Grade School High School Community/Junior College Senior University
Attendance Mandatory, Truant Officer enforces Voluntary to enroll, may or may not be required to attend Completely voluntary
Cost Public school is free, parents take responsibility of payment for private school Relatively inexpensive Normally very expensive
Time Management Teacher controls Teacher takes responsibility to structure your time during school, Teachers remind you of unfinished tasks[ Instructors available and helps you learn to structure your time, relatively little demand on time, Instructors may remind you, but are under no obligation to do so, since it is your responsibility to know the syllabus content Excessive demand on time and student is almost entirely free to structure it, Instructors offer syllabus and evaluation only. Time and time management is often the critical competitive edge.
Conduct Few, if any expectations, students feel free to blurt out personal needs during class You are told what to do and will be corrected if you are out of line, but classroom comportment and on task behavior during class expected Often you are resourced in case you do not know what to do, instructors try to spell out expectations for the uniformed, but they may not extend themselves, especially if you are out of line Situation is competitive and if you do not know what to do, you are left in the dust -- on purpose
Deference Minimal etiquette enforced Etiquette and adult behavior expected, but not enforced Great deference expected, rare deviance from deference strongly but often covertly enforced
Class meeting  structure Usually on task less than one hour, teacher makes provision for student tiredness, 6 weeks structure, so students do not have to plan ahead Determined by school, legislature, normally everyday for 10 months, sometimes 90 minute clases, but is a semester structure, and students repeat semester if they fail 15 week semesters, with some exception, normally 2 or 3 times a week, increasingly more often 1 time a week 15 week semesters, with summer and inter-term course at many schools
Instructor freedom Almost none Limited: must teach adopted curriculum  Instructor is consider the professional. Normally chooses text and topics within state approved description, Departmental decisions are made by committee of professors. Some schools have school wide initiatives.  Instructor probably has other interests than the subject matter alone. Either s/he is died in the wool helper of low achieving students or is a worker in another job. Professor is unqualified authority in class, and probably a recognized authority in field
Outside Work None Most work is in class and some homework may be assigned as reinforcement, expectation is 0-2 hours per class daily and maybe last minute test prep Most students can pass with little outside work, but substantial outside study is expected; 2-3 hours per class hours is norm Most work is outside of class, often self directed, situation is increasingly competitive, at least 3 hours and often double or more per class hour expected
Library Mostly for enjoyment Nice diversion, occassional reference paper required, but 3-5  obvious sources in all needed You may be expected to know how to use it, and you may be expected to pay to photocopy required materials The Librarian is your best friend, the library provides you with resources for the bulk of your work, you are expected to know classical standards and modern discussion
Help Teacher responsible for everything, including providing notes Teachers often approach you if they think you need help, Teachers sometimes inquire into personal lives, counselors usually will Professors available if you wish to seek help Ideally professors available, but in reality often you deal with T.A..s
Texts Assignments mostly only from textbook Teacher teach from the textbook, explain what is written there, with some research paper assignments Instructors lecture on same topic as the text, but seldom follow text exactly, They WILL offer more than texts and share their critique of subject matter. Instructors lecture is not the same as text, and they may have written the text
More on textbooks Controversy never enters classroom State adoptions, controversy enters in debate team, civics classes in better schools only May be adopted by Instructors or campus, cut-down texts sometimes by same authors as universities use longer texts at higher reading levels, more controversial topics and more diverse perspectives offered
Books Handouts used frequently, cost borne by teachers or school Textbook provided by school Textbook and supplemental material for which you must pay Numerous books for each class (e.g. 6 full length books for a semester of History would be normal)
Notes Teacher provides material in obvious and prioritized way Teachers provide information visually and this is what you must know, alhtough students are expected to know how to study, research Instructors may provide material in a variety of formats and may highlight important information; they will provide info orally that is NOT on overhead. You are expected to be able to take notes on your own. Professors talk nonstop and expect you to discern what is most important, you must take notes very well
Level of Knowledge memorize facts Expected to learn and regurgitate facts, in better school, also able to relate facts to concepts, and debate Expected to master facts, concepts and begin to relate them to real life Expected to quickly move to synthesis and creativity
Tests material on tests given directly and immediately before usually weekly tests Frequent Less frequent and you are responsible for knowing what to study, but instructors are available to help you learn how and what to study Even less frequent, and you are totally responsible for knowing what to study and how
Review Frequent re-teaching Usually review, opportunities for re-teaching Reviews common but infrequent A professor or TA might offer a review out of goodness of heart
Grades All work graded All work graded, and daily work usually raises test scores Test and papers are bulk of grade, but extra credit or alternative credit sometimes offered Test and papers constitute grades
Promotion Some social promotion You may graduate if you make a D Ds are normally not transferable Only Bs and As are worth much, if you hope to move to next level
Effort Effort matters, and so does teacher feelings Effort counts, but assessment is largely objective Professors hope you make it, and have structured what they know is a relatively easy course, but it is normally only results they can count. School experience is structured as a "leg-up." Results, competing with the best in the nation, count; Students feel lucky to have a spot from which to compete, rather than expect help. Some sources are intentionally weed-out courses.