THE
BIG LEAP
The leap from high school to college is a large one.
Many students enter post-secondary education expecting the experience to be the
same as the one they had while at secondary school. These students are wrong to
make this assumption, and they very quickly realize just how different college
is. College costs more, presents more academic challenges, and offers a more
social environment than high school. As a result of these, from my high school,
Aziz Atik Anatolian Teacher Training High school, I leapt to Yeditepe
University which has lots of similarities and differences.
First,
in terms of cost, college is more expensive than high school because of
tuition, living expenses, and books. Anyone who wishes to attend college must
pay fees, whereas it is free to attend high school. College tuition can start
at roughly 5000 TL per term and can wind up costing as much as 15000 TL. The
government funds high schools, so high school students do not have to pay for
their education. In addition to tuition, college students must also worry about
the residence or rental costs for living close to the college’s campus. In Istanbul,
rental costs for a basement apartment can range from 750 to 2000 TL per month
(not including utilities), and residence fees at most colleges work out to
roughly 3000 TL per term. In contrast, high school students have no living
expenses because the majority of high school students live at home with their
parents for free.
Second,
the workload in college is more challenging than the workload in high school. College
students are faced with the task of having to complete an average of three to
five assignments per week, whereas high school students average only one to
three assignments per week. There are more assignments in college, and they are
also more challenging and can take up to eight hours to complete successfully. In
contrast, high school students do not have to commit as much time and effort to
their assignments and can often finish all of their homework in the same amount
of time it takes a college student to complete a single assignment. In addition
to the extra time that college students put into their work, students
experience extra pressure because their final grades are based on each assignment.
In high school, however, an assignment is worth only 5% to 20% of a student’s
final grade. In college, an assignment is worth 25% or as much as 50% of a
student’s final grade. College students are consistently placed under more
academic pressure than high school students.
Third,
in college, there are more activities, sports, and clubs for students to
participate in than in high school. College students have both the benefits of
being able to join varsity sports teams as well as being able to use any
athletic facilities the college has to offer, such as gyms, pools, and weight
rooms. In contrast, most high schools often offer non-varsity sports teams, but
very few high schools boast athletic facilities similar to those of a college.
Colleges also host social events that are unavailable in high schools. Examples
of these events are orientation week and pub nights. Furthermore, colleges
offer more clubs than high schools do. High schools may have some clubs or
groups that students can join; however, because high schools are smaller with fewer
students, the variety of clubs is limited. Colleges are guaranteed to have a
club for everyone because the population base is so large. Athletic facilities,
social events, clubs and special interest groups show the college environment
to be much more social than the high school environment.
On
the basis of financial, academic, and social aspects, college is more costly,
more academically challenging, and more socially stimulating than high school.
These differences need to be taken into account by those students who are
entering college from high school. If new post-secondary students are conscious
of these differences, they will be more adequately prepared for the challenges
that college can present.
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