Wondering how your academic experience in high school might change when you get to college? Your teachers in high school might have different ways of doing things than your professors in college. Here are some key differences you will likely experience when you make the jump.
#1. Availability for Questions and Support
High school
In high school, you are often in the same building with your teachers all day, every day. You see them both inside and outside of class, and they likely have more of a presence in the everyday experience of all students. If you need to ask them questions about an assignment, get study help, or even extra credit, it’s probably fairly easy to find your teacher in their classroom anytime throughout the day, and you’ll have the ability to access them without an appointment.
College
The availability of college professors is vastly different than high school teachers. The biggest difference here is that professors’ schedules vary greatly; they may not have a fixed building or classroom; and they probably won’t be hanging around between classes. Professors set times you can drop in to their offices for “office hours,” or you can make an appointment if your schedule conflicts with their availability. Your professors are just as invested in you and interested in helping you succeed — they just have more students, multiple levels of education to manage, and vastly different schedules than high school teachers.
#2. Attendance Expectations and Awareness
High school
Most high schools and public-school environments have strict attendance expectations that are set by the state. In high school, most students are minors and need to be accounted for when they’re at school. If you miss a class without permission or an approved excuse, teachers will often alert administration or call your parents/guardians. Some teachers might even make a note of what you missed so you can make it up later, or catch you up when you’re back in class.
College
College professors might not care if you’re gone or why you’re gone. In college, most students are officially — and legally — adults, and professors likely won’t be checking up on you, or keeping you in the loop of what you’ve missed. Some professors do have attendance requirements, so missing class might not get you in trouble with your parents, but it could affect your grade. Plus, if you make missing class a habit, you could quickly lose your professor’s trust. You’ll be expected to ask a classmate for notes, consult your syllabus for what you missed that day, or make an appointment with your professor to get back on track.
#3. Help with missed coursework and tests
High school
In high school, a teacher often takes on the responsibility of noticing when a student is struggling, or approaching students when their grades are suffering. Often, teachers can help students course correct before they’re in danger of failing the class or affecting their GPA in a profound way.
College
College professors won’t hand hold you through an academic dip. If you receive a poor test grade or your GPA is getting low, your professor expects you to be aware of that, and then take action. Use office hours, your peers, college tutoring centers and study groups. Most professors are more than willing to help you figure out where things went wrong, but they won’t micromanage your grade and help you before you ask.
#4. Presentation of important information
High school
Many high school teachers provide much more than a link to online documents, whiteboard notes, or a book. You’ll get supplemental handouts that teachers have to locate and photocopy themselves; some even give you study guides or summaries of class notes throughout the year to help you prepare for exams later; others provide links to all sorts of resources to help you learn.
College
While some professors will follow suit, you’ll probably experience professors who will list the required reading in your syllabus AND expect you to keep track of the materials you need to stay on track in their class. If the class has a book, you’ll get notified of that requirement and you’ll need to go buy the book prior to the first day of class. Most professors have too many students to photocopy handouts, so they’ll either provide a link to something to look up later, or make a recommendation in the syllabus that you go to the library and locate that information yourself.
What’s the biggest lesson here? We like to think it’s a mix of accountability and responsibility. College professors, like high school teachers, want you to succeed; they want you to enjoy your experience and walk away with more experience and knowledge. But professors also know that burden is you on you, not them. They will give you the information, give you access to them (with reasonable boundaries), and often go out of their way to help you. The best way to ensure your experience is smooth is to communicate with your instructors, do your best work, and, above all … read your syllabus!
