I had been in one school for most of my life. From Gr 0 to Matric year. It is a small private school, and I loved it.
Needless to say, varsity was a bit of a shock. It is different in almost every way.
Firstly, the pace. Every four weeks we cover about as much work as a we would in a year of highschool... That means every Semester is about 2.5 years of highschool work. Keeping up is essential.
The scale. Varsity is huge. The campus is massive and has a silly amount of facilities. The amount of people is staggering. You realise you are a very tiny part of a huge organisation with a massive budget.
The lecture hall is not a class room. Nobody cares. The students don't think twice about not showing up or leaving mid-sentence and the lecturers think good riddance. There is no individual attention and much less room for questions. Because of the speed and organisation of modules, you will find that self-study and a different approach to learning is required.
The structure of it all is different, but I enjoy it. Every day of the week has a different feel and pace. Large gaps between lectures let you work or socialise or even sleep. Your whole day is taken up by your studies. I am not at home when the sun is up. I leave before it rises and get home after it sets. You and your friends are all in it together. Studying is a team sport and you keep each other going.
Ask any varsity student, and they will tell you, varsity is hard. It's time consuming, the content is advanced and the pace is blistering. But ask them if they are enjoying themselves, and the answer is always the same...
