<p>Ok as a bit of a background, I never took an AP course because I didn't want the extra difficulty to possibly cause me to get a B (I'm A grade savy) and I heard the tests were crazy. I did take two community college courses (Public Speaking and Intro to Mass Comm) and received A grades in both (both required a lot of work but it seemed easier compared to high school). I am about to finish high school as the salutatorian with a 4.00 unweighted GPA (4.11 weighted thanks to the CC courses) and will be heading to USC this fall. My high school work for regular courses was considered rigorous compared to other schools and my school has constantly been on News week's top high schools in the USA list. So, considering this, will college be really hard, just hard, about the same, or easier compared to high school?</p>
<p>It will depend on the courses that you take. Each professor, each course, each college differs in difficulty, so without much information, no one can really determine just how challenging your courses will be.</p>
<p>Generally though, in college you have to self-study more, and allocate more time to independently studying. Professors have so many students that they don’t need to invest in specific students and help them raise their grade. In this sense, college seems more challenging. However, if you like to study on your own, and do a great job of self-motivating, college may come more easily than you might expect.</p>
<p>Plus, in college, a student usually takes the courses specific to the majors/ specific to their passions. If you choose wisely, you should have fun taking your classes, and hence, have an easier time taking your classes.</p>
<p>Difficulty of 1-200 level classes depend on the program. A college Art History class can be a bear for the volume of material in a notable Art program. Like all classes, STEM classes are condensed into one semester and the ease of those classes are dependent skills learned in prerequisite or advanced courses. Calculus, an early core requirement math in Engineering. A Business major on the other hand may get off with no Calculus or Trig. The answer to your question depends, are you to declare a major known for a rigorous advanced course curriculum? </p>
<p>Is College Calculus 1 harder than H.S. Calculus 1. Not much, because you are repeating what you have a year or two of experience Calc AB/BC in High School. If you haven’t taken H.S. Calculus, then ouch, many of your classmates have, and your inexperience will show if you don’t put in the effort to keep pace; you will contribute to the class curve. The same applies to College Algebra, you have already taken similar courses in Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 H.S., it should not be difficult to condensed into one college semester.</p>
<p>Just to note, I am going to be an undergraduate pursuing a broadcast journalism degree with a minor in sports media. Yes I have taken Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus. Got A’s in all courses. </p>
<p>It’s not so much that college classes are “harder,” but the process differs <a href=“Page Not Found | Wenatchee Valley College”>https://www.wvc.edu/directory/departments/parents/differences.asp</a> </p>
<p>Yes, college courses require much more student self-motivation and include less hand-holding and teacher monitoring of student progress.</p>
<p>But they also may move at a faster pace. For example, high school AP courses may take a year to cover the same material as a semester course at a college. However, a college student tends to have fewer courses at one time (often four or five) compared to high school (often six or seven).</p>
<p>IMO </p>
<p>A) Profs are harsher graders. </p>
<p>B)
- Humanities coursework isn’t harder than HS; it’s just longer e.g. 10 page paper v 3 pages.
- Economics is harder than HS coursework.
- STEM is WAYY harder. </p>
<p>You’ll likely consider your major really easy. </p>
<p>It’s good to struggle a little in college. If you’re always doing well in everything, are you really challenging yourself? The answer may be ‘yes’, but you shouldn’t shy away from a tough class because you’re afraid you won’t do as well. Push yourself 
</p>
<p>Some are, some aren’t. I’ve had classes that were a joke – basically show up, do your reading, get an A. Then I’ve had classes that I spend 4-5 hours for three consecutive nights studying for and got a B or high C on the exam. It’s all relative. Just like you had easy classes in high school, you’ll have easy one in college and vise versa. </p>
<p>The hardest class I’ve taken so far was Macroeconomics, which really wasn’t that bad just that my brain isn’t designed for economics and I struggle with it. Others thought it was easy. Relative. </p>
<p>I agree that it depends. It’s all really about the professor. You either have relaxed ones or strict ones, eager ones or annoyed ones, passionate ones or dull ones; good ones or bad ones.</p>
<p>I recently had a class with the hands-down smartest, friendliest, most passionate professor in my major and then a class with a racist, confusing, and contradicting professor in that same department. I got a 91 in the good prof’s class and a 99 in the bad one’s, but I learned waaay more in the class in which I did worse. </p>
<p>Basically, your profs determine your workload and what you get out of the course, so if you can, choose wisely. Writing is writing and French is French, but my professors either make or break my perception and competence in them. I can learn a great deal from from book but DO a whole lot more with proper instruction. </p>