How hard are college classes?

[JedimasterKyle]

This is for all you college guys or gals out there. I have been really stressed about starting college this fall. I got a $15,000 scholarship that will be taken away if I don't keep a 3.5 GPA, and once it is gone, I can't get it back. If I lose the scholarship, then my parents won't be able to pay for college and I will either have to take out loans, or join the service so they can pay for it. I have taken all honors core classes and many AP classes, so could any of you tell me how college classes compare to these classes? I have taken AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Language and Composisition, and AP Calculus AB. I got a 4 in Bio, and 3s in Lang and Chem. I am taking physics and calc. now.

So basically, I want to know what to expect in classes and how hard are they?

[anjang86]

What school are you going to and what are you going to study?

If you are doing that in HS then you should be fine in college. The classes are hard but you are getting older and life doesn't get any easier. The number one difference between doing work in HS vs College is that you can get by with some BS work in HS but you can't do that in College. You actually have to do the work or sooner or later you will get screwed.

Also, you can't let distractions detract you from what you need to get done. There will be plenty of distractions and you're parent's wont be there to pull you out nor will you have report cards to tell you to get serious, you are going to have to do everything yourself.

All in all, the classes in college are hard... you can't expect them to be as easy as HS classes. But if people in college can have 4.0 GPAs in college then they are certainly not impossible. A 3.5 GPA is hard to maintain but by setting the standard that high the people who awarded you that scholarship selected you because they know you are capable of doing what they require.

[JedimasterKyle]

I am going to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a small university (about 2,000 or something, which is about my high school size), which I like so I can talk to the professorss and get help when I need it. I plan on studying biology (since pre-med is not a major) for a future in medicine.

What is needed to succeed? Lots of reading? Good notes? And would you recommend a roommate with the same major? I asked for this on the roommate request form so we would have similar studying habits.

[livin4lax09]

the hardest part about college is learning how to manage your time. I don't think a roommate having the same major really matters. Do your reading, and study, and you should be fine. I don't take notes in most of my classes because I feel if I just pay attention I learn the stuff better than if I'm worried about getting it all down. Just don't stress.

I'm in chemical engineering by the way, and I have A's in all my classes. Really, just learn how to manage time. Do your work, and you'll be fine.

[JedimasterKyle]

Thanks for all of your help guys! Maybe now I can actually get a good nights sleep. :thumbsup:

[anjang86]

Yes, get a roomate with the same major, even though I don't think this matters that much.

Do your HW in groups, but don't copy, know how to do the stuff yourself because this makes studying for tests easier. Don't be afraid to talk to people either, they are all new to this school just like you.

Reading.. eh.. I guess so for Biology majors. I'm an Industrial and Systems Engineering major and I don't really read the book as much as I look at the examples. For my major, reading is overrated.

Yeah, take good notes if you can. However I find this hard to do sometimes because the teachers ramble on and on about stuff that isn't useful (aka not on the test or hw). If you know your hw assignment ahead of time then make sure you take notes that cater to that.

If you haven't figured out allready by my comments, doing your hw properly the first time and everytime is very important. Learn how to do problems in class and do your work in groups (or at least talk about assignments with others) and you should be fine.

Since you are in a small school then it becomes A LOT easier to do well. It also depends on how challenging the school is academically. I know one friend that I have who goes to WVU and says that his workload in college is easier than in HS.

[anjang86]

the hardest part about college is learning how to manage your time. I don't think a roommate having the same major really matters. Do your reading, and study, and you should be fine. I don't take notes in most of my classes because I feel if I just pay attention I learn the stuff better than if I'm worried about getting it all down. Just don't stress.

I'm in chemical engineering by the way, and I have A's in all my classes. Really, just learn how to manage time. Do your work, and you'll be fine.

Industrial & Systems Engineering > Chemical Engineering

[livin4lax09]

yeah. It sucks. Here I come psychology and photography! w00t!

[franks2089]

What is needed to succeed? Lots of reading? Good notes?
I believe you answered your own question.

[LaxCrazy17]

I'm looking forward to college, but I'm a tad worried about the work. I get stressed easily.

[livin4lax09]

Seriously everyone, don't worry about college. The worst thing you can do is stress about it. They're the best years of your life. You have freedom, and not too many responsibilities, so you're going to be able to have fun. Just do your work, and you'll be fine, like I said. Don't stress about it, especially if you're not even in college yet.

[LaxCrazy17]

I have 3 more months of High school left, I'm allowed to feel stressed.lol.

[RockStar]

...........

