Comparing High School and College

Transitioning to college can be an overwhelming and exciting feeling to students, families, and supporters. Know that in college, students will gain the freedom and skills to become more independent. Students will have responsibilities and will need to be accountable for their actions to be successful in their college journey. It is important that students understand the difference between high school and college so that they can be prepared for them. In this section, we will cover a few of the big differences and give you tips on how to support students through this process.  

At first glance, one of the biggest differences between high school and college is that attending high school is mandatory and is usually free. However, attending college is voluntary and has a financial cost. A big shock that students usually face when starting college is the freedom to direct their education. This means students must choose their own courses, explore different subjects, and build the schedule they prefer. In college, classes are not every day, like they are in many high schools. Instead, classes are offered on block schedules: Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday classes. Some courses will have labs or other special formats that meet on Fridays as well. Additionally, courses can begin as early as 8:00 am and finish as late as 6:00 pm. Academic advisors will give students suggestions of classes, but it will be up to students to select and register for their courses. We encourage you to be supportive and flexible with students throughout this process. 

Independence

In high school, students often have a more structured environment with teachers. Teachers usually provide guidance and supervision on deadlines for homework, exams or projects.   

In college, professors expect students to be more independent. They may provide guideline for assignments, but students are responsible for managing their time, completing their assignments, and asking for help when needed. 

Class Structure

In high school, classes usually follow a fixed schedule, and students move from one class to another throughout the day. Courses are often mandatory and predetermined.  

In college, college schedules are more flexible, and students have more control over their courses. Students have a variety of options with their schedule and can often either pick classes that are Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. Classes may end up being back-to-back or there may be large gaps of time between courses. Time management skills are key in determining how scheduling works best for each student. 

Grading

College grading can look and feel a bit different than it did in high school for students. It’s possible grades in high school consisted of a balanced structure between tests, homework, papers, and projects throughout the semester. In college, it’s possible classes will have a reduced number of assignments that count toward a student’s grades. For instance, some classes may have grades that consist primarily of a midterm exam and a final exam. While this may sound nice to some students to have reduced assignments that count for grades, it places far more pressure to do well on those few graded elements. It will be helpful to encourage your students to know the grading structure and to follow the expectations of the syllabus regardless of which items are graded and which aren’t.

Now that you are familiar with some key differences between high school and college, let’s look at some ways to stay ahead in college courses.