> It happens most dramatically for the popular snobs in high school. They get to college, discover the showboating that's always worked for them falls flat, and have to rethink their social behavior. Some never do, but enough do that college environments tend to be so dramatically different from what you find in high school.

I think that is huge about going to college you learn quickly whether things will work or not if you continue on your same path.

If you go to a four year college right out of high school, you are only 2-3 months removed from that "stage," if you want to call it that. So, Sam is right about that word. The nice thing about college is that it is a clear line drawn in the sand and if you want to change or hang out with different people or try different things, this is a great opportunity. Things are new for everyone starting at a college, so you aren't stuck in some of those roles/ruts that can be hard to get out of. There are more people, usually, than your high school and usually more diversity. And by diversity, I mean beyond just race. No wonder people feel like they change in college or that their old friends change. I know I did. Leaving college and going to whatever the next step is in your life can bring a lot of the same opportunities and changes.

However, you will encounter a lot of the same types of people in college that you saw in high school. People are who they are and either can't change, won't change, or have no need to change because things work for them. This is not a good or bad thing, necessarily.

A wise man once told me, "You'll see the same jerks in college as you did in high school. They'll just be smarter."

Ferrick