College life is always exciting and challenging for fresh students from high school. The excitement comes as a result of the eagerness to operate in a new environment with the possibility of making new friends and encountering new experiences. Despite the excitement, the challenge comes when the high school graduates are supposed to fit into a completely new and demanding academic structure. The difference in both social and academic arrangement of college life makes it necessary for high school graduates to go through an orientation program. This essay will highlight some of the fundamental aspects of college life that high school graduates need to be aware of for quick settling in college. The orientation process prepares a student both mentally and psychologically to fit into the new system easily. Those students who fail to go through the orientation process find it difficult to settle in college affecting them both socially and academically. High school graduates who are not adequately prepared for the new life ahead normally find college life frustrating since they are usually left behind in many areas and some of them even end up quitting it. College life is associated with a lot of independence since most students at this stage are over 18 years and stay far away from their parents. The students are therefore supposed to manage their new found independence responsibly or else it can be a source of their downfall. The course workload in college is very high compared to a high school scenario where most of the instructions are given in class (Gibbs 67). In order to cover most of the course content in an entire semester, college students are expected to spend at least two hours preparing for every lesson by studying in advance. Many college students are adults, what is more, some of them have with extra responsibilities such as taking care of their families and working. These extra responsibilities require a lot of balancing and this is where good time management skills are needed. The fact that those students who have been in the field for quite some time and return to college to share their experiences with those who have never worked, motivates newcomers in a great way (Gibbs 74). College education is not compulsory and the motivation to learn is therefore personal. The desire to have an in-depth knowledge of one’s course should be the source of motivation since college education is a source of long-term benefits such as financial security for the student. The other challenge that new college students are expected to face is the fact that many professors who teach in college are normally busy with research and therefore have no time to give students personal attention like in high school (Gibbs 78). The inaccessibility of professors means that students have to cover most of their academic work alone. It is also important to mention the fact that professors do not give notes to students like it is done in high school but the students are expected to make their own notes in the course of a lecture. In conclusion, the diversity of college life presents an exciting experience to any new student. High school graduates should be aware of the fact that despite the independence brought about by college life, there ar