Even though high school and college are both institutions of learning, they differ in at
least three ways. The first difference between high school and college is their social
atmospheres. In high school the facility is usually smaller, and students are, for the most part,
well acquainted with each other. In addition, students in high school have the same six hour
7:45 to 1:45 day, thus helping them to know one another better. On the college scene people are
constantly coming and going, therefore rarely seeing the same person twice in a day, which
accounts for fewer people being acquainted with each other. The second difference between
high school and college is their policies about homework. In high school, homework is required
to help motivate students to study. Knowing they have to submit assignments in algebra or
history gives students an incentive to keep up with these subjects. In college most homework
consists of studying; very little of it is written and turned in. If students do their homework, it is
to their advantage; if they do not, the teachers will not force them to do it. The student is only
wasting his own money if he neglects his course work. The third and last difference between
high school and college is their attendance policies. In high school, students must attend class to
get assignments and personal help in a certain area. Furthermore, high school students are less
responsible; therefore, they need more guidance, which they can receive by going to class. In
college, students may skip classes if they choose and refer to the syllabus to acquire missed
assignments or tests. It is the student’s responsibility to make work up. In spite of these
differences between high school and college, they both serve the same purpose -- to prepare an
individual for the real world.