking care of families, etc. For a lot of people, juggling these outside commitments and school is probably the more challenging thing than the actual shift in workload going into college.
Additionally, you'll also need to prioritize what's important to you during your college years. Do you want to prioritize your academics, or do you also want to be active in extracurricular activities/internships? Making time to build a social life in college is very important especially if you are moving away from your usual support system, but you may find yourself squeezed if you have big deadlines approaching.
You mentioned you are going to major in PoliSci. While I did not major in that, I do know you're likely going to be doing a lot of reading and writing, and oftentimes the material is dense and hard to follow so it might take you a little longer to finish your reading assignments. As you advance in your classes though, you'll learn to read a lot faster and work more efficiently, so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
It sounds like you've given a lot of thought about how to best prepare yourself for college, so you're already on the right path. It's perfectly normal to have some anxiety about starting college, but just remember it's also an exciting time of your life because this is where you will discover much about yourself and make new friends. All the best!
As a college student, you need to take ownership of your own work because no one is going to keep reminding you something is due next week--you either turn it in or you don't get credit for it, so it is helpful to develop a system early on to make sure you're managing your tasks in a timely manner. This is especially true if you have other commitments outside of school, whether it's a job, taking care of families, etc. For a lot of people, juggling these outside commitments and school is probably the more challenging thing than the actual shift in workload going into college.
Additionally, you'll also need to prioritize what's important to you during your college years. Do you want to prioritize your academics, or do you also want to be active in extracurricular activities/internships? Making time to build a social life in college is very important especially if you are moving away from your usual support system, but you may find yourself squeezed if you have big deadlines approaching.
You mentioned you are going to major in PoliSci. While I did not major in that, I do know you're likely going to be doing a lot of reading and writing, and oftentimes the material is dense and hard to follow so it might take you a little longer to finish your reading assignments. As you advance in your classes though, you'll learn to read a lot faster and work more efficiently, so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
It sounds like you've given a lot of thought about how to best prepare yourself for college, so you're already on the right path. It's perfectly normal to have some anxiety about starting college, but just remember it's also an exciting time of your life because this is where you will discover much about yourself and make new friends. All the best!
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Hayden’s Answer
First off—huge kudos to you! That’s impressive. You’ve already been balancing dual-enrollment and high school, so you’re ahead of the curve in terms of discipline and time management.
That said, the shift to university is less about more work and more about managing yourself with less structure. Deadlines are bigger, less frequent, and professors won’t chase you. Build a system early—calendar, reminders, study block. Treat it like a job you care about. You’ve got the mindset, just keep the momentum, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
That said, the shift to university is less about more work and more about managing yourself with less structure. Deadlines are bigger, less frequent, and professors won’t chase you. Build a system early—calendar, reminders, study block. Treat it like a job you care about. You’ve got the mindset, just keep the momentum, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Gurpreet Lally
CareerVillage.org TeamSr. Community Manager at CareerVillage
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Gurpreet’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team
Hey Akina,
It sounds like you've already prepared yourself well for the transition ahead! From what you have shared, I don't think you will have any trouble adjusting to the workload but here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Be prepared to make time for office hours which will not necessarily change the workload you have but it may take away from the time available to do the work you need. Office hours are great for going over any difficult material and for establishing connections with your professors (this is especially useful if you are thinking of attending grad school and need letters of recommendation)
2. Adjusting to college, especially if this is your first time away from your family, can take a mental toll. Again, this doesn't mean that your workload itself will change but it might change how much energy you have to tackle your work. In addition, you will be exposed to all sort of new people, activities, and opportunities. Balancing all of those things on top of your current workload can take some adjustment.
3. The best way to manage your workload is to make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew and being strategic on which classes you pick and when. I would highly advise creating a loose plan for the next four years of which classes you need to take in order to graduate. From there, do some backwards planning and create a schedule of which classes you plan on taking each semester/quarter. Be sure to balance them so you're not forced to take too many heavy classes in one quarter. This will help you balance your workload in the long run so that you're not overloading yourself. Obviously, you do not need to stick to this plan completely but it will help with planning!
It sounds like you've already prepared yourself well for the transition ahead! From what you have shared, I don't think you will have any trouble adjusting to the workload but here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Be prepared to make time for office hours which will not necessarily change the workload you have but it may take away from the time available to do the work you need. Office hours are great for going over any difficult material and for establishing connections with your professors (this is especially useful if you are thinking of attending grad school and need letters of recommendation)
2. Adjusting to college, especially if this is your first time away from your family, can take a mental toll. Again, this doesn't mean that your workload itself will change but it might change how much energy you have to tackle your work. In addition, you will be exposed to all sort of new people, activities, and opportunities. Balancing all of those things on top of your current workload can take some adjustment.
3. The best way to manage your workload is to make sure you're not biting off more than you can chew and being strategic on which classes you pick and when. I would highly advise creating a loose plan for the next four years of which classes you need to take in order to graduate. From there, do some backwards planning and create a schedule of which classes you plan on taking each semester/quarter. Be sure to balance them so you're not forced to take too many heavy classes in one quarter. This will help you balance your workload in the long run so that you're not overloading yourself. Obviously, you do not need to stick to this plan completely but it will help with planning!