Classes
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Attending High School - Same structured schedule every day in the same place -- schedule took up the entire day
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Attending SFA - Daily schedules differ: classes meet for 60-90 minutes throughout the day--some classes are early in the morning, some late in the day, and most are in separate buildings.
Competition
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Attending High School - Many Lumberjacks excelled academically and were ranked highly in their high school classes
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Attending SFA - The playing field is more level now - there are many bright students and it will take more effort to keep up.
Books
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Attending High School - Used one textbook per course that was provided by the school
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Attending SFA - Many courses require more than one textbook, and all books must be purchased by the student.
Study Habits
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Attending High School - Prepared minimally through note memorization or not at all
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Attending SFA - Good study habits are essential: proper note-taking, reviewing, organizing material, time management, test prep
Writing
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Attending High School - Wrote infrequently and briefly, maybe a couple of 5-10 page papers per year
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Attending SFA - You will write much more frequently, often several 10-20 page papers per semester in some courses.
Content
- Attending High School - Spent the entire year on fundamentals
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Attending SFA - Much more academic content will be covered in a shorter period of time.
Class Size
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Attending High School - Relatively small classes with plenty of personal attention from the teacher
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Attending SFA- Many classes are small, but some courses may include a much larger group of students. In these classes, it won't be possible for the professor to get to know each student.
Research
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Attending High School - Research not required in many high schools; those that did used only a minimum number of sources and the limited facilities available
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Attending SFA - Necessary to develop thorough research skills while mastering a larger and more complex library system with many different types of available media
Parent and Faculty
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Attending High School - Parents were directly involved in academic decisions and probably had regular contact with the teacher
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Attending SFA- Parents have minimal contact with faculty, and decisions related to academics are ultimately up to you, the student.
Student and Faculty
- Attending High School - Students interacted with teachers in a predictable, structured way; Teachers often took responsibility for getting to know the student
- Attending SFA - The responsibility is on the student to get to know the faculty by taking advantage of office hours, etc.
Time & Effort
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Attending High School - Spent an average of 30 minutes per course per week studying outside of class
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Attending SFA - Will spend more time preparing for course outside of class time than time spent in class. Recommended: For every hour inside of class, at least one hour should be spent studying outside of class. (Treat your classes like an 8-5 job. Remember why you are in college!)
Performance Feedback
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Attending High School - Teachers monitored daily progress with quizzes, homework, asking about reading, etc. Grades were given frequently with many homework assignments, tests, and quizzes.
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Attending SFA - Students are responsible for self-monitoring; and there are fewer assignments and exams. Unless you make an appointment to visit with a faculty member, no one will ask you if you are keeping up with the work.
Learning
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Attending High School - Parroted back facts
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Attending SFA - Dealing with theories and learning to convert raw data (events, dates, names, places, and facts) into ideas, concepts and generalizations
Pace
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Attending High School - Worked at the pace set by the teacher
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Attending SFA - Working at a faster pace, budgeting time and avoiding procrastination (the last minute approach rarely produces high quality work!)
Help
- Attending High School - Many students rarely needed help, and teachers and parents anticipated needs and knew when help might be needed.
- Attending SFA - Taking responsibility for yourself, being proactive, asking for help, and researching resources to assist with problems
Autonomy
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Attending High School - Teachers and parents guided most decisions
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Attending SFA - Students exercise greater freedom in decisions related to whether to attend class or not, which courses to take, how to balance academics and social life
Mistakes
- Attending High School - Fewer consequences for poor decisions
- Attending SFA - Now viewed as an adult so there are many more consequences that can impact the rest of your life