Prospective Students

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the academic difference between college and high school?

ACADEMIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL

Your new experiences in college could be overwhelming at the outset. However, if you know what to expect in college, you will probably find your adjustment will be easier and more rewarding. Let us now review some of the more significant academic differences between college and high school which will prepare you to make a better adjustment to your college life.

(a) Freedom of Choice/Independence
In most cases, the degree of independence is perhaps the most significant difference between college and high school. You are now on your own and you must make your own decisions. Up to this time most all of the decisions were made for you by your school and parents. You now have freedom of choice to chart your direction and future. This requires maturity, to make wise decisions and be accountable. This is in some instances, a shock to many entering freshmen.

Freedom of choice can help you with your personal development or it can lead to failure if you make unwise choices. In everything you do, you will be the master of your destiny. You will make decisions concerning course selection, amount of time to devote to your studies, who your friends will be, what you will do with your free time - will you waste your time or use if wisely?

(b) Competition
In college, the students attending are a more select group academically. You will find that the competition in college is keener. You are now competing with a higher level of student achievement since your new classmates come from the top of their senior class in high school. This means that to maintain the same level of achievement as in the past you will have to put forth a greater effort and do much more in college. There are also extremely talented students who are attending on an academic scholarship and those who are in the honors program. This increases the competition among students in college.

(c) Daily Classroom Experiences
Another area that you will experience significant differences between high school and college is in the daily class activities.

In high school, students who plan to attend college will be in a college preparatory program. Here you were introduced to the basic fundamentals in science, social studies, mathematics and English. On the other hand, in college, depending on your major, you will be exposed to courses which are more advanced, demanding and comprehensive especially in the junior and senior years. The course work will move at a more rapid pace and you will be expected to keep up with the lectures, readings and assignments. In many classes you will be responsible for much more outside reading assignments than in the past.

You probably will be in the library more frequently than in high school. You will be asked occasionally to read magazine articles, journals and periodicals and to submit a written report on the information you read. Sometimes you will present your findings as part of a committee report. Frequently you may have to write a term paper which is generally due at the end of the semester and will be included in your final grade for the course. In engineering and other science courses, you may be involved with a semester or year long assignment involving a research design project.

As a full time student you will take between 12-18 credit hours per semester with an average academic load of 16 semester hours. You will also have the advantage to select your classes from a wide range of course offerings and schedule your roster on the days and time you prefer, if you register promptly. Most programs of study will include several professional and free electives so that you will have the advantage of taking courses of interest to you in areas other than your major.

(d) Professors and Instruction
In high school, you were taught by teachers who generally have a bachelor's and master's degree in their chosen area of teaching.

In higher education and especially in a university, your instructors are generally professors who are prominent in their respective areas of expertise and many have a national reputation as experts in their field. In a university setting almost all the professors will have a doctor's degree, usually a Ph.D. or Ed.D. In addition, they will be engaged in doing original and/or applied research, especially in a research oriented university. Most of them will write articles, publish books and present papers at professional seminars, workshops and convention, while in most colleges, the emphasis is primarily on teaching with a limited role in research activities.

In general, many colleges and especially in local community colleges, they are teaching institutions in which the emphasis is primarily on instruction and not on research or graduate studies. Professors will conduct their classes in whatever manner they choose to do so. This is known in professional circles as academic freedom. They will, as a rule, use the lecture and demonstration methods in their presentation of course material and may utilize several types of audio visual aids as they deem necessary.

Some classes may be small (25 or less) especially true in the advanced semesters while others may be large (100 or more), the number depending on the nature of the course content. With large classes you will have a recitation period generally conducted by teaching assistants who are graduate students working on their Ph.D's. Generally, during the recitation periods, questions and answers regarding the lecture materials will be reviewed by graduate Teaching Assistants.

(e) Evaluation
There is no one set standard for grading in higher education. Evaluation procedures will vary from one institution to another. On your final evaluation of your course work, professors will have different weight to various aspects of their course. A professor may give one or more quizzes throughout the semester. He/she may have a mid-term exam or choose not to give one. A term paper may be required and the professor may assign a low or high percentage of your final grade to the report. This is also true with the final examination.

One aspect of grading which seems to be consistent in most universities and colleges is the numerical value of grade point average. As a rule, a "D" grade earns one honor point, a "C" has two, a "B" earns three, and an "A" is four honor points.

Every student's grade point average is calculated at the end of each semester and every institution has its own policy on what constitutes satisfactory progress. Academic standing committees will review your transcript and depending on your grade point average place you in satisfactory academic standing, warning, probation or dismissal.