College Life

Hello Everyone,

If there’s one thing I’ve realized after settling into the college life at North Carolina State University, it is that college is very different from high school. My weekly schedule consists of classes starting as early as 7:40am in the morning and others as late as 6:00pm in the evening, instead of the usual 8:00am to 3:30pm high school schedule. Instructors do not assign homework daily, but instead expect their students to study outside of class on their own time. Perhaps the most apparent difference between college and high school is in the student population. NC State University has a population of approximately 34,000 students, way more than Seventy-First High School. Despite experiencing these differences in environments for the first time, I was not shocked or intimidated when the fall semester began. I have the Fayetteville State University GEAR UP Program to thank for that!

Back when I was still in high school, the FSU GEAR UP Program arranged multiple workshops designated to informing students on college life and how to prepare for the changes between high school and college. Essentially, those workshops gave me a “heads up” on what to expect from my college experience as a freshman and how to make the most out of my experience. Another way GEAR UP prepared me for college was how all GEAR UP faculty members were always open to discuss issues concerning college. I distinctly remember Mr. Michelle, one of the faculty members and GEAR UP coaches, telling me about the huge student population difference between high school and college and how to handle it. The solution he gave me, which ended up working, was to make new friends constantly. He said that “The humongous college world will seem smaller when you can recognize faces.” By following his advice, the student population was no problem for me and I now have plenty of awesome friends that I hang out with all the time. 

                   GEAR UP helped me develop in many different way, one of which being my transition from a high school student to a college student. The informative GEAR UP workshops and caring faculty are what makes the FSU GEAR UP Program in North Carolina great! As a GUALA GEAR UP Alumni Leader, I hope to express my gratitude by giving back to the GEAR UP community during my year of service. (#GEARUPWORKS) :)

Best of wishes,

Julius Nani