How Are College Academics Different from High School Life?

Be ready that when you join college, you have less free time and more responsibilities than you used to have while studying at school. High school students expect that they will only party as the college freshmen, but there are many opportunities laying behind.

Unlike high school, the college provides you with the sense of whom you’re gonna be in the grown-up life. Students first meet the need to cook for themselves and take care of own wardrobe as most of them live on a college campus without parents.

If you want to know which colleges are the best or understand the knowledge they expect from each applicant, you can find more information on the websites with official academic statistics.

In the first table, we have compared the rules you have to follow while studying at high school. The second table contains everything students need to know about the grading system in college and high school.

Rules You Have to Follow and Skills You Must Possess

HOURS SPENT IN HIGH SCHOOL	TAKING RESPONSIBLY IN COLLEGE

High schools are public, obligatory, and free of charge (with some exceptions).	Oftentimes, college is voluntary, but it costs pretty expensive.
Administration plans ‘working’ hours for all students.	College students can manage their own time.
Students grab special permission which allows taking part in school after-class activities.	You need to choose among the great variety of after-class activities or reject all of them.
Parents and teachers are there by your side to help you with your high school and household duties.	Set priorities by yourself. No one is going to help. It’s up to you to define what is moral and ethical this time.
Six hours each day--thirty hours a week—students spend in class.	College time schedule depends on the way you select classes and what courses you take. There can be several free hours between the classes.
Your assignments and in-class activities are developed and arranged for students.	You need to keep in touch with your academic counselor to plan your further courses and academic hours.
ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES	DOING YOUR BEST IN COLLEGE

Students go to high school 36 weeks long; most of the classes offer both study terms while some do not	The whole year in college is made of 15 week-semesters. There is a single week dedicated to examination part.
There are up to 40 students in each school class.	The most popular courses contain 100+ students in one auditorium.
If you prepare for your high school assignments up to three hours per week, it may be more than enough.	You have to study three or even more hours every day.
Take notes and listen carefully in class. That’s all you need to complete your homework assignments.	Review the notes you take, read additional information, and conduct your own research to complete your college homework assignments.
You may count on extra fast help with your homework assignments from your parents or peers.	It is better to order professional academic writing help of college level from the online experts in every field.
Students often interact with each other in teams sharing their opinions on what they have read in class.	Most of the reading and writing assignments are assigned as after-class activities. College professors just give information in class.

Now, it is time to take a look at the grading systems in college and high school. In any case, you should study hard to earn the best grades. At the same time, you need to know how to allocate your academic hours wisely.

GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL	GRADES IN COLLEGE

Your high school homework assignments make most of your final grades.	Any assigned work including teamwork, personal investigation, extra projects, and homework assignments matter when grading college work.
If the exam/test grades are lower than expected, teachers may add up to the final grade with respect to the grades earned for the homework assignments like short essays.	Keep in mind that the grades on tests and major papers make up the greatest share of the grades.
Young people are encouraged to take extra credit projects to increase the grades.	Extra credit projects do not matter if the main grades are low. It won’t help.
High school students turn into graduates once they pass all major classes with a grade of D or higher.	No less than a 2.0 or C is required to graduate from college and move to the next level (e.g. from bachelor to master).

Remind You of Other Differences

There are still several basic moments left to discuss to give you a clue about the differences between studying in college and attending high school. To understand more about academic grading system in the United States, learn more information here.

You know everyone in your high school.
You’re lucky if you contact at least 1-2 people.

Grab textbooks from your library for free after receiving permission from the office.
Go to office to learn how much your books cost. You can take some in the library, but be ready that it may be running out of certain editions. Some pledge is expected.

While you go to high school, you probably live under one roof with your family.
Students from college usually live on campus with their roommates.

You need to wake up early in the morning to be on time for the first class.
Students go to the classes when they want according to the schedule they planned for themselves.

Students cannot skip any academic subjects they don’t want to learn.
In college, you can exclude some academic disciplines but don’t ignore too many subjects as they can matter for your future career.

In High school, most of the high school teachers read from the textbooks, slides they’ve prepared, or other study materials.
Most of the college professors remind of some phrases from the academic materials and their own works, but usually, they speak without any notes during the lectures.

High school students can prepare for their exams at home in a quite atmosphere.
It’s a challenge to find a silent place while you live on a college campus.

It is easier to cheat and share notes with your peers at school.
It is almost impossible to cheat during tests and exams in college. However, you can improve your cheating skills by reading this blog.

High school demands surviving as the social hierarchy may be harsh.
In college, you can spend time only with people you like, without being pressed.

Once you take a look at these major differences, you can understand why students are forced to go to school while people dream to become part of the college. If you lack skills or knowledge to write an excellent application essay for your college admissions or cope with a complex homework assignment, the best way out is a time-tested academic writing service from the top-qualified UK and US writers and editors. Hurry up to buy the premium-quality paper now!