Difference Between School and University Life
For sure applicants have wondered more than once what life awaits them in a couple of months. In fact, what awaits you is a student life that is radically different from the one you are living at the moment. Why? Let us tell you. Here are the differences between the life of a high school student and the life of a college student.
Many of you will move away from your parents, leave your hometown, and begin your adult life with a new start. You will be completely free from the control of your elders who have had their eye on you for 18 years. But any freedom is limited by the laws of nature and society. Now you are responsible for your actions, and you should be wise in taking this right to “be an adult and independent”.
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The differences between school and university
As you start your university journey, here are some important ways that university is different from school and how you’ll have to adapt .
Juan Rubio Gorrochategui
If you're starting university this year, you will soon be settling into a new environment, living away from home and having to look after yourself. You will leave behind the lifestyle you have been familiar with since you started secondary education or high school. Things are about to become markedly different, and not having to wear a uniform is not the only thing that will change once you start your journey to university.
So much choice
The key word that defines what the university experience entails is “freedom”. Now it is up to you to decide on your daily habits. Fancy having five bars of chocolate a day? Go for it.
From the beginning of the first term, nobody will check whether you attend your lectures or whether you get eight hours of sleep every night. Autonomy to live your own life will also come with the expectation that you will be responsible enough to take care of yourself. Thus, it is essential that you organise your daily routine early on so that you have enough time to attend your lectures, participate in social activities and clubs and hang out with your friends.
Busting the myths about university
My first tip that I cannot stress enough is to make an effort to attend your lectures. It makes a massive difference, as lecturers often give clues to what material they will include in the final exam, or guidelines on essay layout. The same applies to tutorials, seminars and workshops.
Lecturers, unlike schoolteachers, will not see you every day and might be hard to reach. They won’t always check why you aren’t going to lectures. Tutorials and seminars are therefore a great opportunity to ask questions about content that you have not been able to fully grasp when they are presented in lectures.
On that note, try to keep regular contact with your personal tutor, who will be your main source of academic support and will supply you with tips on various matters relating to studying and campus life. Planning meetings with your tutor are just as much your responsibility as they are theirs, so be sure to keep up with them.
It is also important to be proactive in your learning and to regularly read your notes and leave aside some time at the weekend to go through the week’s lecture content.
And do take a look at the recommended reading, as many courses require supplementary materials in order to fully understand them. Binge revising everything the day before the exam may have been enough to scrape a pass at school, but it is less likely to work at university if you haven't done the reading throughout the term.
Socialising
Of course, you should still make sure you meet people and have fun in your free time. At school, you shared facilities with maybe a few thousand students at most. You were also more likely to be in more classes with your friends and to have only a few areas where you could hang out at lunchtime, so you were pretty much guaranteed to see your friends every day.
However, at university, there are thousands of students across the campus. This has its upsides (the chances are quite high that you meet plenty of people with similar hobbies as you) and its downsides (sometimes it can feel lonely). A good way to find new peers is by joining clubs.
There will be loads of clubs to choose from, focusing on such different areas as sports, cultural activities or food. In the case of the larger clubs, apart from doing events related to their main area of interest, they also organise frequent social gatherings that allow you to meet even more people.
Mental health
It is important to mention that such a sudden change in your life can take a toll on your mental health. There will be times when you can feel stressed because of the workload, scared of failing or simply alone in the world. Being far from your family and closest friends can be hard. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
Starting university can be quite challenging for many people, and struggling to adapt to the new environment is common.
Do not hesitate to speak to counselling services, your personal tutor or your new friends if you’re finding it difficult to cope. Because, at the end of the day, the most important thing is for you to enjoy this period of your life. Good luck, and make the best out of university!
Read more: Five tips to make the most of your university experience
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High School vs. University: A Comparison
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Introduction
Academic rigor and flexibility, independence and responsibility.
Social Dynamics and Diversity
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Compare/contrast high school life and university liife
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According to those in the travel business, the nature of the average 'holiday' is changing. Rather than seeking a relaxing break in a far-away place, people now want exitement on their holidays and are keen to participate in unusual and challenging activities. Do you agree or disagree?
Nowadays many people choose to be self employed, rather than to work for a company or organisation. what could be the disadvantages of being self employed, some people say in order to prevent illness and disease, governments should focus on reducing environmental pollution and housing problems. to what extend do you agree or disagree, in some countries it is now illegal to reject someone applying for a job because of his or her age. do you think this is a positive or negative development, many people think modern communication technology is having some negative effects on social relationship. to what extent do you agree or disagree.
School Life vs. College Life
There is a great deal of difference between school life and college life. School life is a life of restrictions and control, a life in which the student has to be accountable for his daily work with his teachers and his guardian. But a college student, on the other hand, enjoys a much greater freedom from control and supervision; he is, to a very large extent, the master of his own destiny. It lies with him to make it or mar it.
