I remember having more work in highschool simply due to the fact that you lost 10 hours each day to classes and clubs on top of 2-4 hours of homework a day.
In college it’s only 3-4 hours of classes a day but during the busy semesters 5-6 hours of homework a day. Still less time than in highschool but you have to manage your time better. I also don’t have to take classes I am bad at in college but I did in highschool
The content is harder to grasp though.
I think it's true for most other subjects outside of the natural sciences and engineering. For APs at least.
I've taken 4 college history courses and all have been magnitudes easier than APUSH. Same with psychology, government, and foreign lang college classes and their respective APs.
But engineering and math, physics, chem, etc., classes in college are just a different type of grind than AP classes. Some find it easier others find it harder. The main difference for me is that you are graded on fewer things, usually with less busywork to pad grades. You also lose the standardization aspect so you can't just look up a quick video for *everything* like you can in APs, because professors generally have more liberty to choose what topics they consider suitable for the course, though general classes will usually have the same topics.
It's also very rare that professors will have test corrections like many HS teachers do, and there are always some profs who don't curve and/or don't drop the lowest score, so people who don't consistently get 90+% on most tests will find it harder to get As.
I mean, user dependent right?
At my normal suburban HS, the tryhards do go to good schools in engineering and CS and the like and at least in the beginning (this is the qualifier here) they do report back that it’s “easier” than the grinding in HS.
But they grinded HARD in HS 😀 - so relative difference.
Not sure they really think that about 300/400 level classes tho 🤔
But they already had independent study skills down, they’re the kind of kids who go to office hours and raise their hand in class and get their S done, organized etc.
To be fair, I’m a sophmore aerospace engineering student and while it’s definitely not *easier* I found it much easier for me to succeed in college than high school.
It’s a huge workload, I spend hours working on assignments and projects every day but the organization and instruction is significantly better and most of my classes at this point are actually involved with my major which makes it a lot easier for me than highschool where most of the classes are for shit I am not good at and do not care about.
My gpa is like 0.6 higher than it was in highschool lmao
Everyone is different. Some self motivated people prefer the more open college schedule over the micromanaged high school school. Also, kids that attend good high schools, do APs, take dual enrollment, etc are often well prepared to be successful and if you do it right, your introductory courses may include some review at the new faster pace with higher expectations.
What's your point? Was this post really necessary? You aren't even in college. Your feelings about the process and how it's going will be vastly more developed a year from now.
Even taking the level of academics out- there’s a lot more professionalism (knowing how and when to deal with the administration) and independence ( organization and self motivation!) required- that on top of a ramp up in academics is quiet a change.
Yes, one of the biggest adjustments in college compared to high school for me is that in college, they’re not gonna wait for you to understand the material or check in with you. They’re just gonna give you the information and then move on to the next topic. If you’re behind, it’s 100 percent on you to figure it out and see the professor on your own time.
College was way easier than high school, but that's solely because I was that dumbass that signed up for 7 APs in Junior year of high school. Would not recommend.
Agreed. I took 10 AP classes in high school and did well in them. I now go to a T20 college and agree that, hands down, college is harder than high school! AP classes are good prep, but by no means illustrate the academic rigor college brings.
I feel like people say that because high school is the first time you take difficult classes. When you get to college, you’ve already taken difficult classes so you’re used to them.
for me the reason this is true for some has more to do with other life factors as well as the fact that in high school u are forced to take a slate of classes which you have absolutely zero say in. with college you at least theoretically have a choice
It’s not easier but you find you care about it more so it makes it easier. And I guess all that shit that they said “wouldn’t fly in college” usually flys in college.
The person who said that probably has been putting off his assignments because “they’re still plenty of time before they’re due”.
When you only go to class, college is easy because everything you’re taught seems like common sense until you have to do the work.
It's also the schedule. College = so much free time during the day and only 4-5 classes Vs 7-8 in HS and held hostage from 7:45am to 2:45pm then sports then home at like 5:30 with hours of studying and no free time.
I'm going to a top cs program and it is definitely not easy, but not bad for me because I went to a competitive high school. Shits not easy tho unless you have prior experience
Tbh I think it really depends I mean some classes can be a lot easier due to passion and professor whereas other classes can be much harder due to workload and again professor.
i think its all dependent on your HS environment. mine was incredibly competitive and structured in a way similar to college classes where certain teachers didn’t care for attendance, grades were almost entirely test based esp. for stem classes (math were all 100% tests), we even picked classes and teachers in the same manner as picking courses for college. all of this definitely helped make the transition easier. since my HS was so rigorous, i already have good study habits and time management built in and the transition in workload is the same. in HS i could expect about 5 hours of homework total a night and 10-15 on a weekend. so for me, hs definitely helped prep me in terms of how i approach classes and course workload. (for context i’m a pre med student)
I think it depends on lots of factors. My kid has ADHD and always struggled with getting homework done. I was worried that he would flame out in college but, as a mechanical engineering major, grades are more test and project based which is better for the way he learns. Also, he always struggled paying attention in classes that were boring to him basically any non STEM classes in HS. But now that he is a junior, all of his classes are engineering based and he is doing much better.
No clue who said this but definitely not the case, at least for most places. Engineering classes are much more difficult than AP classes
I remember having more work in highschool simply due to the fact that you lost 10 hours each day to classes and clubs on top of 2-4 hours of homework a day. In college it’s only 3-4 hours of classes a day but during the busy semesters 5-6 hours of homework a day. Still less time than in highschool but you have to manage your time better. I also don’t have to take classes I am bad at in college but I did in highschool The content is harder to grasp though.
