How the high school learning experience can set false expectations for college

Previous high school experience tells students...

• there's always a second chance
• someone will remind you of upcoming due dates
• the teacher can't give the whole class failing grades
• the student will be told exactly what's on the test
• very few tests are cumulative, so short term memory is usually sufficient (if your smart and pay attention, good grades are easy)
  
• paying adequate attention in class is usually good enough; outside studying is not required
• tests are relatively easy and fair
• tests are designed so that even the lower-achieving students can potentially pass
• there are many grades during the semester, so a few screw-ups are okay
• each question on the test will have been addressed many times, both in class and in the reading
• most of the required knowledge comes from class and one or two texts, not mostly from many different texts
• long, boring lectures are the exception
• teachers will work hard to make sure students understand what is being taught
• teachers know how to teach, most of the time
• teachers care about student progress, most of the time
• someone will help students identify which classes need to be taken and when
• someone other than the student is responsible for the student's learning
  

For these reasons, students fail to understand ...

• how difficult college can be
• how little oversight there is
• the implications of this lack of oversight
• the implications of their new personal freedom and the necessity for self-control and good habits
• the real nature of the problem (it's no longer an issue of how smart you are, but of how how much you practice good habits)