Kaplan's College Edge
High School vs. College
High school is hard. You have to get up early, sit in classes all day, and then juggle after-school activities, homework, chores, etc., until bedtime. As a high school senior, college looks like a breeze. No parents, later classes—plus, you're only in class twelve to twenty hours a week. That just means more time tossing Frisbees, eating pizza, and hanging out on the quad, right?
Think again. College is a whole new game, and you'll encounter significant changes in your studying life when you get there.
Here are two key tips to help you manage the transition:
1. Take responsibility for your workload.
This is probably the most important difference between high school and college classes. In high school, your teachers assign homework on a regular basis to help you gauge your understanding of the material. They also know you and are likely to know the teachers of the other classes you're taking, and may keep your overall workload in mind when planning assignments, papers, and exams.
In college, most classes will give you regular reading assignments or problem sets, but it's unlikely that your professors will be checking your work. They also won't keep track of other assignments and tests you have coming up, and in large lectures they probably won't even know your name. However, they will know if you're not keeping up with your work—it will show in your midterms and final grades. It's important to complete all your assignments and work on them as if you were handing them in for a grade.
2. Learn when and where you study best.
In high school, you probably study alone in the relative peace and quiet of your bedroom, perhaps with your stereo or TV for company. You probably also study at a particular time, such as the time between the end of the school day and dinnertime, or between track practice and bedtime.
When you get to college, you'll find that you will probably be sharing a room with one or more people—all with different music tastes, study habits, bedtimes, etc. This can lead to a chaotic study environment, to say the least. Imagine this scenario: Indie music and country are playing from two separate stereos just as you're getting to work on your English paper. Meanwhile, your roommate is reading her science textbook aloud because she "remembers things better that way." You may be able to thrive in such an environment, but if you don't, find alternate places to study, such as the library or an off-campus café. You should also figure out what time of day works best for you. You may find you study best in the afternoons between classes, or you may think best at two in the morning. The important thing is to find what works for you and stick with it.
Admissions
Writing with Confidence
You've probably heard a lot about how important writing is to your future. Strong writing skills are a major factor in everything from your score on the SAT and ACT essays to your marketability in the workforce.
So how do you improve your writing? When you want to improve your math skills, you drill yourself, memorize a lot of formulas, and take practice tests. That strategy works well for math, but writing is a little different. While taking practice tests and brushing up on your grammar will certainly help you score well on SAT or ACT essays, you can also become a better writer through some of your everyday activities.
You can begin by becoming a more active reader. If you don't already, read as much as you can outside of what you're required to read for class. In particular, read persuasive essays or op-ed pieces in newspapers and magazines. As you read an article or essay, think about how the author expresses his or her opinion on a particular topic. Especially on SAT and ACT essays, graders are looking to see if you can write a concise, clear essay on a given topic. Reading the work of others can give you important insight into how to structure your own thoughts before writing. It may also help if you jot down your thoughts and questions in a journal as you read.
It may surprise you to learn that your online writing can give you important writing practice. While it's true that all that time spent IMing to your friends probably isn't going to help your grammar and writing style, posting regularly to a blog could give your writing skills a boost.
Many high school students contribute to blogs on a variety of topics, such as their study abroad adventures, favorite restaurants and foods, and their views on world politics. Writing on a topic that interests you can make you a more confident writer and gives you excellent practice in getting your thoughts out in writing. So if you've been staying up late writing blog entries about your passion for retooling vintage bikes, take heart-it may be time well spent.
Keep in mind that the content of many blogs is hastily written and doesn't employ formal writing and grammar. In order for blogging to be an educational exercise for you, be sure to write your blog using a modified version of the formal writing skills you would use in class. To better practice your SAT or ACT writing, consider choosing a position for each blog entry and make sure the rest of the entry explains your position clearly and concisely. You may also want to visit your friends' blogs and note their grammar bloopers.
