| Home >Future Students >High School vs. College |
| Personal Freedom in High School | Personal Freedom in College |
|---|---|
| High school is mandatory and free (unless you choose other options). | College is voluntary and expensive. |
| Your time is usually structured by others. | You manage your own time. |
| You can count on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and to guide you in setting priorities. | You must balance your responsibilities and set priorities. |
| High School Classes | College Classes |
| Each day you proceed from one class directly to another. | You often have hours between classes; class times vary throughout the day and evening. |
| You spend 6 hours each day–30 hours each week–in class. | You spend 12 to 16 hours each week in class. |
| Most of your classes are arranged for you. | You arrange your own schedule in consultation with your academic advisor. Schedules tend to look lighter than they really are. |
| Teachers carefully monitor attendance. | Instructors may not formally take roll, but they’re still likely to know whether or not you attended. |
| Classes generally have no more than 35 students. | Classes may number 100 students or more. |
| You’re provided with textbooks at little or no expense. | You need to budget substantial funds for textbooks, which usually cost more than $200 each semester. |
| High School Teachers | College Instructors |
Teachers check your completed homework |
Instructors may not always check completed work, but they’ll assume you can perform the same tasks on tests |
| Teachers approach you if they believe you need assistance. | Instructors are usually open and helpful, but most expect you to initiate contact if you need assistance. |
| Teachers are often available for conversation before, during or after class. | Instructors expect and want you to attend their scheduled office hours. |
| Teachers provide you with information you missed when you were absent. | Instructors expect you to get from classmates any notes from classes you missed. |
| Teachers often write information on the board to be copied in your notes. | Instructors may lecture nonstop, expecting you to identify the important points in your notes. Good notes are a MUST! |
| Teachers often take time to remind you of assignments and due dates. | Instructors expect you to read, save and consult the course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it’s due and how you’ll be graded. |
| Studying in High School | Studying in College |
| You may study outside of class as little as 0-2 hours a week. | You need to study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. |
| You’re expected to read short assignments that are discussed and often, retaught in class. | You’re assigned huge amounts of reading and writing that may never be directly addressed in class. |
You’ll usually be told in class what you need to learn from reading assignments. |
It’s up to YOU to read and understand the assigned material. Lectures and assignments generally proceed with the assumption you’ve already done so. |
| Tests in High School | Tests in College |
| Testing is often frequent and covers small amounts of materials. | Testing is usually infrequent and cumulative, covering large amounts of material. |
| Makeup tests are often available. | Makeup tests are seldom an option. If they are, you need to request them. |
| Teachers frequently arrange tests dates to avoid conflict with school events. | Instructors in different courses usually schedule tests without regard to the demands of other courses or outside activities. |
| Teachers frequently schedule review sessions, pointing out the most important concepts. | Instructors rarely offer review sessions, and when they do, they expect you to come armed with questions. |
| Grades in High School | Grades in College |
| Grades are given for most assigned work. | Grades may not be provided for all assigned work. |
| Consistently good homework grades may help raises your overall grade when test grades are low. | Grades on tests and major papers usually provide most of the course grade. |
| Extra credit projects are often available to help you raise your grade. | Extra credit projects cannot, generally speaking, be used to raise a grade in a college course. |
| You may graduate as long as you’ve passed all required courses with a grade of D or higher. | You may graduate only if your average meets the departmental standard–typically 2.0 or C. |
| Effort counts. | Results count. |