High School vs. College

Here are a few examples of important differences between high school and college to discuss with your student.

HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE

TeacherStudent Interactions

Teachers typically approach students if they need help Teachers are often available for conversations before, during, and after class Classes typically have no more than 35 students Teachers carefully monitor class attendance Students may need to spend 1–2 hours per day completing homework or studying Students rely on listening in class and have limited reading assignments outside of class Teachers remind students of due dates and incomplete work Good homework grades may raise a student’s overall grades when test grades are low Professors are usually open and helpful, but most expect the student to initiate contact if they need help Professors expect (and want) students to attend their scheduled office hours or reach out via

Classes

Studying

email Classes may range from 15–100+ students in a lecture hall Professors may not formally take roll, but they still likely know whether or not students attended

Students need to study at least 2–3 hours outside of class for each hour in class

Students need to take notes in class and review notes and other course

Assignments

materials regularly Professors might go over due dates at the beginning of the semester and then rely on students to check the syllabus the rest of the time

Grades on tests and papers usually provide most of the course grade