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FOLLOWING THE RULES IN HIGH SCHOOL |
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CHOOSING RESPONSIBLY IN COLLEGE |
| * High school is
mandatory and usually free. |
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* College is
voluntary and expensive. |
| * Your time is
structured by others. |
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* You manage
your own time. |
| * You need
permission to participate in extracurricular activities. |
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* You must
decide whether to participate in co-curricular activities. |
| * You can count
on parents and teachers to remind you of your responsibilities and to guide
you in setting priorities. |
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* You must
balance your responsibilities and set priorities. You will face moral and
ethical decisions you have never faced before. |
| * Each day you
proceed from one class directly to another, spending 6 hours each day--30
hours a week--in class. |
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* You often have
hours between classes; class times vary throughout the day and evening and
you spend only 12 to 16 hours each week in class. |
| * Most of your
classes are arranged for you. |
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* You arrange
your own schedule in consultation with your adviser. Schedules tend to look
lighter than they really are. |
| * You are not
responsible for knowing what it takes to graduate. |
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* Graduation
requirements are complex, and differ from year to year. You are expected to
know those that apply to you. |
| * Guiding
principle: You will usually be told what to do and corrected if your
behavior is out of line. |
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* Guiding
principle: You are expected to take responsibility for what you do and don't
do, as well as for the consequences of your decisions. |
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GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES |
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SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE CLASSES |
| * The school
year is 36 weeks long; some classes extend over both semesters and some
don't. |
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* The academic
year is divided into two separate 15-week semesters, plus a week after each
semester for exams. |
| * Classes
generally have no more than 35 students. |
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* Classes may
number 100 students or more. |
| * You may study
outside class as little as 0 to 2 hours a week, and this may be mostly
last-minute test preparation. |
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* You need to
study at least 2 to 3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. |
| * You seldom
need to read anything more than once, and sometimes listening in class is
enough. |
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* 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, in class. |
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* You are
assigned substantial amounts of reading and writing which may not be
directly addressed in class. |
| * You are
expected to read short assignments that are then discussed, and often
re-taught, in class. |
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* Guiding
principle: It's up to you to read and understand the assigned material;
lectures and assignments proceed from the assumption that you've already
done so. |
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HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS |
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COLLEGE PROFESSORS |
| * Teachers check
your completed homework. |
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* Professors may
not always check completed homework, but they will assume you can perform
the same tasks on tests. |
| * Teachers
remind you of your incomplete work. |
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* Professors may
not remind you of incomplete work. |
| * Teachers
approach you if they believe you need assistance. |
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* Professors are
usually open and helpful, but most expect you to initiate contact if you
need assistance. |
| * Teachers are
often available for conversation before, during, or after class. |
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* Professors
expect and want you to attend their scheduled office hours. |
| * Teachers have
been trained in teaching methods to assist in imparting knowledge to
students. |
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* Professors
have been trained as experts in their particular areas of research. |
| * Teachers
provide you with information you missed when you were absent. |
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* Professors
expect you to get from classmates any notes from classes you missed. |
| * Teachers
present material to help you understand the material in the textbook. |
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* Professors may
not follow the textbook. Instead, to amplify the text, they may give
illustrations, provide background information, or discuss research about the
topic you are studying. Or they may expect you to relate the classes to the
textbook readings. |
| * Teachers
present material to help you understand the material in the textbook. |
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* Professors may
lecture nonstop, expecting you to identify the important points in your
notes. When professors write on the board, it may be to amplify the lecture,
not to summarize it. Good notes are a must. |
| * Teachers often
write information on the board to be copied in your notes. |
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* Professors
expect you to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics. |
| * Teachers
impart knowledge and facts, sometimes drawing direct connections and leading
you through the thinking process. |
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* Professors
expect you to read, save, and consult the course syllabus (outline); the
syllabus spells out exactly what is expected of you, when it is due, and how
you will be graded. |
| * Teachers often
take time to remind you of assignments and due dates. |
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* Professors may
not formally take roll, but they are still likely to know whether or not you
attended. |
| * Teachers
carefully monitor class attendance. |
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* Guiding
principle: College is a learning environment in which you take
responsibility for thinking through and applying what you have learned. |
| * Guiding
principle: High school is a teaching environment in which you acquire facts
and skills. |
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TESTS IN HIGH SCHOOL |
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TESTS IN COLLEGE |
| * Testing is
frequent and covers small amounts of material. |
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* 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 2 or 3 tests in a semester. |
| * Makeup tests
are often available. |
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* Makeup tests
are seldom an option; if they are, you need to request them. |
| * Teachers
frequently rearrange test dates to avoid conflict with school events. |
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* Professors in
different courses usually schedule tests without regard to the demands of
other courses or outside activities. |
| * Teachers
frequently conduct review sessions, pointing out the most important
concepts. |
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* Professors
rarely offer review sessions, and when they do, they expect you to be an
active participant, one who comes prepared with questions. |
| * Guiding
principle: Mastery is usually seen as the ability to reproduce what you were
taught in the form in which it was presented to you, or to solve the kinds
of problems you were shown how to solve. |
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* Guiding
principle: Mastery is often seen as the ability to apply what you've learned
to new situations or to solve new kinds of problems. |
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GRADES IN HIGH SCHOOL |
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GRADES IN COLLEGE |
| * Grades are
given for most assigned work. |
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* Grades may not
be provided for all assigned work. |
| * Consistently
good homework grades may raise your overall grade when test grades are low. |
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* Grades on
tests and major papers usually provide most of the course grade. |
| * Extra credit
projects are often available to help you raise your grade. |
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* Extra credit
projects cannot, generally speaking, be used to raise a grade in a college
course. |
| * Initial test
grades, especially when they are low, may not have an adverse effect on your
final grade. |
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* Watch out for
your first tests. These are usually "wake-up calls" to let you know what is
expected--but they also may account for a substantial part of your course
grade. You may be shocked when you get your grades. |
| * You may
graduate as long as you have passed all required courses with a grade of D
or higher. |
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* You may
graduate only if your average in classes meets the departmental
standard--typically a 2.0 or C. |
| * Guiding
principle: "Effort counts." Courses are usually structured to reward a
"good-faith effort." |
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* Guiding
principle: "Results count." Though "good-faith effort" is important in
regard to the professor's willingness to help you achieve good results, it
will not substitute for results in the grading process.
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