Welcome to college/university. Now you're your own boss - you're in charge. Are you ready for it?

It's easy to let the reason you're in school fall by the wayside as you get caught up in the whirlwind of meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and what it's like to be "on your own", finally the master of your own destiny. At least that's what it feels like when there's no one there to tell you to get up and get your butt to class. Or to do your homework. Or brush your teeth.

But the Frosh 15 and other cliché first year woes are completely avoidable. It's possible to have a blast as a freshman and not flunk out after the first month.

At 20, Thomas Hollis couldn't wait to get away from slow paced life of high school in Bermuda and enter the world of higher education at the Toronto Film College.

"High school is made up of lots of mandatory classes for LIFE," he says. "My college is made up of classes unique to my profession. I like the experience of being at the same pace as everyone around you, as opposed to being in a real world job environment - the stress is a lot less.

"I do miss home, but Bermuda is so far behind me right now - it's behind on everything, socially, entertainment wise, costs of living. And being here, the freedom has made me a better person - I did a lot of things early on in college that I have changed now because it was an impractical way of living on a tight budget."

Andrew Stoneham, 22, was waiting for four years to get to college and this year he finally made it. After attending Bermuda College for a few years, he's currently studying at Full Sail Real World Education in Winterpark, Orlando, Florida.

"My first day was really exciting, but also intimidating," he recalls. "I was excited to finally be taking courses that I would enjoy and would be beneficial to my career. But on the other hand, I was scared of going to an institution where I didn't know a single soul."

Andrew's not alone in this, as you'll see a little later. But there's more than just getting over the first day jitters - you have to get over the workload:

"The hardest thing for me in particular (being in college) is the intense pace of my school," he continues. My school is slightly different from others. Where as students get to go home after a certain time and have weekends off, I don't - my school is 24/7 - so having a class from 1 a.m. To 5 a.m. Is quite normal.

"On top of that, I'm doing a four-year programme in two years. So what I learn in one class is an equivalent to what an average college student learns in a week."

Secondly, you have to get over being in a different country:

"Living in the states is quite an adjustment to make. Even though Bermuda is quite Americanized already, the US is totally different," Andrew says. "I've been here a few months and I'm still adjusting to their culture. I do miss home quite a bit though."

Then we're talking about that freedom.

"The best part of college is the freedom. You don't have teachers reminding you of what's due or why you haven't turned in a particular assignment. You have a schedule and you adhere to it or you don't. It's your choice."

Luckily, Andrew doesn't find the sudden freedom has affected him in a significant way: "It's refreshing to be able to do what I want when I want. But i still know my reasons for being here and that's to continue my education. So it's just a matter of finding a balance of your free time and study time for school."

Not everyone has this clarity of vision though. Josh Markham*, 24, studied at a university in Canada in 2001 and struggled through his first year.

"I had to battle with finding new friends, as well as being adjusted to the different culture. Then on top of that I had to keep myself organized with school on my own, without somebody telling me what to do," he recalls. "I found that it was harder to keep myself disciplined and focused on my work, which then led me to falling behind in my classes, and the work of course took its toll on me and my grades."

Another area us teens seem to take advantage of when we head off to college or university is money - it's understandable, especially when mommy and daddy are footing the bill.

"I felt that when my parents carried most of the costs, I cared less about where my money went. However I still don't think I was irresponsible with it. I think I just had more to spend than when I was taking care of myself. When I took responsibility of my costs, I found that I sacrificed certain luxuries to make way for ones that I felt were more important... like partying and clothes."

But even though that freedom might equal negative connotations for your school work, there are always positive sides - and these are what you should focus on to help you get through those hard times:

"I feel i was able to discover who I am as a person, and it has helped me to see areas where I could improve on. For example, being back home I had people catch me when I slipped in terms of responsibility, etc. So being in university, those people were not so close and I felt the effects of slacking off a lot more."

Lisete Moniz, 23, decided to go back to school after a relatively long hiatus - now a second year studying law at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, she waited until she felt she was ready to go back to school. And sometimes that's the best possible course of action.

"On the one hand it's great," she says. "You're motivated, willing to dive right into it, you know what you have to do and you go for it. On the other hand you find your asking yourself, 'Why did I come back?' I'm just way to old to be doing this again. So it really depends on which day you ask me."

The benefit of being a little older - you're a little wiser.

"At a young age all I was concerned about was having a good time with my friends. I wasn't really focused on my school work, just passing was fine for me," Lisete muses. "Now that you've been out of school, paid your own bills and maintained your own lifestyle, you realise how important an education is for your future."

As for finances: "Everyone needs to have fun and let loose a little. You can't expect to always stay in your room and do nothing but school work," she says. "I have a limit I set for myself. If i find that I spent a bit more than I should have one week I try to stay away from the temptation of clubs and stores the next week or the next few weeks depending on how far over I went."

Good advice - it's hard to pay attention to your finances when you're parents are supporting you and your friends want to go out every night. It's all about maturity. Of course you don't want to grow up just yet. Being in school is GREAT. You're meeting new people, you're experiencing new things. But in moderation.

As young people, we have to shove a whole lot of education into a short span of time, but we're also expected to become well-adjusted men and women so that for the other 60 plus years of our lives we're responsible and good role models. It's not about getting all of the I-need-to-have-fun out of your system, it's about learning how to do it responsibly so you can prepare for the rest of your life.