Skip Navigation

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Office of Undergraduate Studies

Helpful Tips for Your UNL Experience

How will university classes differ from high school?

 

Have you begun your classes at the university? If so, are you finding differences between your high school and your university classes? Your first step in becoming a successful university student is to understand these differences and prepare for them.

Although you will want to create your own list of differences, the list below may provide you a beginning point:

Before examining the differences these topics suggest, think first about why you came to the university. Unlike high school, you are not required to attend the university. Your attendance at NU suggests that you have individual goals and that you are willing to work to achieve them. At the same time, when you chose NU, you joined an existing community of scholars who also have expectations for you. The differences between high school and university classes reflect the university's respect for your individual goals (which you have set) and the university' expectations which you agreed to meet when you chose to join the university community. Having provided a context for the differences you are finding, -- let's talk about the topics listed above and some specific differences they raise.

Who's responsible

Because the university is preparing you to meet your personal goals, you will be taking greater responsibility for their attainment. Unlike in high school, faculty will give you less directives about how to accomplish an assignment. Although your instructor will have given you the basic guidelines for the assignment, you must take control to complete the assignment within the time allotted. You will decide what, when and how to do an assignment. Being in control, however, does not mean that you are alone. If you do not understand an assignment, ask questions, make an appointment with your instructor, visit the Writing Assistance Center or the Math Resource Center! As a university student, the resources of the university become your resources. Use them!

Faculty expectations

Faculty expect that you will prepare for and attend class, ask questions and complete assignments on time. Recognizing these expectations -- what is your plan to meet them? The majority of our first-year students take 12-15 credit hours in their first semester. For each credit hour, you may expect to spend 50 minutes in class each week. For example, a 3 credit hour class will meet 50 minutes three times a week or 75 minutes twice a week. For each hour in class, you should expect to spend two or more hours preparing for the class. Additional time will be required to prepare papers and review for exams. Instructors assume that you understand the importance of preparing for and attending class - and your actions will be noted even if attendance is not formally taken. You will be spending less time in class than you did in high school but faculty expectations are high - and, you will be operating more independently.

Lectures, recitations, quizzes and labs

Each of these represent a different type of classroom experience. Of these, the lecture sounds the most passive -- but it will not always be. Faculty , even in very large lecture classes, will often encourage your participation. If so, ask questions, enter into discussions --- and take notes! Sometimes, you may find that your questions cannot be answered during a lecture class. If so, include your question in your notes and visit the instructor during his or her office hours. Some large lecture sections have attached recitations, quizzes and labs. These small classes are intended to engage you in the material covered in larger lecture sections. Within these smaller sections, you will get to know your classmates and you should ask questions, enter into discussions, --- and (once again) take notes! Recitations, quizzes or labs are generally taught by either a teaching or lab assistant. You will find that the teaching or lab assistant is knowledgeable but that his or her responsibility differs from that of the instructor who gives the lecture. Teaching and lab assistants support the large lecture course instructor by offering you different perspectives, encouraging discussion, giving exams or facilitating lab assignments. Typically, a portion of your grade will come from work done in these small sections. You will find that university classes differ from high school in both their size, format and your involvement.

Class syllabus

The first day of class, you should expect to receive a course syllabus which is your road map for the course. On it, you will find the name of the instructor, his or her office hours, how to reach him or her to make an appointment, how grades for the course will be determined, exam dates, and other assignments. Because each instructor makes choices as to the specific content of a course, you may find that students in other sections of the same course will have a different syllabus, read different material, and have different assignments. Use the syllabus to plan your semester. Note dates of all exams and papers on your personal calendar. Having done so -- you may find that you have several items due in each of your classes in a single week. This means that you will need to plan ahead to complete them on time. Finally -- notice that unless the syllabus offers you special credit for "extra work" -- special credit is not available. Your "extra work" should be reflected in the quality of the required work that you perform - and it is this required work on which your grade for this course will be based.

Study Skills

You may find that the study skills you used in high school are inadequate for your university classes. Perhaps high school did not challenge you, and you were successful without learning how to study. Alternatively, you may have succeeded in high school by memorizing facts. Your university classes, however, will challenge you to evaluate material, organize facts and construct logical arguments. You may need to take a different approach to studying.

Before each class, read the assigned material, answer study questions and identify important issues. After class, review your class notes and reconcile them with your original reading of the material. If you have questions, make an appointment to talk with your instructor or stop by during office hours. Recognize that different courses require different types of study skills. For instance, how you study for a chemistry class and how you study for a literature class will differ; - in the literature class, you will have lots of reading and papers; in the chemistry class, you will have labs and quizzes. How you prepare for each of these classes will differ.

You may find that your study skills or how you learn enables you to succeed in one type of course but not in another. If you're struggling --- consider several strategies. One strategy is to participate in Supplemental Instruction. Supplemental Instruction offers you two to three structured study sessions each week in which upperclass students will work with you to understand note taking, discuss course readings, develop organizational skills, predict important issues for tests and integrate course content. Another strategy is to take a course specifically designed to develop your study strategies. Two such courses are Educational Psychology (EDPS) 109 or 209. (See the Undergraduate Bulletin.)

Test and exams

You should not expect that faculty will tell you what is most important for you to study for exams. Expect exams to cover material from your readings, discussions, problems and lectures. Your notes should tell you what is important.

Be prepared for the format of exams to vary. Depending on the discipline and the faculty member's preference, tests and exams may be short answer, multiple choice or essay; they may be comprehensive or limited coverage; they may be open book or closed; they may be "block exams" where multiple class sections of a course take the same exam at a single scheduled time or self-paced. As the type of exam may influence how you prepare - you may ask your instructor what type of exam you might expect.

These are a few of the differences between high school and university classes. Having identified these and other differences, you can now develop a plan for your success!