Adults often say that high school years are some of the best years.

For me, those years weren’t all that memorable. I was tired a lot, bored even more and I couldn’t wait to get to college and out of my small town. Yet, a recent article from US News discovered that roughly 60 percent of high school graduates are not prepared for college.

Indiana schools have the same academic standards, but that doesn’t mean all students are learning the same things.

Reflecting on my rural high school, I felt like many subjects were too easy and not taught adequately. During my senior year, my AP English teacher was also my principal.

I asked several other students about their high school experiences. Junior business administration major Henry Lichaj said, “My Chicago school was mid-sized and it prepared me for the level of hard work I would have in college.”

Communications sophomore Allison Werner went to Central High School in Floyd Knobs, IN. “My school offered AP courses that gave me insight to the work load I should expect when coming to college. The long papers and speeches that I did in high school definitely helped me be more at ease my freshman year,” said Werner.

According to the National Research Center on Rural Education Support (NRCRES) ,rural schools do not prepare students well enough for college, and those students are expected to struggle even more at large universities.

UE biology sophomore Kaila Knies went to a very small school in French Lick, IN.

“My school did not prepare me for my biology major at all. Very few science classes were offered. We only had biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. There were also very few classes available for college credit and technology was really lacking,” Knies said.

Freshman early childhood education major Hannah Huddleston attended North High School in Evansville. She felt that because it was a larger high school, it prepared her for her major better and offered classes such as child development and education preparatory classes.

Some students come to college disadvantaged, while others are able to test out of a quarter of their classes due to AP and dual credit courses offered at their high school.

Our education system needs to ensure all students have the same opportunities to succeed, whether they live in a large city or behind a cornfield.