College life is an exciting and new adventure for young adults.   For high school graduates going on to college, a new life of independence, maturity, and learning to live with others opens up to them.  Young adults will find that college life brings with it independence from their parents, managing their own time and money, as well as learning to live with other people outside of their family.
Independence from parents is often the first realization of college life.  The life of a college person is riddled with social and academic pressures.  During college life, a young adult finds him/herself making decisions that only they are held accountable for.  The parental influence remains a part of their decision making process, however the parents are absent from the accountability of their choices.  Depending on the maturity of the young adult, this can be either a liberating or devastating experience.  Some young adults are able to embrace the freedom of college life and make good choices while others find that they are not able to handle the freedom and find themselves in a lot of trouble.
College life has the added pressures of managing time and money for the first time in a young adult’s life.   College schedules are much different than traditional high school schedules.  Many classes are offered online, or one to two times per week.  This break in the traditional five day school week poses some time management challenges during college life.  College students are also responsible for managing their financial resources.  Budgeting money to pay for school, rent, food, gas, and insurance is all part college life.  Many young college students are tempted with credit cards and high interest loans in an effort to maintain their lifestyle.   This can lead to devastating financial situations during college life.
Learning to live with other people outside of the immediately family is always a challenge during college life.  Young adults entering college for the first time will often choose to live in a dormitory or rent an apartment near the college campus.  Although colleges try to arrange roommates by lifestyles and interests, there are many times that young adults find it difficult to live together.  College life presents new living situations where you have to adapt to living with a roommate with a variety of preferences from study habits to daily living lifestyles.  A roommate may enjoy staying up all night and sleeping all day.  The other roommate may prefer to sleep at night and study during the day.  This balance of living arrangements can often be difficult during the first years of college life.
College life is an exciting time for a young adult.  It is the first time they step out into the adult world on their own.  The independence from their parents is a new experience that can be very liberating.  The pressures to manage time and money are ever present during college life.  The ability to learn to live with other people outside of your immediate family is also challenging for young adults.