We have all had those high school teachers who couldn't wait to tell us that college was not going to be a walk in the park. I can think of countless lectures about how we had no idea what was coming for us. To be honest, looking back, there were a lot of things they got wrong, but here are 5 things they got really right.
1. THE SYLLABUS IS YOUR BIBLE
It's no joke. Everything you need to know is likely in that syllabus. I thought all my teachers were exaggerating, but trust me they are not. Every due date, test, reading, and class is listed in that syllabus. Not to mention the policies, grading (because surprise it's NOT the same for every class), and professor contact is in that syllabus.
2. READ THE BOOK
Remember when your teachers would make you do the ever dreaded "popcorn" reading from the dusty textbooks from the back of the class? You know the ones, they look like they belong in the Halloweentown movies when they use the ancient books to make spells. And usually, the readings meant nothing, and everything you needed to know the teacher would tell you.
Well those days are over. Unfortunately in college, you do have to read the book. A lot of the time, questions on the test will be things the teacher NEVER talked about, and will all be from reading. Did you just vomit in your mouth because I did.
3. NO LATE WORK
For most college classes, there is zero tolerance for late work. If you don't turn it in, no one will email you asking where it is and you will get a big fat zero in the grade book. Oh and by the way, you definitely don't want that, because some classes won't have more than 5 grades in the book for the whole semester.
4. DON'T DO WORK LAST MINUTE
Work in college is not like work in high school. It's usually not easy enough to do in 15 minutes. Anymore, most work is online, which also means if you have a computer issue or something else happens and you miss the submission times, EVEN IF IT IS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL, you professors will give you a zero.
and most importantly
5. YOUR PROFESSORS DON'T CARE IF YOU FAIL
This is not high school. This isn't the same as when your English teacher had your older sibling in class and loves the heck out of you for no reason all year. Your professors do not know you, will probably never know you and dont care how nice your mom's facebook friends think you are. Don't expect any breaks because they will definitely not come.
