A crash course in higher education
Welcome to your new home, a place where you will spend the next eight or so months eating, sleeping, socializing, and hopefully studying. While the excitement of starting a new chapter of your life may for now be overshadowing the fact that you’re back to school, the reality is that you will soon be faced with the challenge of acclimatizing yourself to university-level academics. With half a decade of post-secondary education under my belt, I have provided below some of the main differences to expect between your classes here at the University of Guelph and your high school learning experience.
Content
While every course is different, it is expected that the actual content of university-level courses will be heavier and more difficult than high school. Falling behind can be much easier than one would like to admit, so attending classes regularly, keeping a calendar of due dates, and asking for help when needed can go a long way towards reducing the somewhat inevitable panic of exam season.
Weighting
Perhaps the most significant difference, the weighting of assignments and exams in university can make high school finals seem like a breeze. It is not unusual to have midterms worth up to 40 percent of your final grade, and final exams can be worth 70 percent or more (though that is less common). Some courses have several small quizzes, assignments, essays, and presentations ranging in weight, so try to spend your time in keeping up with the importance of the task.
Deadlines
I won’t need to elaborate much on this one, given the probability that your high school teachers warned you many times that “In university, there are no extensions.” While this isn’t entirely true, it is only in special circumstances that a due date is pushed back penalty-free. If that essay is late simply because your time management skills need work, you can expect a five or ten per cent mark deduction per day, often fast-tracked to a zero after a few days.
Also, 12:01 a.m. counts as a day late if the submission was due by 11:59 p.m., and technical problems are not considered an excuse. So give yourself a safety net of at least a few hours and a backup submission plan if possible.
Skipping class
I promise you, the professors don’t care if you attend all your classes, half of them, or none of them. The University has your tuition dollars, and how you choose to utilize them is completely your choice. I do not recommend wasting the opportunity.
Exams
As mentioned above, final examinations are often worth a very large chunk of your final mark (over 60 per cent is not unheard of). With only two hours to determine about half of your grade, the pressure of final exams can be overwhelming for all students, and for first-year students in particular. In addition to making use of the campus resources provided especially for exam periods (puppy room, stress-busters, etc.), ensure you maintain your physical and emotional health among all your study sessions. I’ll be the first to acknowledge this is much easier said than done, but I also cannot stress enough (no pun intended) how important your health is—and that taking care of yourself will do more for your grades in the long run.
Teaching and grading style
Sadly enough, this has become my least favourite difference between high school and university. With comparatively large lecture sizes (hundreds of students), it is common for students to go an entire semester without personal contact with their professor. Tests and assignments leave little room for individuality; often an entire exam is merely a series of bubbles on a piece of paper that is run through a machine.
For uniformity, grading schemes are established down to half-marks with little leeway, and multiple choice questions verge on misleading when “the most correct” of two answers must be picked. The standardized method of evaluation is in my opinion a very unrealistic manner of determining knowledge, understanding, and critical thinking, but it is nonetheless the most convenient for evaluators.
While the transition to such a narrow learning experience can be intimidating, there are many resources on campus that offer help both directly with content, such as tutors and Student Learning Groups (SLGs), and indirectly with study strategies and testing tips (workshops, library departments, etc.).
Do not be phased by the transitional journey on which you are about to embark. After all, you’ve hopefully come to university to study something you love. Let your passion be much stronger than any apprehension you feel, and you will soon find your way in the world of academics.