[TBurette]

I've been friends with people who had to mind the way they flushed the toilet at home to save money as well as people whose parents' home front lawn I mistook for some farmland.

There are several unspoken differences in the way the two population perceive education and defining your future:

If you fail that's it you're done, you'll have to find some low wage job.

  vs

If this doesn't work out you could always try something else

University is there to get a diploma to get a job to set you in life

  vs

Entering higher education is one more step to further orient you towards your future.

You approach some subjects for the first time. It is real work.

  vs

Higher education is not too hard. You had a good school that prepared you well. You have the time to go out and have fun

You make friends

  vs

You make friend and network

School and your own curiosity will not prevent gaps. Other students seem to all possess 'cultural' references you don't. You sometime have to write down words you don't know to look them up later.

  vs

Your parents brought you to museums/theater/... shared their appreciation of art, history, science,... Things that can come up among educated people / in university

At school If you hand an assignment late you'll get zero. No one will give you up extra time later in life young man.

  vs

You can see someone that's there to help you, you can get an extension on this assignment.

Finding an internship / someone in some industry to help on a project will be a time consuming task with many people no deigning to reply

  vs

Dad is a business owner that asks for a spot for his kid to his accounting firm.