High School vs. College: How Do They Differ?

In preparing to attend college, there are a lot of things a student must do in order to make this a successful transition:  Taking entrance exams, applying for colleges, visiting campuses, and researching schools are all a vital part of this process.  When planning for these changes, it can be important to ask a fundamental question:  How do high school and college differ? 

While a student will have great support in both high school and college, there are some differences that are important to note.  One important difference in moving on to college is that a student will have to take even greater ownership of their educational process and be a self-advocate.  This has always been a part of a high school education, but in college, this takes on an even greater role as prospective students will drive their own success by being involved and engaged in their education.  Teachers, counselors, and transition staff as well as family and friends can help students to identify what this means and to help talk about these differences early on to promote collaboration, independence, critical thinking, and problem solving on a variety of levels.  Helping the student to navigate these changes is an essential part of educational success in a college environment and will help to build soft skills that can transfer into an employment environment as well.  

We have included some great information from Virginia Commonwealth University, who, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, have identified six different important facts on how high school if different than college and how to help prepare students for these changes: 

https://centerontransition.org/resources/publications/download.cfm?id=71