Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How is college different to high school?

13 Answers
Last Updated: 04/13/2020 at 4:00pm
Perfect therapy for people who need help. I would like to say, I never can imagine it could be possible to heal people like that
Ta Tania
5 star rating
Moderated by

Penny Dahlen, Ed.D., LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I am committed to helping you find your passion, heal old wounds, and flow smoother in all aspects of your life path! I use a compassionate listening approach.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
August 28th, 2016 2:19pm
I find that college requires you to handle yourself better in many aspects. Teachers and parents won't be reminding you to study all the time and the course material will be (of course) harder, so you'll have to be disciplined to study as much as you need to. You'll probably become more independent in other ways such as driving yourself to school, maybe staying alone or in a dorm (so having to do your own laundry and cook meals and things). Socially you may also need to put in more effort to get to know others as well as keep in touch with old friends. The new responsibilities might be a little overwhelming, but you're also gonna have cool new experiences and way more freedom ^^
MoonlitHaze
September 13th, 2016 9:06pm
In my personal experience in college people are much more relaxed and worried more about graduating rather than "what brand of shoes" your wearing. I feel like it's the time when people start becoming more open and accepting of themselves and others. A lot of college students are socially more relaxed than high school, I'd say a lot less drama and better and more serious relationships (including friends) Highschool to me was a lot more stressful. In college a lot of it is "Show up or not, your education depends on you." Also you take a lot more notes in college, and larger classes without desks. A lot of the time you will have a professor providing a speech or lesson and its up to you to follow along and get what you can out of it. Lots of exams too. Highshool is odd, a lot of people don't know who they are at that age and try way too hard to seem "cool" and fit in, leading to a lot more social anxiety, stress, and bullying. In college most people just sort of go with the flow, because we feel much more secure with who we are and what life is really about.
shilpa
September 4th, 2016 5:09am
College is vastly different from High School especially if you are moving to a new city. If it's about moving to a new city then you'll be on your own and you will have to manage everything on your own. You specially need to be careful with spending money. And you have to take care of your health. Also, you need to keep yourself updated about your immediate family - if they are doing fine, if anyone has fallen ill. Getting to know the new city and becoming good friends with your room-mate is a must. And of course - you've moved to the new city to study so you need to make sure that your grades are good - otherwise the whole purpose of moving to a new city fails ! I can assure you that even though it is challenging it is worth the effort. It'll change you completely and make you a different person altogether - someone who is more mature and independent. Next, if it's in the same city then even though it's a little less challenging it doesn't really mean that there are no obstacles. Money, studies and new friends will keep you off the hook if you don't take care from the very beginning. Hangout but make sure that you don't run out off cash the month end - be assertive - when you know you don't have the money say no to hangouts. It might take you a little while to make friends but you surely will make a few friends for lifetime in college. And yes , studies are different from high school - you have to do everything on your own. But trust me, your college days - though they may seem a bit challenging initially - will change you as a person.
Anonymous
September 8th, 2016 3:43pm
A lot actually. But college is simpy requires you to be independent. It's either choosing your daily clothes, or studying, or attending class, or organization and so on. College is also a stage where you are already considered as an adult, so a mature ways of thinking is needed. And it's also requires you to have a strong stand to face the new adult life :)
Anonymous
September 19th, 2016 10:38pm
College is different from high school in so many ways. College is you studying what you truly love and starting your own future. In college everyone's the same, they're all running after their goals. You get to click with people alike you. There's place for everyone. You have to study twice as hard.
genuineEyes123
October 1st, 2016 6:16am
Its just the same but with more Broad ideas.
friendlyPerspective32
December 24th, 2016 8:20am
College is very different from high school in many ways. It really depends on the type of college you're going to, though. If you're a student who is planning on attending a large public university, you may feel lost and overwhelmed at first with the many opportunities (social, academic, and otherwise) there are. It might also be harder to make friends since there are so many people out there. But don't despair! Having a lot of opportunities is a good thing, because you're able to find your own community and acquire new interests/skills. In high school, I personally felt limited in the things that I was able to do. In college, I was able to explore interests I had never expected to develop; for example, I received scholarship to study business abroad in Europe over the summer! Additionally, for some people, college classes require a LOT of work and effort (though, for others, college may be less rigorous). For me, I did well for the most part in high school, but I struggled a lot at my university. On the bright side, there were so many classes I could take that I felt like I was being challenged in a good way.
Anonymous
August 7th, 2017 2:57am
College you get to leave away from home, you get to meet new friends. Study something thats your own choice.
Anonymous
February 6th, 2018 3:32am
In my opinion, in school students will learn like 10 subjects throughout one whole year. But in college, there are only several subjects,which you need to complete all in one semester which is about six months. Other than that, in school, there teachers who always take concern on students. But in college life, the students need to take care of themselves
Jacko2304
February 19th, 2018 7:36pm
Teachers in college treat you more like an adult. You find college more interesting too as you are doing the subject(s) that you want to do. You will also meet so many new people. College can also be quite stressful as it is more difficult. College is enjoyable.
fearlessMoon7234
November 9th, 2018 10:17am
Based on my own experience, I can say that a school is easier than a university, but not by much. Firstly, because homework set at times less. You do not need a bunch of boring essays, to suffer with the theme, to spend long hours writing a few words. Wait until inspiration comes. Secondly, you still do not need to think about additional earnings or work. Because of the tons of different tasks, I did not have time. Sleeping or walking with friends became a real challenge. I forgot to eat, did not have time to go to the hall, and forgot when I last spent the weekend away from home. Until a friend recommended a cool site [url = https: //paperswizard.com/] PapersWizard [/ url] to me, now all this has become possible again.
Rooibos14
January 28th, 2020 12:37pm
I'm glad this was asked. I am constantly telling high school kids how the transition from HS to college is a fairly big leap. Completely manageable but still quite different. You are now a young adult in college and your professors and lecturers are not there to baby you. You are in control of your own future and your own results. You have more freedom to choose how to approach your college work, how to manage your down time with your study time. Staying on the right path and focusing on your work is important but also focusing on your well being. Its a fantastic time to learn about yourself more and how you fit into the big world. Enjoy it!
Jezbr
April 13th, 2020 4:00pm
Depending on your high school it could be just the next step. But usually, college has a lot more specific choices for your career. Where, in high school you may need to just do "general maths" In college you might just need statistics or some other version of maths towards your degree. So ultimately colleges are teaching you the knowledge and skills for the job you hope to get in the future or teaching you more about the world for you to make that choice next. College is also not so much based on locality anymore. High School is usually just the closest to your area, but college can be on the other side of the country, or even in another country depending on the specialty you want.