As students take the leap from high school to college, they are expected to take on a newfound sense of independence.
With their final year ahead of them, Keene State College seniors weighed in on how such a transition shaped them for the real world.
Senior Jillian Marlowe said that prior to college she would rely on her mom to wake her up, remind her of upcoming appointments and other tasks that she now has to depend on herself to remember.
“When I was in high school I would have class at eight in the morning. I would never have to set an alarm clock because I knew my mom would wake me up. She would wake me up if I took a nap and would also be there to remind me of any appointment that I had coming up,” Marlowe said.
She continued, “Now that I am responsible for being up when I have to and remembering any upcoming appointment, I started having to write almost everything down.”
Marlowe said that although she took on way more responsibilities when she came to college, she had always been pretty independent.
“I have always done everything on my own, like cook food, do homework, etc. It was just different coming to college because there wasn’t that extra eye or reminder about something. I’m wicked forgetful,” Marlowe said.
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In terms of going home for weekends and breaks, Marlowe said that after living on her own for the duration of the school year going home wasn’t what it used to be.
“Its definitely different when I go home. I hate having someone tell me what to do and ask me what I am doing, constantly. At school you can do whatever you want, when you want and how you want to do it. At home it all depends on what your parents want and what they approve or disapprove,” Marlowe said.
With every new school year, Marlowe said that being on her own and having to do everything by herself got easier and had a positive impact on the person that she is today.
“I definitely think that having to take on the responsibilities that I normally wouldn’t had a positive change on the type of person that I am. I think it is more you find who you are and what you want to be since you have more opportunities to do things how you want without asking for approval,” Marlowe said.
Marlowe added that although she is going to continue to need her parents help financially, doing chores, remembering appointments and getting her work done on her own has been beneficial because she learned how to be more responsible for the stuff she had to get used to doing without her parents.
Senior Matthew Pereira also weighed in on how he has embraced adulthood.
“My responsibilities have changed drastically moving to college, especially when I moved off campus. I am now responsible for paying my bills, buying my groceries, as well as keeping and maintaining my apartment so I do not get evicted,” Pereira said.
He continued, “I am also more responsible for myself. My parents aren’t here to make sure I do all of those things, so if something doesn’t get done or goes wrong I have to be held accountable.”
Pereira said that adjusting to doing everything on his own was not that hard because his parents held him accountable for a lot of things when he was in high school.
“It was my responsibility to do laundry, do the dishes, clean my room and make my bed. If I didn’t clean my room or anything like that my parents would be like ‘oh okay that’s your problem,” Pereira said.
Pereira said that he progressively noticed changes in himself as he started taking on more responsibilities.
“I began to see that not only do I hold myself to a higher standard of responsibility, but I hold others [to that responsibility] as well. I can’t stand when other people cannot be responsible for themselves or rely on others to get things done. We are adults, we should be accountable for getting things done, and getting them done right,” Pereira said. As Pereira prepares for graduation, he said that the responsibilities he had taken on and learned throughout his four years at KSC have trained him for the real world.
“I know how to pay my bills, get rent in on time, and meet deadlines. I also know how to live on my own without relying on my parents to do things. I will be ready to live right on my own after I graduate for sure,” Pereira said.
Senior Hayley Grove stated that although she would call her mom with a million questions about how to do things, her adjustment to adulthood was less difficult than she expected it to be.
“When I got to college I definitely had to start taking care of myself. I realized I would get sick a lot because I wasn’t eating right. I also had to start paying for a lot of things on my own without the help of my parents, so that was tough,” Grove stated. She continued, “I have always been very independent, so it was not hard having to do things by myself.”
Similar to Marlowe, Grove stated that when she goes home she continues to act independently and do everything she needed on her own.
“When I go home now I still pay for everything on my own. I rarely ask my parents for money and I can get by comfortably with my summer job. I have noticed that I tend to keep my distance from my parents now, just because I feel as though I am almost ready to move out and be on my own for good,” Grove stated.
As far as change goes, Grove stated that the biggest adjustment she had to make as a result of her newfound independence had to do with her financial situation.
“I have to pay my own bills now, so that is pretty stressful. I don’t think much else has changed though,” Grove stated.
With one year left at KSC, Grove stated that she is very ready to take on the real world.
“Living off campus has taught me a lot about how to take care of a home, how to cook since I don’t have a meal plan, how to pay bills, and [all] of that adult stuff. It’s a little scary being on my own, but I know my mom is always just a phone call away,” Grove stated.
Brogan Wessell can be contacted at bwessell@kscequinox.com