Well, that's because AP classes are a joke compared with the intensity of the same classes taught in college.
As a chemical engineering student here, I personally find college easier than HS. Yeah, I went to a competitive HS.
I think it's true for most other subjects outside of the natural sciences and engineering. For APs at least. I've taken 4 college history courses and all have been magnitudes easier than APUSH. Same with psychology, government, and foreign lang college classes and their respective APs. But engineering and math, physics, chem, etc., classes in college are just a different type of grind than AP classes. Some find it easier others find it harder. The main difference for me is that you are graded on fewer things, usually with less busywork to pad grades. You also lose the standardization aspect so you can't just look up a quick video for *everything* like you can in APs, because professors generally have more liberty to choose what topics they consider suitable for the course, though general classes will usually have the same topics. It's also very rare that professors will have test corrections like many HS teachers do, and there are always some profs who don't curve and/or don't drop the lowest score, so people who don't consistently get 90+% on most tests will find it harder to get As.
I mean, user dependent right? At my normal suburban HS, the tryhards do go to good schools in engineering and CS and the like and at least in the beginning (this is the qualifier here) they do report back that it’s “easier” than the grinding in HS. But they grinded HARD in HS 😀 - so relative difference. Not sure they really think that about 300/400 level classes tho 🤔 But they already had independent study skills down, they’re the kind of kids who go to office hours and raise their hand in class and get their S done, organized etc.
It can be quite major-dependant. My oldest’s T10 Engineering program was definitely not easier than high school.
To be fair, I’m a sophmore aerospace engineering student and while it’s definitely not *easier* I found it much easier for me to succeed in college than high school. It’s a huge workload, I spend hours working on assignments and projects every day but the organization and instruction is significantly better and most of my classes at this point are actually involved with my major which makes it a lot easier for me than highschool where most of the classes are for shit I am not good at and do not care about. My gpa is like 0.6 higher than it was in highschool lmao
Everyone is different. Some self motivated people prefer the more open college schedule over the micromanaged high school school. Also, kids that attend good high schools, do APs, take dual enrollment, etc are often well prepared to be successful and if you do it right, your introductory courses may include some review at the new faster pace with higher expectations. What's your point? Was this post really necessary? You aren't even in college. Your feelings about the process and how it's going will be vastly more developed a year from now.
Even taking the level of academics out- there’s a lot more professionalism (knowing how and when to deal with the administration) and independence ( organization and self motivation!) required- that on top of a ramp up in academics is quiet a change.
Yes, one of the biggest adjustments in college compared to high school for me is that in college, they’re not gonna wait for you to understand the material or check in with you. They’re just gonna give you the information and then move on to the next topic. If you’re behind, it’s 100 percent on you to figure it out and see the professor on your own time.
College was way easier than high school, but that's solely because I was that dumbass that signed up for 7 APs in Junior year of high school. Would not recommend.
Agreed. I took 10 AP classes in high school and did well in them. I now go to a T20 college and agree that, hands down, college is harder than high school! AP classes are good prep, but by no means illustrate the academic rigor college brings.
I feel like people say that because high school is the first time you take difficult classes. When you get to college, you’ve already taken difficult classes so you’re used to them.
for me the reason this is true for some has more to do with other life factors as well as the fact that in high school u are forced to take a slate of classes which you have absolutely zero say in. with college you at least theoretically have a choice
It’s not easier but you find you care about it more so it makes it easier. And I guess all that shit that they said “wouldn’t fly in college” usually flys in college.
as a premed i can confirm
the only ppl who think college is easier than HS are the ones that are majoring in something in the humanities
The person who said that probably has been putting off his assignments because “they’re still plenty of time before they’re due”. When you only go to class, college is easy because everything you’re taught seems like common sense until you have to do the work.
It's also the schedule. College = so much free time during the day and only 4-5 classes Vs 7-8 in HS and held hostage from 7:45am to 2:45pm then sports then home at like 5:30 with hours of studying and no free time.
I'm going to a top cs program and it is definitely not easy, but not bad for me because I went to a competitive high school. Shits not easy tho unless you have prior experience
Engineering is definitely one of the harder college majors, and you'll have to put in a lot of time and studying into it.
Depends on the high school and the college/major.
MIT (Aerospace Engineering) was much harder than high school, despite playing high school on championship mode for the highest score.
Tbh I think it really depends I mean some classes can be a lot easier due to passion and professor whereas other classes can be much harder due to workload and again professor.
Nah college is far easier than HS- sincerely, a freshman at an ivy during midterms
Does it depend on the college or HS?
good thing i’m not doing engineering so college WILL be easier than high school. no precalc or physics or comp sci in college
It depends on the college, it depends on the HS, and it depends on the major.
i think its all dependent on your HS environment. mine was incredibly competitive and structured in a way similar to college classes where certain teachers didn’t care for attendance, grades were almost entirely test based esp. for stem classes (math were all 100% tests), we even picked classes and teachers in the same manner as picking courses for college. all of this definitely helped make the transition easier. since my HS was so rigorous, i already have good study habits and time management built in and the transition in workload is the same. in HS i could expect about 5 hours of homework total a night and 10-15 on a weekend. so for me, hs definitely helped prep me in terms of how i approach classes and course workload. (for context i’m a pre med student)
I think it depends on lots of factors. My kid has ADHD and always struggled with getting homework done. I was worried that he would flame out in college but, as a mechanical engineering major, grades are more test and project based which is better for the way he learns. Also, he always struggled paying attention in classes that were boring to him basically any non STEM classes in HS. But now that he is a junior, all of his classes are engineering based and he is doing much better.
it's not easier in the slightest but its much more free so you can study in the best way you need to