High school versus college Essay

Going to College after so many years made me realize how different high school is from College. In fact, many students that attend College straight after high school quit after their first semester of College due to the changes and difficulties encountered. There are various reasons why College differs from high school. However, knowing the expectations and the culture of College in comparison to high school would help in a more successful transition. College differs from high school in many ways. However, students should begin their transition to College by first looking at not only what to expect from College; but also what College will expect from them. As a college education is very important step to reach personal aspirations in the workplace and life. First of all, College offers an opportunity to learn independently. Unlike high school, College students can function with little guidance from their professors. As a result, College students have to develop many self management skills such as getting to school on time, turning projects by deadlines, being able to use electronic materials for the syllabus, class outlines, online classes or assignments. Secondly, College has a faster pace than high school. Each college course is twice faster than high school courses. In addition, College course usually requires more reading, more homework, and more projects. The workload is totally higher and faster and requires more time to study. The College books have more words per page, thus more chapters than the high school books. The language used in the textbooks is more difficult and requires more time to study. Unlike high school which has specific school hours 5 days a week excluding weekends; College on the other hands offer more out of class time. Students can choose to go to school any time based on their chosen schedule whether is day, night or weekends. As a result of this freedom, College students have to learn to manage their time effectively. In addition, all high schools students must take the same basic classes in order to graduate such as English, Mathematics, Sciences, Physical education, world history, economics, foreign languages and other elective. College students on the other hand can take any classes based on their academic major. Most college freshmen start with beginning classes such as English, writing, speech, and Mathematics then they can choose any other required course based on their academic field of study. College students also have higher level of thinking than high school students. They are able to do research on a topic and ideas as well as analyzing others ideas and interpreting and evaluating data from any given source. High school students on the other hands can only summarize and take ideas from others. Some of College student’s classes unlike high school class require research papers, presentation, and discussion in front of the whole class and sometimes peer evaluation. Although College culture differs widely from high school culture, students can also succeed with improved effort and practice. Whether students attend College straight from high school or its equivalents; or attending College after many years of working, going to college offers an opportunity to grow and to achieve goals. No matter what the background or motivation, being a College student will provide an opportunity to improve life and reach personal aspirations.