From High School to Jungle

For Thanksgiving Break, I was supposed to go back to East Sac County High School to share information about college to some of my former classmates.  However, due to the fact that I do not have a car or a ride to Lake View, Iowa, I had to find another way to share this information. And what better way than a (mandated) blog post.  I feel doing so will help me accomplish what I need to while providing information to whomever reads this.
When I was a high school student, I worried about a variety of things about college. For one, I was concerned about food and money.  This isn't much, but I spent some time thinking about it.  At college, I learned that these were not importnat so much.  Food is easily taken care of as there are a variety of places to eat on campus at Iowa State.  I assume other campuses have just as many choices.  The best part is my housing costs are mixed with food costs so I do not have to worry about eating as long as I have a meal plan.  As for money, this can be taken care of if you really want extra cash.  At Iowa State, I am a part of the work-study program which allows me to work on campus for extra money which helps me buy essentials at college.  Even if you are not a part of work-study it is still possible to get a job in college. Most college communities are known for catering to students when it comes to employment.
Other things I worried about were classes and studying. When classes first started at Iowa State, I realized that college professors were not evil. They will help you if you ask for it.  Most professors have office hours which allow for you to go visit them and ask questions or find out information on a course.  This is also a great way to get some contacts which will help in job hunting in the future.  Another thing I noticed about classes is that they vary in size. One class I took had 300 people while another had only 20.  This is not bad as it allows you to meet other students and gain new friends.  As for studying, there are plenty of places to do so. For one, I found that it was quite fun to study in my own room and in my house den.  I also found it to be nice to study in the Hixson-Lied Student Success Center.  There are other places to study on campus though.  The library is one of those places.  Your mileage may vary as well. 
One final thing that everyone worries about is paying for college.  This is one thing that kept me up some nights. The thing that eased my worries was that the Office of Financial Aid at Iowa State was so helpful.  They guided me through the financial aid process and even helped me when I messed up on filing the FAFSA.  Other colleges have an office of financial aid as well, and I am sure that they are just as helpful. The point here is that no one should pull their hair out over a money situation.  It is something big but most colleges will help you if you require some help.
As you can see college is not a horrible wasteland of failure.  There are hundreds of aspects of college that I can not list because I simply do not have the time or computer memory to list them.  But the simple fact is that even though the college process is long and complicated, it can be done.  Most colleges want to help you.  The only thing required is action by you.