High school is hard. You have to get up early, sit in classes all day, and then juggle after-school activities, homework, chores, etc., until bedtime. As a high school senior, college looks like a breeze. No parents, later classes—plus, you're only in class twelve to twenty hours a week. That just means more time tossing Frisbees, eating pizza, and hanging out on the quad, right?
Think again. College is a whole new game, and you'll encounter significant changes in your studying life when you get there.
Here are two key tips to help you manage the transition:
1. Take responsibility for your workload.
This is probably the most important difference between high school and college classes. In high school, your teachers assign homework on a regular basis to help you gauge your understanding of the material. They also know you and are likely to know the teachers of the other classes you're taking, and may keep your overall workload in mind when planning assignments, papers, and exams.
In college, most classes will give you regular reading assignments or problem sets, but it's unlikely that your professors will be checking your work. They also won't keep track of other assignments and tests you have coming up, and in large lectures they probably won't even know your name. However, they will know if you're not keeping up with your work—it will show in your midterms and final grades. It's important to complete all your assignments and work on them as if you were handing them in for a grade.
2. Learn when and where you study best.
In high school, you probably study alone in the relative peace and quiet of your bedroom, perhaps with your stereo or TV for company. You probably also study at a particular time, such as the time between the end of the school day and dinnertime, or between track practice and bedtime.
When you get to college, you'll find that you will probably be sharing a room with one or more people—all with different music tastes, study habits, bedtimes, etc. This can lead to a chaotic study environment, to say the least. Imagine this scenario: Indie music and country are playing from two separate stereos just as you're getting to work on your English paper. Meanwhile, your roommate is reading her science textbook aloud because she "remembers things better that way." You may be able to thrive in such an environment, but if you don't, find alternate places to study, such as the library or an off-campus café. You should also figure out what time of day works best for you. You may find you study best in the afternoons between classes, or you may think best at two in the morning. The important thing is to find what works for you and stick with it.
Admissions
Writing with Confidence
You've probably heard a lot about how important writing is to your future. Strong writing skills are a major factor in everything from your score on the SAT and ACT essays to your marketability in the workforce.
So how do you improve your writing? When you want to improve your math skills, you drill yourself, memorize a lot of formulas, and take practice tests. That strategy works well for math, but writing is a little different. While taking practice tests and brushing up on your grammar will certainly help you score well on SAT or ACT essays, you can also become a better writer through some of your everyday activities.
You can begin by becoming a more active reader. If you don't already, read as much as you can outside of what you're required to read for class. In particular, read persuasive essays or op-ed pieces in newspapers and magazines. As you read an article or essay, think about how the author expresses his or her opinion on a particular topic. Especially on SAT and ACT essays, graders are looking to see if you can write a concise, clear essay on a given topic. Reading the work of others can give you important insight into how to structure your own thoughts before writing. It may also help if you jot down your thoughts and questions in a journal as you read.
It may surprise you to learn that your online writing can give you important writing practice. While it's true that all that time spent IMing to your friends probably isn't going to help your grammar and writing style, posting regularly to a blog could give your writing skills a boost.
Many high school students contribute to blogs on a variety of topics, such as their study abroad adventures, favorite restaurants and foods, and their views on world politics. Writing on a topic that interests you can make you a more confident writer and gives you excellent practice in getting your thoughts out in writing. So if you've been staying up late writing blog entries about your passion for retooling vintage bikes, take heart-it may be time well spent.
Keep in mind that the content of many blogs is hastily written and doesn't employ formal writing and grammar. In order for blogging to be an educational exercise for you, be sure to write your blog using a modified version of the formal writing skills you would use in class. To better practice your SAT or ACT writing, consider choosing a position for each blog entry and make sure the rest of the entry explains your position clearly and concisely. You may also want to visit your friends' blogs and note their grammar bloopers.
posted by yjc.gooogle at
4/04/2006 05:39:00 AM
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