Can you get a tutor to help? Have study sessions with class mates? Just a few suggestions. If course load is too much you can always scale back on the credit hours.

hugs! that sounds really stressful. things will get better and easier.

Community Colleges are in the semester system (most I know about), but not all universities are semester-based in the undergrad setting. Congratulations on your admission to a university! My recommendation is to try your best, and move forward. If you moved to a Quarter System, it will be a bit of a shock, and it seems that you need to cram a lot, and I mean, a lot of information into a shorter amount of time. Fear not! The first quarter is the hardest, then after this, you will be acclimated to a) your new environment, b) your new school's schedule, and c) all the readings and exams, etc. that you need at university.
Don't quit, feel exhausted, or alienate yourself. You will have less time now during your first weeks at the university, but as I said, you will adjust. Be positive. Your classes require more reading? Well tackle it. Require you to read and then exam? Tackle it again. Be positive.
Thousands of young people do the same, and feel the same as you when they begin this exciting chapter in their lives. Don't quit, don't despair, move on positively and do your required work.
Art History is something you've chosen, but you can always change your major, but, if you do and you feel differently about your original choice, change your major soon. You also don't want to change majors every semester / quarter. Don't waste your time and money. Remember: a good education is a must. Don't quit. Do your best, and check out / audit some classes. Immerse yourself in university and not the other way around. Best of luck, rooting for you... and wish you the best with your professional training at a university!

I found it an incredible shock to the system to start university in my 40s. Huge. By the second year I was fine.

You'll be beset by fears about the future, but I learned something really important about life when i relocated a villa across a mountain range once, in my 30s. The men cut it in half down the middle. Took it on trucks over the Pahiatua track through the rimutaka mountain ranges, over to the paddock i had bought, and set it on piles.

it didn't match up. OMG it didn't match up. The bits of house were splayed out like crazy. Down the bottom the house was butted up together. At the top? the house swayed outwards by about 2 yards. How would they get hydraulics strong enough to push that house back together, and how would they possibly stick it back together in a way that stopped it from falling apart again? My house was doomed.

Bit by bit, board by board, they sewed that house back up like a zipper. By the end it was done. You couldn't even see where they'd been. Absolutely amazing job. Beautiful.

What was the lesson? NEVER look at the big picture. Just do the next thing. Do what's in front of you. See where it gets you. The big picture is always going to freak you out. Because there are too many unknowns. How can you choose your courses for next year when you haven't finished your courses for this year? You can't! You don't even know who you will be by then, let alone know what will interest you. You haven't learned enough to find out. But there is one thing I can promise you:

If you always choose those papers you are interested in, as you go, each year - and always do your best with them on the day, each assignment that comes... you'll end up in a place that interests you. You'll end up with a career you enjoy. You're doing arts. You can't operate top down in the arts. you have to build from the bottom up, like the way they zipped up my house. From the bottom, up.

Now: first thing you have to do? GET A WALL PLANNER or else excel. I don't care how, but you are going to be an anxious mess until you have, with much deep breathing, gone into every course requirements list and written in every single assignment, essay, due date (diff colour for diff course) on that wall planner so that you know which to shoot for next. Then it's a case of going flat out working to your next assignment, while also keeping up with the reading for the ones that are not yet due.

it's like juggling. Or... running with a wheelbarrow down hill. You just get off your butt and start running, and pick up the pieces when it's over. You'll amaze yourself at how well you handle the stress, provided you have a wall planner or as I say, excel or diary or whatever, that you can look at when you are panicking, and use to calm yourself down.

Most of what's wrong with study is the panic. :D

@Juls - I'm glad you came on here to share. Sounds like you've been given some great advice already from the other posters. I especially like the advice about getting a planner to help plan things. It's amazing how something that simple that can help you feel more in control of things. Also just focus on one thing at a time. Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming. If you just started, then you have at least fours years to go. You will adjust, the first semester is always the hardest. Whatever you do always find time for yourself to help unwind from the stress of the day. Exercise can work wonders for that. And even more look for an opportunity to help someone else. You'd be amazed at what you get back in return. You will be fine if you give your self time to adjust. Keep sharing with us on here.

I started out at a community college and got my AAS with honors. Transitioning to a university after that was tough. It was even tougher because my first major depressive episode happened during my first semester at a university. It took me 10 years of going to school on and off, working in between, before I got my bachelor's.

In between community college and university, I felt like I was losing myself. When I went to my university many years later, I was older than the other students, focused on getting the degree and leaving. Your perspective in life changes many times. You love art history but don't know what to do with it. Go to the career center and talk to an advisor. They may suggest a minor in something where you can combine that art passion into a career as a graphic designer, web designer or developer, illustrator etc. Explore your options. And give yourself time to get acclimated to the new school. My accounting classes were soo much harder when I got to the university. It was a big difference because, at the cc, they were bookkeeping focused but at the university, they were teaching future accountants and cpa's. I was more of a bookkeeping type.

Attend a club that has an art focus or some other subject that you want to explore. It's a great way to make friends. Making friends can take time but remember to keep putting in the effort and it will happen.

You may want to talk to the university counselor to get help on making this transition. You are most certainly not the first person they will have spoken to who has gone through this. You may want to drop down to a lower course load temporarily until you get the hang of things so you don't drive yourself crazy. Even if you add a semester to your college career by taking less, you will be better off in the end because you will have enjoyed it more and have better grades. Talk to financial aid and find out how it will work out financially if you choose to do that. Best of luck!