“Teachers, beginning in ninth grade, need to frequently unmask for students how college works and what the academic expectations are for undergraduates …If high school teachers better clarify what is expected in college classrooms, as well as differences between doing homework and studying, we are certain that fewer students will be shocked by the expectations that await them at the next level of education” (Harper).

Harper, S. R. (2014). Succeeding in the city: A report from the New York City Black and Latino Male High School Achievement Study. Philadelphia. University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education. Retrieved from https://www.gse.upenn.edu/equity/nycReport

This passage particularly resonated with me because even though I took several AP classes and got advice from family and friends on what college would be like, I still felt completely unprepared during my freshman year of college. I struggled with what seemed like hours and hours of homework each night, and I procrastinated on a lot of my assignments. With a greater degree of independence and an increased workload, many college students have trouble with all the responsibilities they have, which can lead to low performance and dropouts. If high school teachers addressed the actual logistics of college to their students, I believe that many students would feel more at ease entering this phase of their life and that they would perform better academically and socially.

At the same time, I do wonder how much high schools can incorporate college-like curriculum and practices into their classrooms. Especially for AP classes (or similar college preparatory classes), I think having detailed syllabi with readings and all the planned examinations could give high school students a feel for college academic expectations. However, is doing something like this too much for the normal high school student to handle? Teachers definitely need to find a balance that challenges students and prepares them for the college experience while also not pushing them too hard.