High School or College?

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For those of you who went to/are in college: which do you like better, high school or college?

I, personally, like college better because of the structure. In high school, I spent more time in the classroom in one day, than I do in an entire week of college. I have twice as much homework in college, but at least I can do it alone, on my schedule.

High school for me was a barrage of information, sensory and otherwise. It was exhausting to sit through class after 90-minute-class, straining to pay attention to the teacher lecturing; and if we were REALLY lucky, that would be broken up by group work . And then, there would be lunch, the so-called "break time". At least I had a group of friends, but I absolutely HATE cafeterias; they are way too loud, making the difficult task of socializing and keeping conversations going, that much more challenging. There was no respite, and I would be EXHAUSTED by the time I got home! (And my mom wondered why I never felt like telling her about my day...)

In college, I'm still trying to find my group of friends and deal with the living on my own bit, and balancing it all ... but I'm confident that I will get more adjusted as time goes on. I'm already a heck of a lot more adjusted than I was this time last year (I'm now a sophomore), and I have the accommodations I need (i.e. a single), and the class-time structure is a lot more suited to me.

I like neither.

I prefer to be in my comfortable little bear den. Watching documentaries, reading articles, and scientifically analyze them by myself. I prefer reading a book and not having a teacher.

For me high school was:

-Getting judged by your peers

In college it is:

-Getting judged by a teacher for a grade

And I hate it.

first off, I am not diagnosed with ASD. I believe I have significant traits. I have a son who is diagnosed formally on the spectrum.

With that caveat - I can share that I liked college better for the following reasons:

1. The students at college were serious. They are there because they WANT to be there. There is no law that says one has to attend college - also - the fact that the students are PAYING to be there (albeit the pubic colleges here are highly subsidized). Still - when one is shelling out a couple of thousand dollars to take the courses - one tends to be a mite more focused on studies.

2. I could take the courses and programs that I wanted (although there may be a mandatory course or two in certain programs that are not as appealing - generally - I was studying the stuff that interested me).

3. There is a larger demographic represented in college. There are 18 year olds, 40 year olds and even 50+ year olds. The students often come from different areas of a city/state/province and there is just better representation. One can probably find a friend or two amongst such a large amount of people by joining associations/clubs etc which one is interested in or just hanging with one or two classmates.

Anyways - I definately had a better college experience than a high school experience (I was sort of like that character Ally Sheedy played in the movie The Breakfast Club - kind of weird).

Good luck with your program of study in college and I hope that you find a couple of people who you can hang out with.

For me, College is MUCH better than high school...

College is a lot better. You're more in control of your life (the courses you take, when you study, when you come home). As far as finding friends, have you looked into the clubs on campus? There is probably one that you would be interested in, and you could meet people with a common interest. Or try the meetup website. I found a group of people with Asperger's in my town and we get together from time to time. There may be a similar group in your town.

I've barely been in college for a month, and so far it's pretty boring. My social life is close to non-existent. Of course, I do go to a community college, and I am surrounded by tons of people whom I don't know. But still, I really hope things get a little funner.

High School....

Mainly because it WAS structured... everyday is the same, go to school and get it all overwith... top that off hw was easier and I had friends there (because after having the same ppl in your classes for over a decade, you finally pick up some friends...)

College is awesome, but the structure tempts me too often to miss classes, or sleep through them, the hw takes up ALL of my time, so its worse than working 12 hours a day, and meeting ppl is extremely difficult for me... I have done it, but at home in HS I had a niche of friends who knew me, here its like... hoping for someone who'll step outside their circle and talk to you :X

I guess I like the structure and routine of it... besides the fact I was younger so didn't have as much responsibilities. My mother woke me up and drove me to school, bus drove me home, could get most hw done in lunch or studyhall. At college I have to get to class on my own, I have to wake up on my own (which if its early, or a particularly depressing day, is damn hard), have to schedule time to do hw and often end up pulling all nighters, besides the added bonus of having to buy your own food, pay bills (even if parents supply money... this semester they're giving me rent and tuition, everything else, food, books, supplies etc, is on me, which adds up quickly), maintain your car, etc....

Just adds a lot more to the plate... I can manage, and still enjoy it, but definitely prefered HS where I could get A's in just about anything w/o trying much, come home and play a game, and have all the socialization I needed.... whereas now I have to struggle hard, manage a bunch of other things, and hope against hope a socialization event will come up (friend ask you to hang out, etc).

College...It is aimed at my interests and there was no bullying.

In terms of socializing and the depth of subjects University is far superior. I only made a quarter of the friends I have and have had at uni over the past three years in the 6 years I was at high school. And I learn more in half a semester of a chemistry subject than I did in a year of high school (well secondary school) chemistry. I also got a better taste in music and a wider spectrum of hobbies. Oh and wearing what I want and being able to leave when I want is a mixed blessing.

In terms of everything else High School was better. There was a reduced workload, more structure in the day and I rarely had to stop and consider whether the piece of assessment I was doing was actually what they wanted and that there was no NT clauses in the phrasing of the question or in their instructions that suggested something different. I had less travel time (half an hour in the bus or car) compared to uni where I have to allow between 90 and 120 minutes from my grandmother's home to my lecture theater. I was good at most of my subjects and my enjoyment of mathematics and the grades I received wasn't spoiled by MENSA level geniuses which get either college residence or mothered by their parents in their relatively nearby home so they have all the time their super genius brains could want to get them top grades, with time left over to play their video games. While my slightly above average brain struggled to cope with all the info and my executive dysfunction exponentially increased with my depression at my relative lower grades. Back in high school I had so much time leftover every day to read, go on forums, and even have fun on the piano if I was in the right mood and I had a nice bunch of marks that I was happy with. I know I have longer holidays and I know that I'm being marked much harder now I'm at university but with the commute, my grandmother, my family and no easy way to escape it until the semester is over, it's just a pain.