Dude,

If you're doing well now, and planning on taking similar math and science classes at college, you'll probably be fine. Only difference I noticed was that the college classes covered more material in a shorter time, and built on your knowledge base without spiralling backwards to re-teach stuff you should have already learned.

Example - 2/3 of my first semester of calculus was a review of what I took in HS. The biggest difference was that the time spent on this material in college course was about 26 hours of lecture time and 7 hours of (optional) tutorial time as opposed to about 120 hours of in-class time in HS.

So anyway, there are no real secrets to keeping your grades up, just:

-pay attention at lectures,
-do all of the assigned readings/practice problems as soon as possible after the class where they were assigned, and,
-go to tutorials if you have any questions from the readings/problems.

If you get into a good routine, there's still plenty of time for fun college stuff. (The bars never get good until 10 or 11 at night anyway, so my system was to spend between dinner and 10:30PM doing practice problems and assignments, and then go out and close the bar!)

Only thing to remember is that to do well, you'll probably need to spend more time working outside of class than you did in HS.

[FallIntoIt]

In my opinion, college classes are easier than high school. Granted, I took Honors and AP all through high school.
The lack of nightly homework in most classes (albeit, not all classes) is nice, and helpful. But as others stated, you just need to learn to manage your time. As I learned with psych last semester, studying a little bit each night or every other night is ten times better than cramming - esp. since most professors love to test you on details instead of/in addition to general ideas.

Honestly, for me, the hardest part about college classes is talking myself into going to them.

But I will admit - for some classes, you never need to go. Like, my macroeconomics class. I took AP macro in high school but fell short on the exam, so I didn't receive credit for it. My professor posts all of his notes online and he never strays from the notes, so I just take the notes, read/skim the book, and I'm set for the exams. As it is, if I do go to his class, I'm online never paying attention anyway, so I'd rather study when I want to.
For other classes, you always have to go. Like my physics class. It takes a bit of experimenting, but you'll figure it all out, no worries.

Anyway - no matter what, you'll find that you still have a thousand hours of free time some weeks, and not enough hours in the day other weeks. It all evens out, and don't worry about it.

p.s. I would suggest getting a planner. Plan out your day to the hour. That way you know what the ideal day should be like, and you know where you should be at a certain time (esp. with screwy class schedules), and you have an idea when you can study and when you can go out drinking.

[BTlaxripper]

Seriously everyone, don't worry about college. The worst thing you can do is stress about it. They're the best years of your life. You have freedom, and not too many responsibilities, so you're going to be able to have fun. Just do your work, and you'll be fine, like I said. Don't stress about it, especially if you're not even in college yet.

Type B personalities of the world, unite!
:thumbsup:

[anjang86]

I have 3 more months of High school left, I'm allowed to feel stressed.lol.

Dude this is the time in your life where you should be the least stressed.

[ColtsLax]

it depends on your HS education. If you went to a public school and took autoshop and basket weaving, then college is going to be hard, but, if you went to a college prep school, then it will be easy.

When i went on my visits, i sat in on classes, and i was amazed how easy it seemed. Kids were complainn when the professor assigned a 3 page papaer for next class. That is average for me at my school. It all depends.

[FallIntoIt]

Kids were complainn when the professor assigned a 3 page papaer for next class. That is average for me at my school. It all depends.


Hahah, I know. I always hear complaints from classmates about a 3-5 page paper double-spaced. I'm like, "Holy hell, that was a short paper in high school."

[ramslac05]

This is for all you college guys or gals out there. I have been really stressed about starting college this fall. I got a $15,000 scholarship that will be taken away if I don't keep a 3.5 GPA, and once it is gone, I can't get it back. If i lose the scholarship, then my parnets won't be able to pay for college and I will either have to take out loans or join the service so they can pay for it. I have taken all honors core classes and many AP classes, so could any of you tell me how college classes compare to these classes? I have taken AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Language and Composisition, and AP Calculus AB. I got a 4 in Bio, and 3s in Lang and Chem. I am taking physics and calc. now.

So basically, I want to know what to expect in classes and how hard are they?
wow dude ur like a genius
i would die in just 1 AP class

[Palmettolax45]

Hahah, I know. I always hear complaints from classmates about a 3-5 page paper double-spaced. I'm like, "Holy hell, that was a short paper in high school."
I had to write a 4 12 page papers in 8th grade and like 10 6 page papers all single space. double spaced is nothing i could do that in 30 minutes if i dont get sidetracked

[wolfie8914]

Yea Rockhurst aint nothin to fret about. Youll be fine.

