High School vs. College

Personal Freedom

In high school:

• Mandatory, usually free.
• Others structured time.
• Told what to do, inappropriate behavior corrected.

 In college:

• Voluntary, expensive.
• You manage time.
• You take responsibility for your behavior.

Classes

 In high school:

• Went from one class to another daily.
• About 30 hours a week, about 36 weeks a year.
• Followed prescribed course schedule.
• Teachers took attendance.
• Textbooks free or inexpensive.
• Graduation requirements standardized.

 In college:

• Classes vary in times and frequency.
• About 12-16 hours a week, about 32 weeks a year.
• You and advisor arrange course schedule.
• Professors don't take roll, but probably know who's attending.
• Textbooks usually more than $200 each semester.
• Graduation requirements differ among majors.

Studying

In high school:

• As few as two hours a week outside class.
• Minimal reading, few presentations for test preparation.
• Short reading assignments discussed and re-taught in class.
• Usually told in class what to learn from assigned readings.

In college:

• At least two hours outside class for each hour in class.
• Independently review class notes and textbook regularly.
• Little direct in-class review of substantial amounts of reading and writing assignments.
• Responsible for reading and understanding material to follow subsequent lectures.

Tests

 In high school:

• Frequent; covered small amounts of material.
• Frequently planned around school events.
• Teachers often reviewed material, pointed out important concepts.
• Mastery meant reproducing what was taught or solving problems using what was taught.

 In college:

• Maybe two or three a semester, cover large amounts of material.
• Scheduled without considering other activities.
• In-class reviews rare; participation with questions expected.
• Mastery means applying what you've learned to new situations or problems.

Instructors

In high school, teachers

• Checked homework.
• Reminded you to complete work.
• Often approached you appeared to need help.
• Often could talk privately before, during or after class.
• Are trained to help you understand information.
• Often gave you information you missed when absent.
• Presented material to help you understand textbook reading.

In college, instructors

• Don't always check assignments.
• Don't help keep track of work.
• While open and helpful, usually expect you to contact them for help.
• Prefer that you talk with them during scheduled office hours.
• Are trained as experts in their fields of research or study.
• Expect you to get missed notes from classmates.
• Supplement textbook reading with illustrations, background information or research discussion. May expect you to relate the classes to the textbook readings.