Passing Through The Halls

Passing Through The Halls

By: Ashley Hohneke

Every year, a fresh wave of students leave the halls of Kennedy High School for, what is usually, the last time. Some may be scared, terrified of what life is like outside of the safe confines of their homes. Others may feel prepared, ready to leave their lives behind and pack up to college, eager to begin that new chapter in their lives. However, there is still a question that current Kennedy students may be asking about this uncertain future: What does life after Kennedy actually look like?

The difference between high school and college education, looks unique for each individual. For some it may feel like a giant change from what they are used to. They may feel like the classes are tougher and the curriculum more cut-throat. On the other side, these students may believe that the learning is easier, and the newfound freedom more of a prize than a burden. Emily Hohneke, a cyber security major at Iowa State University, stated that college has harder deadlines than their high school counterparts, and also addressed during the interview that “high school is more lenient”. Emily went on to talk about how college life may be more stressful, but on the bright side you get a lot more free time to get things done.

However, every college is different, and so opinions from separate students differ greatly. Kevin Gift, a student at Kirkwood who is majoring in criminal justice, talked about how much harder high school was in his opinion, when compared to his college education now. Kevin stated, dismissively, that “Kirkwood is not a challenge”. 

Adjusting to life outside of high school may be hard for recent graduates, and can also become a serious struggle. Some people adjust better than others, but the consensus is about the same: It’s tough. Emily Hohneke, when asked this question, talked about some of the struggles she went through when she graduated; “For me it was because I had to move away from my family, and the city I grew up in”. When asking Kevin Gift the same question he answered with a similar response, and said that adjusting to life outside of high school was “kind of” difficult, and that the main issue that he had to deal with was his “best friend moving away”.

When the pair was asked for any advice they would give current high schoolers, they answered with similar responses, again, about not pushing yourself too hard. Emily suggested that you “enjoy high school and don’t stress about AP classes”, and that “getting involved doesn’t matter”. When asking Kevin, he gave his golden advice: “Don’t take AP classes”, and “Don’t go to Kirkwood”. Mostly what the duo is attempting to say, is to not rush yourself out of high school and to enjoy it while it lasts. Once it’s over, it’s over, there’s no going back.

For everyone the college experience is something different. That picture varies for everyone, and is not consistent. At the end of the day, however, we should all realize that we need to slow down and enjoy the moment. That we shouldn’t take the mundane life of high school for granted.