- You will be spending less time in the classroom than you did in high school and more time studying and preparing for your courses on your own. While your instructor will be available to help you if needed, he or she will expect you to work independently to learn the material.
- We cannot overemphasize the importance of time management. College course material is more complex and more challenging than high school material, and organization is essential. You are expected to work and learn more independently than in high school. You will need to figure out what steps to take to complete all the work for all your classes and how to handle and plan for due dates.
- Semesters go by quickly. The material covered over a 14-week semester in a college course might take a year to cover in high school.
- Because you may not have the same class every day, studying or reviewing your notes or book chapters daily can help you stay on track and alleviate stress in studying for midterms and finals.
- You are now among a more challenging and competitive group of peers. Being an honors student at Ohio State means working harder than the average honors or accelerated student in high school.
- You have to motivate yourself, which can be difficult as there are many distractions that may compete with your academic schedule.
- Your grades will be available to you online. Your parents will not see your grades unless you choose to share them.
- In high school, your homework was often part of your final grade. Homework may be assigned in college, but it may not be collected or graded. Just because it is not collected or graded does not mean it is optional.
- During the first 12 years of your educational experience, you had to go to school. College offers you the choice. You have elected to spend your time and resources gaining further education; you are the one responsible for your successes (or failures) and for getting the most out of the college experience.
Next: Academic Survival Skills