iii. Differences Between High School and College
High school and college are very different worlds. Some of the differences between the two are included in the table below. Because the table is not an exhaustive list of the differences, be mindful of other differences you may notice. Also, if your most recent experience has been the world of work or the military, you may find that there are more noticeable differences between those experiences and college.
Table of the Differences Between High School and College
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High School |
College |
Why You Need to Know the Difference |
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Grades |
Grades are made up of frequent tests and homework, and you may be able to bring up a low initial grade by completing smaller assignments and bonuses. | Grades are often made up of fewer assignments, and initial low grades may keep you from earning high course grades at the end of the semester. | You will need to be prepared to earn high grades on all assignments because you may not have the opportunity to make up for lost ground. |
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Learning |
Learning is often done in class with the teacher guiding the process, offering multiple ways to learn material and frequent quizzes to ensure that learning is occurring. | Learning happens mostly outside of class and on your own. Faculty are responsible for assigning material and covering the most essential ideas; you are responsible for tracking and monitoring your learning progress. | You will need to practice effective learning strategies on your own to ensure that you are mastering material at the appropriate pace. |
| Getting Help | Your teachers, parents, and a counselor are responsible for identifying your need for help and for creating a plan for you to get help with coursework if you need it. Extra assistance is usually reserved for students who have an official diagnosis or need. | You will most likely need help to complete all your courses successfully even if you did not need extra help in high school. You will be responsible for identifying that you need it, accessing the resources, and using them. | Because the responsibility is on you, not parents or teachers, to get the help you need, you will want to be aware of when you may be struggling to learn material. You then will need to know where the support can be accessed on campus or where you can access support online. |
| Test & Exams | Tests cover small amounts of material and study days or study guides are common to help you focus on what you need to study. If you pay attention in class, you should be able to answer all the questions. | Tests are fewer and cover more material than in high school. If you read all the assigned material, take good notes in class, and spend time practicing effective study techniques, you should be able to answer all the questions. | This change in how much material and the depth of which you need to know the material is a shock for some students. This may mean you need to change your strategies dramatically to get the same results. |
Table 1.4 – Comparison of high school and college expectations in grades, learning, getting help, and exams, emphasizing the shift in student responsibility and independence.
Some of What You Will Learn Is “Hidden”
Many of the college expectations that have been outlined so far may not be considered common knowledge, which is one reason that so many colleges and universities have classes that help students learn what they need to know to succeed. The term hidden curriculum, which was coined by sociologists, describes unspoken, unwritten, or unacknowledged (hence, hidden) rules that students are expected to follow that can affect their learning.
Situation: According to your syllabus, your history professor is lecturing on the chapter that covers the stock market crash of 1929 on Tuesday of next week.
Sounds pretty straightforward. Your professor lectures on a topic and you will be there to hear it. However, there are some unwritten rules, or hidden curriculum, that are not likely to be communicated. Can you guess what they may be?
- What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing before attending class?
- What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing in class?
- What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing after class?
- What is an unwritten rule if you are not able to attend that class?
Some of your answers could have included the following:
- Before class: Review your course syllabus or planner to determine what is being covered, read the assigned chapter, take notes, record any questions you have about the reading.
- During class: Focus your attention on the lecture, discussion, or activity and put away any distractions, take detailed notes, ask critical thinking or clarifying questions, avoid distractions, bring your book and your reading notes.
- After class: Review what you learned in that class and connect it to other class lectures or discussions, organize your notes in relation to your other notes, start the studying process by testing yourself on the material, make an appointment with your professor if you are not clear on a concept.
- Absent: Avoid asking your professor “Did I miss anything important?”, communicate with the professor, get notes from a classmate, make sure you did not miss anything important in your notes.
The expectations before, during, and after class, as well as what you should do if you miss class, are often unspoken because many professors assume you already know and do these things or because they feel you should figure them out on your own. Nonetheless, some students struggle at first because they don’t know about these habits, behaviors, and strategies. But once they learn them, they are able to meet them with ease.
Photo by University of New Orleans
Learning Is Your Responsibility
As you may now realize by reviewing the differences between high school and college, learning in college will be your responsibility. Before you read about the how and why of being responsible for your own learning, complete the Activity below.
Activity: On a 1 – 5 scale, decide how much each statement represents you, with 1 indicating that the statement is least like you, and 5 indicating that the statement is most like you.
- Most of the time, I can motivate myself to complete tasks even if they are boring or challenging.
- I regularly work hard when I need to complete a task no matter how small or big the task may be.
- I use different strategies to manage my time effectively and minimize procrastination to complete tasks.
- I regularly track my progress completing work and the quality of work I do produce.
- I believe how much I learn and how well I learn is my responsibility.
Were you mostly 4s and 5s? If you were even one 4 or 5, then you are well on your way to taking responsibility for your own learning. Let’s break down each statement in the components of the ownership of learning:
Motivation. Being able to stay motivated while studying and balancing all you have to do in your classes will be important for meeting the rest of the components.
Deliberate, focused effort. Taking ownership of learning will hinge on the effort that you put into the work. Because most learning in college will take place outside of the classroom, you will need determination to get the work done. And there will be times that the work will be challenging and maybe even boring, but finding a way to get through it when it is not exciting will pay in the long run.
Time and task management. You will learn more about strategies for managing your time and the tasks of college in a later chapter, but without the ability to control your calendar, it will be difficult to block out the time to study.
Progress tracking. A commitment to learning must include monitoring your learning, knowing not only what you have completed (this is where a good time management strategy can help you track your tasks), but also the quality of the work you have done.
Taking responsibility for your learning will take some time if you are not used to being in the driver’s seat. However, if you have any difficulty making this adjustment, you can and should reach out for help along the way.