At school, the students have to be in attendance for fixed hours every day. He has to leave home at ten or eleven and return at four at college, however, the hours of attendance vary. Sometimes, a college student has a hard time in the morning to gulp his food; at others, he has enough time to lounge about for a few minutes after a leisurely meal. On some days he returns early from college; or others, it is late evening by the time he gets back home. He has ample time at his disposal to use, abuse, or misuse.
At school, the student has to prepare his daily lessons and may be taken to task for what he has left undone. But at college, he can do his lessons daily, or not at all, as fancy may please or conscience may dictate. He is left to his own resources; he must understand his difficulties, and find out ways and means to remove them. He must, for the most part, depend upon himself, and take the help of a friend or a teacher only as his means and circumstances permit. In one respect, however, school life is more joyous than college life.
A student can run about and exercise his limbs in school more vigorously than at college. The sight of boys shouting and running down the staircase or the corridors or in the school quadrangle is something that one will seldom find in a college. College boys are either boisterous and rowdy or grave and decorous. They are must behave as grown-up people. Of course, it the college happens to have its playgrounds, they can go there after college hours and take part in regular games. Nowadays every college has a gymnasium to help student s build the ‘body beautiful’. A college, in other words, may not permit uproarious merriment, but it often gives larger opportunities for organized games sports.
Another respect in which school life and college life differ is in the use of the library and the common room. In most of our school libraries seem to be more for show than for use. Books are issued now and ten for use. Books are issued now and then, but such occasions are few and far between. But in most colleges, there are larger opportunities for using the library. One has also greater freedom in the choice of books. As to the common room, that is the exceptional privilege of students; most of our schools do not provide a common-room because boys are in their classes during the whole period of work.
It is natural that these differences between school life and college life should develop different mental and moral qualities. At school, students acquire habits of discipline and regularity. They have to practice obedience and follow instructions. But at college students are expected to develop a sense of responsibility and personal initiative. In other words, what a school student has to do under com-pulsing is done by the college students out of his greater sense of responsibility. Of course, it has to be admitted that college life offers greater scope to a student to go astray. If he takes himself light-heartedly, he will have to suffer. If he allows arrears of studies to accumulate he will pay the price with failure and disgrace. Hence a studious pupil improves more rapidly at college than at school, but a waster comes quicker to grief.
If I am asked to choose between school life and college life, it will not be something very easy. At school, I looked with envy and expectation at my serious and the ample freedom they enjoyed both at home and outside. Now at, the college I look back sometimes to those days when I could ‘feel my life in every limb’ and I was full of laughter add merriment than I can ever be in life. For somehow I have a feeling that the gracious, sun-lit days of gaiety, thoughtlessness, and the care-free pursuit of knowledge will soon be over, and it is not for me anymore to give way to ‘the loud laughter that speaks the vacant mind’. And yet perhaps, in a final view, college life, in spite of its cares and burdens, is the most pleasant and exciting period in one’s life. The sense of freedom, if nothing else, is in itself a tonic and an incentive to higher things.
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Home — Essay Samples — Education — College — High School Vs College: Compare and Contrast
High School Vs College: Compare and Contrast
- Categories: College High School
About this sample
Words: 785 |
Updated: 4 December, 2023
Words: 785 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read
Video Version
Hook Examples for “High School Vs College” Essay
- A Student’s Journey: As students transition from the familiar hallways of high school to the uncharted territory of college campuses, they embark on a transformative journey. Explore the differences that define this educational evolution.
- Two Worlds Collide: Imagine straddling the line between two worlds – the structured environment of high school and the newfound independence of college life. This essay unveils the unique challenges and opportunities that lie at this intersection.
- The Freshman Experience: Meet Sarah, a recent high school graduate taking her first steps into college life. Her story encapsulates the excitement and apprehension that every freshman faces when making the transition.
- Voices of Wisdom: From the perspective of educators, this essay shares insights from seasoned teachers and professors who have witnessed the evolution of their students. Discover what they have to say about the changes in students’ academic lives.
- A Tale of Two Curricula: What happens to the syllabus when you move from high school to college? Explore the differences in academic rigor, teaching methods, and expectations that define these two distinct stages of education.
Works Cited
- Chen, H., & Kuh, G. D. (2016). Student engagement and student learning: Testing the linkages. Research in Higher Education, 57(2), 153-181.
- Eccles, J. S., & Templeton, J. (2002). Extracurricular and other after-school activities for youth. Review of Research in Education, 26(1), 113-180.
- Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). Jossey-Bass.
- Raby, R. L., & Valeau, E. J. (2018). College as a turning point: Revisiting the myth. The Journal of Higher Education, 89(5), 661-687.
- Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
- Perna, L. W. (2006). Studying college access and choice: A proposed conceptual model. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 21, pp. 99-157). Springer.
- National Survey of Student Engagement. (n.d.). NSSE Annual Results. Retrieved from https://nsse.indiana.edu/annual-results/index.cfm
- Roksa, J., & Arum, R. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. University of Chicago Press.
- Umbach, P. D. (2007). How effective are they? Exploring the impact of contingent faculty on undergraduate education. The Review of Higher Education, 30(2), 91-123.
- Inkelas, K. K., Daver, Z. E., Vogt, K. E., & Leonard, J. B. (2007). Living–learning programs and first-generation college students’ academic and social transition to college. Research in Higher Education, 48(4), 403-434.
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Making the leap: The key differences between university and school life
The leap between finishing school and starting university can sometimes seem massive.
You might be thinking there’s so much to learn and prepare for, but when you actually start university, all these changes come naturally. And the truth is, there’s always someone to lend a helping hand. For example, Unite Students has developed a Home Charter, which lays down the foundations of how they’ll help you and how students can support each other.
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The Transition from High School to University Writing
- Printable PDF Version
- Fair-Use Policy
To meet the expectations of university writing, you will need to unlearn rules you may have learned in high school. Those rules may have helped you to plan and write your essays by providing a ready-made structure you could fit your ideas into. But continuing to rely on these rules will limit your freedom to develop more sophisticated arguments and a more mature style.
Here are some important differences between high school rules and university expectations:
| High School Rules | University Expectations |
|---|
Essay Structure
| Essays consist of three main points. | There is no predetermined number of points that your essay must include. |
| Essays have a five-paragraph structure: an introduction, your three main points, and a conclusion. | Essays have as many paragraphs as needed. You should choose a structure for your essay that serves your ideas and your argument. |
| Paragraphs are as long or as short as needed to meet the five-paragraph requirement and the page limit. | Paragraphs are usually between one-third and two-thirds of a page and vary in length according to the needs of the paragraph. |
| Each paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that explicitly echoes the thesis statement. | Paragraphs will be clearer and more coherent if they begin with a topic sentence that sums up the main point of the paragraph. |
| Paragraphs generally end with a conclusion that reiterates the point contained in the topic sentence. | Your paragraphs should end whenever you have provided enough evidence and analysis to support the point in your topic sentence; repeating that point would be redundant. |
| Alternatively, paragraphs may end with a transitional sentence that anticipates the next paragraph. | Provide a transition only when it helps the reader follow your train of thought. But your paragraphs will be more coherent if you place the transition at the start of the next paragraph. |
Thesis Statement
| Essays must include a thesis statement. | Not every essay needs a thesis statement. |
| The opening paragraph must end in a thesis statement. | The opening paragraph often ends in a thesis statement, but a thesis can also occur elsewhere. |
| The thesis statement must be supported by three main points. | The thesis statement does not have to be supported by any specific number of points. |
| A thesis statement must be one sentence in length. | A thesis statement can be two or three sentences long, or even longer if the argument is complex. |
Introduction and Conclusion
| The introduction should begin with a broad and general statement and eventually be narrowed down. | The introduction should raise the essay topic or question as soon as possible in specific and concrete terms. |
| The conclusion should provide a summary of the main points of the paper. | The conclusion should do more than merely summarize what you have already done in the paper. |
| You may add narration and description to remind the reader of events or particulars. | You may incorporate narrative or plot elements into your argument as long as you analyze them in sufficient depth. |
| Argumentative essays can be based on personal experience or opinion. | Argumentative essays should be supported by evidence from your sources. In some disciplines, your professor may invite you to supplement your argument with an account of your personal experience. |
| Your essay should not acknowledge opposing viewpoints because they will weaken your argument. | An essay that addresses counter-arguments becomes stronger and more persuasive by acknowledging the complexity of the material. |
Presentation
| Students may receive credit for visual effects. | Professors are concerned with your ideas and your writing and expect you to submit your essays in a plain format with no fancy fonts, colours, title pages, and binders. |
Here are the overall differences between the two institutions in philosophy and approach:
| High School … | University … |
|---|
| Provides formulas. | Discourages formulas. |
| Offers you a ready-made structure to work with. | Provides freedom for you to come up with your own way of structuring your argument. |
| Teaches just one model for an essay that you then apply in all of your courses. | Offers discipline-specific guidelines for approaching written work. |
| Encourages repetition. | Discourages repetition. |
| Provides rules. | Encourages critical thinking. |
| Rewards you for demonstrating your knowledge of the material. | Rewards you for engaging in analysis. |
Home / Essay Samples / Education / College / High School Vs College: A Compare And Contrast
High School Vs College: A Compare And Contrast
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