How College is Different From High School
| FOLLOWING THE RULES IN HS | CHOOSING RESPONSIBLY IN COLLEGE |
| Your time is structured by others. | You manage your own time. |
| You can count on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and priorities. | You must balance your responsibilities and set your own priorities. |
| Each day you proceed from one class directly to another, spending six hours each day—30 hours a week—in class. | Schedules tend to look lighter than they really are. You often have hours between classes, class times vary throughout the day and evening, and you spend only 12 to 18 hours of each week in class. |
| You are not responsible for knowing what it takes to graduate. | Graduation requirements are complex and differ among majors. You are expected to know those that apply to you. |
| GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES | SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE CLASSES |
| The school year is 36 weeks long; most classes extend over both terms. | The academic year is divided into two separate, 15-week terms, plus a week for exams. Most classes last one term. |
| Classes generally have no more than 35 students. | Classes may vary from 20 to 100 students. |
| You may study outside class as little as zero to two hours a week, and this may be mostly last-minute test preparation. | A recent study shows successful students study at least 15 hours per week. Studying includes any time spent on classes such as tutoring, meetings with instructors and review sessions. |
| You seldom need to read anything more than once, and sometimes listening in class is enough. | You need to review class notes and text material regularly. |
| You are expected to read short assignments that are then discussed and often re-taught. | You are assigned substantial amounts of reading and writing that may not be directly addressed in class. |
| TESTS IN HIGH SCHOOL | TESTS IN COLLEGE |
| Testing is frequent and covers small amounts of material. | Testing is usually infrequent and may be cumulative, covering large amounts of material. You, not the professor, need to organize the material to prepare for the test. A particular course may have only two or three tests per term. |
| Make-up tests are often available. | Make-up tests are seldom an option; if they are, you need to request them. |
| Teachers frequently conduct review sessions, pointing out the most important concepts. | Professors rarely offer review sessions and when they do they expect you to be an active participant, prepared with questions. |
| GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING IN HIGH SCHOOL | ACADEMIC ADVISERS IN COLLEGE |
| Your high school guidance counselor will schedule your classes for you to meet state minimum requirements for graduation. | First-year students will meet with their assigned FYE adviser to talk about college goals and how to achieve them. You will discuss all the requirements you need for graduation. Beginning with your second term, you will enroll in classes on your own. You will be expected to monitor your progress toward graduation by referring to your Academic Requirements Report online. |
| Guidance counselors will help you with college applications and ACT/SAT testing. | Academic advisers can provide referrals to other campus resources such as financial aid, study abroad, academic success resources and the Career Center. Academic advisers can assist you with transferring coursework from another college so that it applies to your Towson University degree requirements. |
| HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS | COLLEGE PROFESSORS |
| Teachers check your completed homework. | Professors may not always check completed homework but they will assume you have done it and expect you to perform the same tasks on tests. |
| Teachers approach you if they believe you need assistance. | Professors are usually open and helpful but most expect you to initiate contact if you need assistance. All professors allocate office hours, a set time each week when students can drop in. |
| Teachers are trained in methods to share knowledge with students. | Professors have been trained as experts in their field and vary in their teaching methods. |
| Teachers provide you with information you missed when you were absent. | Professors expect you to get any missed notes from classmates. |
| Teachers present material to help you understand the material in the textbook. | Professors may not follow the textbook. They may give illustrations, provide background information or discuss research about the topic you are studying. You are expected to relate textbook readings to the class. |
| Teachers often write information on the board to be copied into your notes. | Professors may lecture nonstop, expecting you to identify the important points in your notes. Good notes are a must. |
| Teachers often take time to remind you of assignments and due dates. | Professors expect you to read, save and consult the course syllabus. The syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when assignments are due and how you will be graded. |
| Teachers carefully monitor class attendance. | Professors may not formally take roll, but they are still likely to know whether you attended. |
| Teachers impart knowledge and facts, sometimes drawing direct connections and leading you through the thinking process. | Professors expect you to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics. |
| GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL | GRADES IN COLLEGE |
| Grades are given for most assigned work. | Grades may not be provided for all assigned work. |
| Consistently good homework grades may raise your overall grade when test grades are low. | Grades on tests and papers usually provide most of the course grade. Courses may only have two or three tests or assignments. |
| You may graduate if you have passed all required courses with a grade of D or higher. | You may graduate only if your grade point average in classes meets major and university requirements, a minimum of C (2.0) but often higher. |
| Your first test grades, especially when they are low, may not have an adverse effect on your final grade. | Watch out for your first tests. These are usually wake-up calls to let you know what is expected, but they may also account for a substantial part of your course grade. |
| Many opportunities to earn extra credit. | Limited or no opportunities for extra credit work, especially when requested at the last minute. |
Adapted from Southern Methodist University (https://www.smu.edu/provost/saes/academic-support/academic-development/new-to-smu) and Ball State University (https://bsu.edu/Academics/Advising.aspx).
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definition
A period of time in which a student would normally be expected to complete the equivalent of two terms. The academic year at Towson University usually begins with the fall term (late August or
early September through mid-December) and ends with the spring term (late January through mid-May). Other terms at Towson include summer trimester and Minimester (during January).