As a freshman in college, Brielle Rudolph is stunned by the freedom of course decisions and schedule building. In high school, she was forced to take required classes to graduate and could not pick when her day started and ended. The amount of free time also surprised her. Her chosen schedule works for her and gives her time for her chosen activities.

High school and college are different in all kinds of ways, including academics and courses/credits, extracurriculars, free time, and fun.

To graduate high school, you must take the required classes to gain the required credits. As well as taking the required courses, you must have a passing grade which is most likely a D or higher. In college, you may graduate only if your average in classes meets the departmental standard, usually a 2.0 or C. “Of course, there are still some basic required classes you need to take, but the classes you take depend more on what you choose to major in,” college student Brielle Rudolph said.

In high school, you spend around 30 hours each week at school rotation through a set number of classes throughout the day. The school year is usually 36 weeks with short breaks in between the year. On a college day, the amount of classes and time spent in classes (relatively 12-16 hours each week spent in class) is based on your chosen major. “I would say that compared to high school my days are more laid back,” Rudolph said.

Depending on class times and your day-to-day schedule in college, the times waking up in the morning and start your day vary. High school times start and end at the same time every day, not including delayed openings, no school, and half days. To start school, “I get up at 6:00 am,” sophomore Esha Khosla said.

Concluding a day in high school usually results in after-school activities or extracurriculars. Certain activities include a wide range of sports and clubs. As college does not have a specific start and end time, there is time for more or even fewer extracurriculars throughout the days of the week. “I am also involved in more academic clubs such as AMPC (American Medical Physiology Club) and am hoping to join a chemistry fraternity as well as a social sorority in the spring,” Rudolph said.

High school elective classes are often requested by the student per interest as well as them taking required courses. However, students can not pick their teacher and the other students in that class. According to Rudolph, college classes and professors are researched by students beforehand to ensure the professors are great and can teach proficiently.

College homework is most likely based on the syllabus and is expected to be finished and understood by the student. It is up to the professors if they check it. Typical homework for high school students is assigned by the teacher and is most likely checked. “Time-wise, I would say I do three to four hours of homework per day especially because of quarters ending soon,” Khosla said.

High school and college are extremely different from each other. From big categories like homework amount and class schedules to smaller categories such as the time you wake up for school.