Comparison and Contrast of High School and College

It is possible for almost everyone to compare and contrast these different educational levels though it is difficult for some to identify the differences and similarities between them. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast high school and college life in various aspects such as studying, instructors, classes, tests, glades, personal freedom as well as social interactions. High school is usually the initial step to higher learning institution such as colleges. In both high school and college, students have topics to learn as well as responsibilities to execute. Also, the topics are determined by their instructors and students are guided along them in both institutions. The responsibilities increase because the curriculum of their chosen career path entails detailed topics about their career.

However, in contrast to the high school student’s schedule, college students have a more flexible student’s schedule since they can choose their schedule as they desire. Another similarity is that both institutions have instructors. Teachers in both high school and college perform similar tasks of teaching. High school teachers help students in building a foundation of knowledge as well as train students to focus on their learning. Nevertheless, instructors in college acquire training in their respective areas of expertise and do not write notes for the students, and instead, they expect students to identify important points for their notes. They expect the students to gather notes for classes they missed and provide students with the syllabus for them to track their assignments and their expected dates.

They encourage students to think critically for themselves and also to relate materials presented in class with the concepts they learn from the textbooks. They expect the students to consult when they are in need of help, and their availability for consultation is limited to their particular office hours. Moreover, testing is another similarity in both institutions. The option of makeup tests may not be allowed and the dates scheduled by professors at the begging of the semester for tests are not changed even due to school activities. Students are encouraged by the professors to establish study sessions before the test day while proficiency is often perceived as the student’s ability to apply what they have learned to the new situation as well as solve new problems.