Topic > Overcoming Adversity: Transitioning from High School to College

High school is a very important part of all or most people's lives. But eventually it will end and, ready or not, the rest of your life will be in your hands. For some, college is the most reasonable step after earning a high school diploma. And for some, it's directly about working a regular 9 to 5 shift or taking a break like a "gap year." Which many advise against unless absolutely necessary as you can quickly lose interest and not want to go to college at all. But many students struggle with the transition from high school to college. Each year, many high school seniors and new freshmen struggle to adjust to increasing levels of schoolwork, being able to support themselves financially, and being away from home. This therefore triggers many questions such as: did high school really prepare us for this? Why am I even in college? And why is college so different from high school? High schools do not adequately prepare students for the ultimate “college experience.” When analyzing students entering college, it can be said that they lack the basic skills needed to be successful throughout their college experience. Skills such as the ability to study, the ability to retain what they have learned in class, process many different pieces of information at once, and the ability to take tests are not adequately taught to students. High school did not prepare me for college for various reasons. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. In most cases, high schools provide their students with the information and tools necessary for the post-secondary education that is college. Many high schools offer Advanced Placement courses known as AP classes and College Credit Plus courses which may also be known as CCP. Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus courses are excellent opportunities to prepare high school students for the college courses that await them after graduation. Many college admissions officers view AP courses as an indicator that the student has proven themselves in high school. AP courses carry more weight than honors courses in high school. These courses are credit-worthy and often help defray the financial burden of expensive college tuition—of course, only if they apply to your major and prerequisites. You cannot receive college credit if you do not earn a grade level of 3 or higher on AP exams at the end of the year. This varies depending on the college you are attending and the AP course you are taking. Taking AP courses in high school gives you an idea of ​​what the workload and pace of college is like since AP courses are quite intense and require additional self-evaluation. For example, after learning something, you need to delve deeper and try to understand the concept by reading the textbook or watching YouTube videos in your free time. To be able to take an AP class in high school, you must have already taken the “regular class.” For example, if I wanted to take an AP course in high school biology, I would have to already take regular biology before my counselor would allow me to take AP biology. Additionally, most AP courses are only offered to students in upper classes such as juniors and seniors. Although some sophomores are given special privileges, but that depends on whether the counselor thinks you can do it and whether you had really good gradesgood first year, preferably 95 and above. Another good thing about high school preparing you for college is helping you financially. Taking AP classes means paying $90 for an AP test, and if you can get the grade needed for college credit, it's equivalent to having to pay up to $1,000 or more for credit at a university. In the article But aside from taking AP courses and handing out scholarships, there isn't much that high schools do to help their students be financially prepared for college. The article “Transitions from High School to College” stated: “Interventions to improve college readiness offer a variety of services, from academic preparation and information about college and financial aid, to psychosocial and behavioral support, to developmental of mental habits including organizational skills, anticipation, persistence and resilience. High schools should definitely dedicate more time to financial literacy or financial planning in their programs/courses. A course that can prepare and educate students on budget management, differentiating the differences between wants and needs and being able to know what kind of jobs are available for freshmen and especially those on campus such as work-study and so on. But also nothing advanced, just something to inform us about personal finance knowledge and help incoming college students make wise decisions. In the article “Strategies for Preparing Middle and High School Students for College and Career Readiness.” stated, “In response to these concerns we have been engaged in a seven-year research study and program focused on college and career readiness among adolescents.” If every high school focused on college and career preparation, incoming freshmen would be able to adapt to their new environment. It would be easier to know how to take notes during lectures, study tips. Additionally, more incoming freshmen would already be accustomed to financial independence and have a better understanding of how to spend their money. Many incoming freshmen don't know that you can apply for financial aid and you that you need a certain GPA and also you have to maintain that GPA for your entire four years otherwise you will lose your financial aid and would be forced to take out a private loan which leads to high interest and having a lot of debt when you are out of college. Many students are not sufficiently educated in financial literacy. Some know little or nothing about loans and grants and it can be as little as not knowing the difference between debit or credit cards. The responsibility of adapting to definitive university life falls entirely on the person. If one failed to challenge themselves in high school and simply procrastinated a lot, it would not be surprising that the person might struggle academically when they begin their first semester in college. High school teachers are kind people who do their best to help you in class by describing everything in great detail. Everything you need to know and you will constantly indicate when something is due or where you can find help. At many colleges, professors are indifferent and won't even try to get to know you like most high school teachers do. Some professors won't even know your name, but that may be due to the size of the class and the short amount of time they've known you for. They will also put your homework online without even telling you it's there. If you don't meet the expiration date, that's your problem because the..2013.0004.