Life after high school: Bring it on! What are college and the real world really like? High school grads and polls from our nation's campuses reveal that it's a diverse world with daily schedules that are jam-packed with activities

Careers and Colleges, March-April, 2005 by Don Rauf

Finally, more students are looking beyond their own self-interests. Sixty percent of all college seniors and 37 percent of freshmen, according to the NSSE, are doing community service or volunteer work, trying to make the world a better place.

Freshman Survivor Tips

College students from around the country give their advice on making it through the first year after high school.

"INTRAMURAL SPORTS are great. I was on an intramural dodgeball team and had a great time. I'm also on the college volleyball team, so I have to balance that with class work."

--Charee' Alyce Neves, 18 Northwest College, Powell, Wyoming

"DON'T BE AFRAID of going out and experiencing new things. It can be hard to choose between hearing a Nobel laureate speak or sledding with trays from the cafeteria."

--Yuri A. Sylvester, 19 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

"THE FIRST FEW WEEKS everyone is insecure and busy trying to act cool that they hide their true characters. It takes time to make real friends. Also, you may have been a genius in high school, but now you are just one of a regular bunch, so do the best you can and know that grades aren't everything."

--Nisha Desai, 18 Georgetown University, Washington, DC

"COLLEGE PROFESSORS want to see you at their office hours. Take advantage of that. Also, be safe and aware of your surroundings. Having fun means being able to remember it the next day."

--Katherine Barbara Szarama, 19 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

"THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT for me was the culture shock of moving from New England to the South. I also wish I realized sooner that I didn't have to major in mathematics like my family and teachers recommended. Now I'm an English major and excited about it. One more thing: Napoleon Dynamite has become the movie to quote ad-nauseum on campus."

--Sarah Brown, 21 Harding University, Searcy, AR

"I PASSED UP WAY TOO many opportunities in high school. If I had spent more time practicing (my drawing and 3-D modeling skills), I would be much farther ahead now."

--Turan Oral The Art Institute of Phoenix

"And here are a few tips from students at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, CA, as reported by student reporter, Nikki Ward, 22, who offers this advice:

"PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE and get involved--join an organization or sport, or volunteer. Meet as many new faces as you can. Also, communicate with your professors as much as possible."

"YOU ACTUALLY LEARN, not just in classes, but through interacting with people from different backgrounds. You don't have as much diversity in high school."--Dana Bachtold, 23

"ACCEPT INDIVIDUALS for their differences, don't patronize them for being different."

--Courtney Lansdowne, 21

Alternate Routes

College is not for everyone right after high school. Here are some other paths to follow.

* LEARNING A TRADE. With the manufacturing and construction industries experiencing shortages in skilled labor, now may be the perfect time to pursue an apprenticeship to learn a trade. A five-year program for commercial-industrial electricians sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers boasts a graduation rate above 80 percent and these apprentices generally earn between $80,000 to $150.000 over the course of their five-year training. Go to www.electrifyingcareers.com.