If you are in final year at high school, you’re probably wondering what college will be like. This glimpse at a day in the life of college students will help give you a preview of campus life at MCM College.

Here are some questions to ponder before you go any further:

  • Have you wondered what college will be like?
  • Will it be like home?
  • Will it be like your high school experience?
  • Will you be able to handle it?
  • Will it be fun and exciting?
  • Will it be scary and nerve-wracking?

Well, hopefully a glimpse at a day in the life of a college student will help sort some things out.

High school vs. college schedules

Each college schedule is very different than the traditional high school schedule. Typically, there is a lot more flexibility with your individual classes. In high school, you probably take English classes daily at 10:00 am. In college, you’ll probably need to take Englishes classes, but you could have 10 choices, which would be offered on different days, at different times, and for different durations. The other wonderful thing about the college schedule is that you usually have more opportunities to explore your interests and passions. For example, you will be picking a major that will determine the types of classes you will specialize in. In high school, you have a set curriculum of classes you have to take across all subject areas. In college however, you could imagine your schedule as a pyramid. In your freshman and sophomore years, you’ll take more general education classes – a combination of many different subjects so you become “well-rounded”, and a few other required electives as part of your study plan. But during your junior and senior year, you’ll take fewer GE classes and more REs as part of your major.

A lot more flexibility and independence

Another big difference you should be aware of is the time structure. Right now, you’re probably in school from about 7:30 am–3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. This will not be the case in college, where you usually take four or five classes at different times throughout the week.  Generally speaking, some courses are only offered on certain days at certain times, but for the most part, there are a lot of options to think about. If you’re a morning person, you might want to schedule your classes to be done by noon. If youprefer starting later, having that first class start at 1:15 in the afternoon might be the best thing to ever happen to you. And you definitely won’t be in class for seven hours straight. However, college is similar to high school where you will have ample opportunities to get involved by joining different clubs, organizations, and maybe even by getting a part-time job. Don’t be surprised at the large number of extracurricular activities, and your schedule can get pretty full with meetings, band practice, sport practice, play rehearsal, work hours, etc.

1 day in the life of real college students

Of course, the best way to see what a true day in the life of a college student is like is to actually get the schedules of some real students. We asked a few students to share their schedules and stories so you can get a glimpse of what juggling classes, homework, internships, practices, and more is really like.