The Transition to College Writing

Dear high school student, 
Hjortshoj explains five main differences between high school and college. Two of those differences are that high school teachers are normally generalists and college professors are specialists and college work requires new kinds of motivation. In high school, teachers aren't specifically trained in an area of study. They are competent in different fields so they may not know everything there is to know about one specific area. College teachers on the other hand are specifically trained in one area of study and are highly skilled in a specific study. In high school I had a teacher that was my AP calculus and AP physics teacher and also taught pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry classes. While in college my professors mainly teach one specific area such as early childhood education. Another difference from high school to college is that college work requires new kinds of motivation. In high school it was the same daily routine and I often did not need to study for tests and quizzes. In college there is often a different routine and new kinds of ways to succeed are needed.  I now need to study for all tests, not procrastinate on homework, and meet teachers outside of classes. 
I believe two major differences from high school to college are time management and class style. In high school the routine was normally the same from day to day while in college you have different classes and activities each day. In high school I had the same schedule of going to school, having sports practice or game, doing homework, eating supper, showering, and then going to bed. In college that dramatically changed and I have more free time. I also believe the class style is different in college. In high school half of the class was used to just talk to the teacher about things unrelated to the class.  Also, the teacher would accept late homework and be more lenient when it came to due dates. In college my classes tend to be straight to the lesson and homework is not accepted late.
 We lie to ourselves about college by not getting properly prepared, believing that high school to college will be an easy transition.  Students believe high school just continues into college. They lie to themselves by believing they can easily skate by in college and not have to try hard (just like high school). Good luck with your transition to college and I hope my examples have prepared you to create a better transition for yourself!
Sincerely, 
Kayla Rethmel