Each weekday, ESPN RISE brings you five vital stats from athletes across the country.
Monique Mead is used to being ahead of the curve. At the 2007 USA Volleyball Girls' Junior Olympic Championships, Mead was named the tournament MVP. During her career at Landmark Christian (Fairburn, Ga.), she was rated in the Top 50 players in the Class of 2009 by PrepVolleyball.com and was virtually unstoppable around the net. Mead graduated from high school a semester early and enrolled at Georgia Tech, and she's dropping knowledge on the five biggest differences between high school and college.
1. More running in practice
"I'm not really a runner. I've always been good with lifting, but when it comes to running it's kind of hard for me. I'm over here like panting on my knees and everyone else is fine."
2. Harder classes
"I feel like when I'm here, when it comes to homework and projects, teachers don't give you updates and you have to look everything up on your own. In high school, they're always giving you reminders and baby you along. In college, you're kind of on own."
3. Time management
"I have to learn when I have free time and when I have to get my school work done and when I can go hang out. Knowing what I have to do and all the effort that it takes, I have to be responsible with my time."
4. New introductions
"Coming in a semester early is kind of weird because I'm kind of trying to get to know everyone but they already know each other from the first semester. Even getting to all my classes is hard."
5. Busy schedule
"In high school I could take naps. Here, as soon as I wake up I always have something to do. Whether It's practice, training, studying for a test or going to study hall, I'm always busy."
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