How College is Different and Setting Goals
Becoming a college student is a profound accomplishment. It required hard work, dedication, and your commitment to finish high school, select a college, apply, enroll, and show up on day one. You should be very proud of getting this far! However, you also need to understand the many ways in which a college education differs from high school. College demands a higher level of independence, discipline, organization, cognition, and application of learning. In particular, a liberal arts education will require you to think critically and develop an interdisciplinary approach that integrates information from a variety of subject areas into a more comprehensive way of understanding the world. The purpose of this unit is to lay the groundwork for college-level academic expectations to help you acclimate to the experience of higher education and to be successful in your academic endeavors.

After completing this module, you should be able to ...
  1. Describe some differences between high school and college academic work.
  2. Define college-level academic expectations.
  3. Articulate your academic, personal, and career goals.

 

Preparation for Class (Do BEFORE Class)

  • Read the course syllabus. [~10 mins]
  • Setup a GradeScope account. [~5 mins]
  • Read Chapter 1 in College Rules (pwd is “Highways”). [~15 mins]
  • Read “How College Is Different” handout. [~10 mins]
    • Identify at least one item in each major grouping that stands out to you (i.e., you think it is especially important, you were surprised by it, you have questions about it, you don’t agree with it, etc.)

In-Class Work

  • Discuss syllabus and class expectations.
  • Discuss “stand out” items from the “How College Is Different” handout (see preparation above).
  • Discuss questions or concerns from your first (partial) week at Northland.
  • Introduce “Goals and Expectations” worksheet.

After Class Assignment

  • Complete “Goals and Expectations” worksheet. Due Friday 6pm on GradeScope.
  • If possible, attend “Organizations and Clubs” fair (Friday 3-Sep 4-630 on Mall or in Ponzio).
  • Do class preparation for next module.