How can you tell if you are ready for college? Read on for 12 tips to know whether the time is right.
How do you know if you’re ready for college? This is a question that many high school students wrestle with more and more as they get closer to graduation. It’s not always the easiest thing, but it’s something with which you must grapple.
In this article, we will be looking at 12 signs that you are suited for college. That’s not to say some of these won’t apply to the trade school attendee or entrepreneur. They just tend to show up a lot in college culture. Without further ado, let’s begin!
1. You Are Doing Well in Arts Classes
College is much more about a well-rounded education. It’s focused on both theory and application. The arts help you handle both.
Do you do well in arts and language courses in high school? Has it come easy for you or do you really have to work at it?
How you answer that question won’t necessarily qualify or disqualify you from college. It will just help inform how doable college is for you.
2. You See a Path to a Math Degree
College is also a good way to grow your math skills. You can much more easily find career pathways in math if you attend college.
That’s not to say that skills-based careers don’t use mathematics. They do! But you’ll be more than adequately prepared if you take higher-level math courses than you would otherwise.
What is the highest level of math that you have taken in high school? What were your grades, and how did you go about getting them? Was it from a true understanding of concepts or from having a teacher who didn’t challenge you enough?
3. You Keep Good Company
Positive, responsible social cues in high school offer signs of college readiness. Are your friends always in trouble? Always getting you into trouble? Are you the troublemaker in your group?
These issues aren’t necessarily dealbreakers in elementary and junior high schools, but you need to start mobilizing towards more responsible behavior by tenth grade. Each moment you spend with the wrong group devalues your chances in college.
What are some good ways to have fun? Who are some people who help bring out the best in you? And are you the type of person who brings out the best in others?
4. You Are Not Easily Swayed
College is for the mentally strong. That’s not to say you won’t find any mentally weak people in college. They’re everywhere.
However, the strong rise to the top. If you know what you stand for and live your life by that, then you are well on your way to college success. How would you grade yourself as a free-thinker?
5. You Want to Be Challenged
Some people cannot handle being challenged. You see it a lot through groupthink on college campuses. If you don’t see the world like I see the world, then you need to be rooted out.
College is the last place on earth where such weak-minded individuals should be allowed to thrive. College is a place where you open yourself up to new ideas, test those ideas against old biases and viewpoints, and decide which path is the right path.
It’s not shouting down others. It’s not dominating the conversation. Be tough enough to listen more and speak less.
6. High School Makes You Feel Too Limited
Do you feel like your high school life or community has limited you in some way? Has it been difficult to truly know who you are because of limited options?
College is a great place to break free from your limited role. It’s a chance to expose yourself to new viewpoints and bring out parts of your personality you didn’t realize there.
7. You Are Excited About Independence
The advantage of college over trade school for the independent-minded is this. You usually don’t travel far from home to attend a trade school. That’s not the case with college.
If you crave adventure and the chance to make your own decisions with no encumbrances, then college is for you. It’s a chance to head to a new city, a new state even, and set up the first phase of adulthood.
8. You Take Initiative
People who take initiative know how to approach difficult assignments. They are skilled at research and mental work. They can foresee issues before they arise, and they can form action plans to address those challenges.
What has your initiative been like in junior school and high school? Do you wait for others to take action or make decisions without being prompted?
Are you fearless enough to proceed on new assignments, or do you have to have your hand held every step of the way? You’re ready for college when you can take more initiative.
9. You Crave Adventure
Meeting new people, having new experiences. This is the spice of life! This is also what college brings you.
People who crave adventure can often experience it with little effort from the dorm rooms or surrounding area of a college campus. There are activities, social groups that might speak to you more than any friends you’ve ever had.
Favorite bands will hold more concerts as the pandemic comes to a close and the world opens back up. That means more road trips and memories with your traveling companions (i.e., fellow college mates).
10. You Have Friends Who Are Going
Having a lot of true friends who are going to college is another indication that it’s right for you. That’s because we all have a tendency to hang out with the people we’re most like.
If your “tribe” is on board with college, then it’s pretty well likely that you will be as well. That’s true even if you’re not quite sure what you want to be or major in.
11. You Have Offers
Colleges that have offered partial or full scholarships clearly see something in you that’s capable enough for the degree path and workload. Listen to these offers, even if you’re a little bored with school and think you need a break.
Yes, you might need a break from high school. But you’ve never tried college before, and, trust us, it’s a different ballgame!
While you’re weighing your offers, also keep any third-party scholarships top-of-mind. You should do this especially when the scholarship is merit-based. You earned that money because you’re freakin’ good at those things!
12. You Know What You Want
So many students do not know what they want to be when they grow up. You don’t have to have it all figured out before enrolling in college. However, it helps.
Knowing what you want to do and seeing how a degree path will get you there is key. If you can say, “I want to be a doctor,” then the career path is clearly laid out, and it can’t happen without college.
What are some other careers that require a college career path? Do any of them resonate? If they do, then college is a good place for you.
Now That You Know You Are Ready for College
We hope this look at what it takes to know you’re ready for college will guide you down the path that you’re meant to go. That goes for the college-ready and for those of you who see an alternative.
Now it’s your turn. Do you think you’re ready for college? If so, what was that major sign that told you it was the correct path? Sound off in the comments section below!
Aric Mitchell's work appears regularly here at 4tests.com and across the web for sites, such as The Inquisitr and Life'd. A former high school teacher, his passion for education has only intensified since leaving the classroom. At 4tests, he hopes to continue passing along words of encouragement and study tips to ensure you leave school ready to face an ever-changing world.
