Similarities and Differences Between High School and College

Schooling is a very important aspect in our lives and one must go through many steps to higher education; the most important steps in society today, are high school and college. Although high school and college aim for the same goal, which is acquiring an education and graduating, the demands, expectations, and social atmosphere extremely contrast. However, after going to high school for four years, college is definitely a step up. There are similarities, but at the same time more differences. Both college and high school are very important for a student because everyone in this era has to achieve a good education for his or her future. Most colleges have a format of instruction that is nearly identical to that which is used in most high schools. Namely, an instructor stands at the head of the class and lectures, while students listen and take notes. Class interaction is also generally very similar in high school and college. Students are encouraged to ask questions and the instructor does his or her best to supply the best answers. And that is another area where high school and college are very similar. For the most part, quizzes and tests are given to ascertain to what degree the students know and understand material that has been presented in class and in the textbooks. Also, the coursework itself is virtually identical to that which is used in high school; text books are used that describe concepts or point out dates or other facts that are deemed important, and students read their textbooks and study them because the information contained in them is usually what will be found on the tests. There are also other similarities that most students will find quite apparent in their social life. For instance, there is a considerable amount of dating that goes on in college, just as there is in high school and there are dances, but not the formal kind you would find in high school. Also, there are generally cliques that develop and dissipate just as there are in high school, and athletes, especially those on the football team also get a lot more attention from everyone else, just like in high school. Likewise, many clubs and sports are organized in college and high school. Students can choose some of their favorite clubs to participate. Furthermore, students can make friends with the classmates, just like in high school. The first difference is homework. In High School most teachers will assign you to turn in your homework late if you give them excuses. In contrast, in college if you give your professor one of these excuses, you do not have another opportunity to submit your late homework, and the credit will not be given. Besides, the attendance polices of high school and college is different. In high school, the teachers are always on you about attendance; that is, if you miss too many days, you can fail, so if you are not in class, they want to know the reason of absence; in addition, they probably will call the parents or send the notification to the parents and let them know that you were not in class. On the contrary, in College the teachers do not care whether or not you are in class; it means that if you are not there, you are going to get a failing grade, so you have to be responsible to succeed. It is up to you. Therefore, many people will feel they have more freedom in college than high school. One difference between both is the types of schedules students have. In high school, the class meeting of one subject is five days in a week. By contrast, the meeting of one course is two or three times in a week. In high school most students begin at 8:00am and end at 3:00pm. In contrast, in college the student chooses the schedule. College students can start in the morning, afternoon or night and end whenever the time they choose. In most high schools, students don’t have free hours; however, in college students could have free hours. The last difference between high school and college is the amount of students that attend it and the reason why. Around 800 students attend high school. On the other hand, more than 1000 students attend college. More people go to college than in high school because a lot of people when they finish high school want to study for a career. The reason people go to high school is to have a good education and go to college. The reason people go to college is to have a bachelor’s degree and to learn more. Conclusively, even though high school and college have their differences but they are both important because it is good to learn and have knowledge. Another reason why both are important is that education is important for a future of a person although high school students can be more disciplined than college students. Teachers in high school teach the students the responsibility by making them to do their homework and monitoring their attendance whereas college students are expected to have it. As a result, in my opinion, I prefer high school because I need more attention and be a disciplined person for my education.