[exile lacrosse]

im not really stressing yet (im a junior). Im taking pretty much all honors/AP classes and doing ok in them (Chem H is mid 70s, but AP US HIST is 90s, and everything else is inbetween there), and 3-5 page papers dont scare me too much ( i had to write a 30 page paper FOR EFFING TECHNOLOGY last year). i thik my biggest problem is procrastination. ie, i have to write a spanish composition AND do a HUGE lab write up all before 9 so i can watch the apprentice. right now im on TLF instead of doing either of these two things. , which need to get don in less than 40 minutes.

[holyschnikes101]

oops. my baddd...

[moondog]

A three-to-five page paper in college is like a daily response assignment. At least for English (Education) majors...

[FallIntoIt]

A three-to-five page paper in college is like a daily response assignment. At least for English (Education) majors...

Ah. I'm a journalism major. I'm usually being scolded for writing too much.

[ahslax18]

that sucks, the classes arent really hard, but sometimes you lose motivation and get lazy, but with 15 grand on the line, you might wanna keep a light schedule

[FallIntoIt]

that sucks, the classes arent really hard, but sometimes you lose motivation and get lazy, but with 15 grand on the line, you might wanna keep a light schedule

Agreed. Take a number of filler classes with 1 or 2 "harder" classes for your first few semesters and build up your GPA to allow for slippage when you have no choice but to take a harder courseload

[LaxCrazy17]

Dude this is the time in your life where you should be the least stressed.


I wish that was the case, but it's not. For me anyways.

[WHEELAX2]

let me put it this way.. I was never a good student in high school.. low Bs, but when I went to college, I really started getting good grades.. the most important thing you MUST do is go to class.. all the times you just want to skip aren't worth it.. you will miss so much if you don't go... even if you're half asleep.... GO TO CLASS.... and another thing.. I never bought a single book in college.. and I still ended up with a 3.5 overall.. just go to class, take notes, study with other peeps in the class, and talk to professors...

GO TO CLASS

[LaxCrazy17]

where did you go to college? And why didn't you have to buy any books????

[WHEELAX2]

where did you go to college? And why didn't you have to buy any books????


I never bought any books, I would either split the cost with someone in class, or just borrow books from friends..

[LaxCrazy17]

O so you took the slackers way through college. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to buy my books. Your just lucky. :P

[FallIntoIt]

O so you took the slackers way through college. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to buy my books. Your just lucky. :P


Uh, you think it's the slacker's way until you spend 450 on books for one semester and find that you can only sell one back at the end for 20 bucks, even though you used your books maybe once (if you were dedicated) during the semester.

[Frndlefire]

Uh, you think it's the slacker's way until you spend 450 on books for one semester and find that you can only sell one back at the end for 20 bucks, even though you used your books maybe once (if you were dedicated) during the semester.
this is what I was thinking...university bookstores make huge bank on buying and reselling text books. Why couldn't someone just buy a bunch of books from kids at half what they paid for them and sell them for 3/4 what they are new. Our bookstore gives you like $30 for a $160 bio book and that's f'ing rediculous. What ever happened to affordable education?

[wolfie8914]

The text-book business in general is the way to get rich....forget about all that technology, oil rubbish.

[stinisonfire]

College is as hard as you make it, or as easy. It depends on your classes and your major. Like others were saying, TIME MANAGEMENT IS KEY. I cannot stress this enough. Though I will say I am a master procrastinator, I still manage to juggle school, social life, being an RA (next year, but I'm in training now) and lacrosse. I've had weeks with no homework, and I've also had a few weeks of nothing but research papers. My roommate was bombarded by homework the first couple weeks of this semester while I played video games all night. This past week he strolled in and saw me working on one of two 10 page research papers. All he said was "Ha! I see the tables have turned..!"

Classes can swing either way and it really depends on the teacher. For example, I had a brilliant history professor (I'm a Middle Grades - Social Sciences / History minor) who went into depth and we would cover the same era for days at a time. On the flipside, I have a newer teacher who graduated from here two years ago that takes a class to cover 20 years worth of events.

Going to a smaller school will definetly be a benefit. I cannot tell you how many times I've been able to talk to my teachers through e-mail, in person, on the phone or even sit down at lunch to have a chat with them. Here's an example from today. We had a schedule change because of a Mass service (Saint Leo is a private Catholic school) and 830 classes got switched to 8, 930 classes got switched to 845, so on and so forth. I set my alarm for 910, not remembering the switch and I called my teacher after my next class to tell her what happened.