Which way to go?

During the Thanksgiving holidays, I had an opportunity to talk with our two grandkids who are in college—the oldest in her fourth year, the youngest in his first. I asked the oldest if she felt what she was majoring in (chemistry and biology) had become more to her than just "subjects and grades". She said it had, and she was excited about what she was learning. She added she often sits around her apartment talking informally with her friends about things as as "genetics". Such never would have happened during her prior years in college, except just before an exam. I thus concluded she has found her direction in life academically, even if it did take her three years to do so.

The youngest was not so confident, and he has apparently realized that being in college is not at all like it was in high school. An "A" in a high school subject, for example, does not necessarily translate to a good grade in college. His first college barrage of final exams awaits him over the next three weeks, and I suspect that fact is weighing heavily on him. The reason for that I think is that "A's" came too easily for him through high school, and he never had to study very hard. The situation is completely different for him now, and that fact has slapped him up side his head—unfortunately just a few weeks before his finals.

Age and maturity have a lot to do with a person's ability to manage challenges such as those faced daily by young people in college. It's how they react to those challenges that guides them later in life. It may take a few of ups and downs before they finally figure out "which way to go", but eventually they will.