<p>I've heard you have a lot more time because you spend less time in classes. Is this true? How else is college different from high school?</p>
<p>
Not necessarily. You have to study more outside of class than you do in high school, and the amount of studying required depends on you.<br>
College students are probably also more likely to work than high school students.
As far as classes go…
Class attendance isn’t required in many cases.
Most classes meet either on Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday, so you don’t have the same classes every day.
More flexibility in scheduling.
Class sizes vary a lot, and some classes may have several hundred people.
Most assignments (other than tests) are done outside of class.
Sometimes homework is assigned but not graded. (I’ve had graded homework in most cases, though.)
My experience is that the tests are less likely to be multiple choice. I’ve only had two classes that featured multiple-choice tests.
I’ve had several professors encourage collaboration on homework. In high school there was more of an expectation that we would work alone.<br>
Usually there aren’t as many assignments as in high school, and each assignment counts for a greater percentage of the grade. In many cases, going badly on a single test will make it impossible to get an A.
Some grades may be curved. (Not as much as you might think, though…I’ve never had a class with curving, but I know it happens.)</p>
<p>Everything is on your terms and, as a corollary to that, you are responsible for everything. There is no hand holding. There is no real concern or someone looking out for you. You have to be your own advocate.</p>