College= (High school) * 1,000,000,000,000,000,000

I have been talking to a few of my friends recently who are still in high school, and I realized something. I did not like high school. I managed to have a fun time with extracurriculars and friends, but school as a whole was dreadful, despite some enjoyable classes. By the end of senior year, I was SO ready for college. And now that I'm here, it is AWWEEESSSOMMMMEEEEE.... Here are some reasons why.

1. The schedule.

First of all, the daily schedule. In high school, you were required to be at school, in a desk, for 7 hours every day. My high school was from 7:30 AM to 2:10 PM. That is a looooong time. In college, you don't have that. You get to pick how many classes a day you take, and at what time you take them. So if you don't want to have class until 1:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you don't! And if you only want to have two classes on Fridays, you do!

Secondly, most lectures are only 50 minutes. This is about the length of my attention span, so it works perfectly for me. The rare 90 minute classes are quite the challenge after you've become accustomed to the shorter schedule.

Not only do you pick which classes to take and at what time when you register, but during the week as well. There is no penalty for being late or missing class, besides missing material. Hypothetically, you could skip every single class period and then just take the final exam. Your grade would show it, but you have the freedom to do so if you wish.

Testing. SO AMAZING. The teachers will set up a range of usually 3 days when the test is available. You can take your test at any time on any of those days. So if you don't feel prepared one day, you can wait and take it the next. It's beautiful.

You have more free time outside of class. Because once again, you're not in class seven hours a day.

Lastly, the terms are shorter. My summer break starts April 6.

2. The social scene.

First, the obvious. LOTS of cute boys. There were probably less than a hundred really cute guys at my high school, but here there are literally thousands. And you see new ones every day! Sometimes I just walk to class, mouth slightly open, staring in awe at the beautiful men all around me. I try not to drool, but sometimes I just can't help it. I am amazed at the human race. There are billions of people in this world, and all are unique. Yet so many are completely and utterly hunkiliscious!

There is so much to do! There is always something new going on where you can go with old friends or go meet new friends. Parties, dances, plays, movies, devotionals, performances... The list is endless. This wealth of activities also enables men to take more girls on more dates that are more fun! I have finally gone on a few more dates, and every single one was super duper. You will never be at a lack for things to do at college. (Except maybe over the holidays. But you shouldn't be here then, anyway.)

The drama you always struggled to avoid in high school? Basically gone. There is a little bit of it that carries over, but for the most part, everyone is more mature and hardworking. They are paying to be here, so by golly, they're gonna make the most of it.

Football. It's such the best. I sat with different friends at nearly every game, and it has been a blast every single time. It doesn't matter how badly you're losing, you can still scream and cheer and dance and make a fool of yourself, but everyone else is doing it too so you're fine. I even got on ESPN once. Just make sure you're not like picking your nose or something embarrassing like that, in case you get on TV or the big screen.

There is always another friend to make. That boy sitting next to you in Biology, the super nice girl who shares her umbrella when it's pouring rain, the kid across from you in the library. You can meet someone new every day. And who knows, they might become your best friend! (But if you don't wanna get married, try to avoid the hungry-looking RM's.)

3. The study.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." You got that right. No longer are there counselors peeking over your shoulder at every turn, dictating the classes you must take. As long as you complete your GE's, you can basically take whatever classes you want. And since you pick your major, you get to take classes you are actually interested in! No more Computer Tech classes that take 90 days to teach you how to save a Microsoft Word file. Seriously, a 6-year-old can do that. Seriously, a six-year-old DOG can do that.

The teachers are often a lot more passionate than high school teachers (besides AP teachers, they were always intense). The teachers treat you as adult human beings, not baby monkeys. Most of my teachers are on the students' side, trying to help you learn and earn the grade you want. They have office hours and are really approachable, even if they have a million students.

Classes are a lot different. You either have twenty kids in your class or three hundred and twenty. There's not much of an in-between. Also, you can go on Facebook during class, and use your phone during class (although I wouldn't recommend it if you want a good grade). A lot of the times, homework isn't graded or even turned in. And the homework is generally readings that apply to class rather than "busy work".

Also, you can draw pictures in your textbooks.

I guess you could highlight important stuff, too....

4. The food.

You can eat what you want, when you want, as long as you can afford it. In other words, you can eat as much Ramen as you want, when you want.

No more cafeteria food! The food court has real meals, not rubber. And there are a bunch of awesome food places right off campus. (J Dawgs, anyone?)

Ice cream! The Creamery serves ice cream until 11 pm. They know college students' priorities!

Also, you get free food on dates. That's why I love dating so much. I can't afford to feed myself, so I let the boys do it for me.

A feast fit for a college king.

5. The lifestyle.

One word: You are free! I guess that's three words. One word: Independence! You are living on your own with your friends, without parents. I love my parents, but I love being my own boss. I don't have to report to my mother every two hours. I can stay out until four a.m. and no one cares! (Well, Shantel was mad that I didn't tell her where I was, but she's very volatile, so it's okay.)

You get free stuff all the time. At football games they through t-shirts to the crowds, and you get pom-pons and foam fingers. And there is always free food at everything. Hot dogs, burgers, cookies, popcorn, s'mores, sandwiches... It's almost as good as Costco on a Saturday.

See number 2. The social life you can have at college is amazing.

Guess what. There's no bed time!

BYU as seen from the Y on the mountain.

As you can see, college is just... better. I highly recommend it.