differences between high school and college (that nobody tells you about)

Hey y’all,

This week, I want to cover the differences between high school and college.

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list—but many of these differences are things that I noticed within my first few weeks at MIT, and most of them took me by surprise.

Difference 1: Nobody Holds You Accountable

In high school, your teachers will make sure you complete your assignments. Administration will make sure you show up to school. Parents will make sure you’re getting enough sleep and eating well.

But in college, you’ll have none of this.

You’re the only one responsible for your academic success and your physical wellbeing.

For example, you can skip ten lectures in college and your professor won’t even notice (assuming it’s a larger class and not a tiny seminar, of course).

And if you forget to turn in an assignment—the professor won’t follow up. They’ll pencil in the zero and move along.

Now I’m not trying to scare you; I just think this is an important reality check for most students. And if anything, this loosened oversight is a great way to build discipline and hone the characteristics that will help you succeed in the real world.

If you’re going into college this fall, here’s my advice: build a digital productivity system. As I’ve said in my videos and previous newsletters, your system doesn’t need to be anything advanced—even a single calendar will suffice. But ensure that you have something where you can keep track of your tasks, classes, office hours, meetings, and other responsibilities.

Oh and another tip: try not to skip more than two lectures in a row. After that, it’s only a downward spiral (speaking from experience, lol).

Difference 2: Extracurriculars Might Be More Exclusive

During my freshman year at MIT, I was shocked by how many clubs had an application process.

Oh, and I don’t mean a simple form—I mean a multi-part process that includes an application, networking events, and multiple rounds of interviews.

I remember interviewing for this business club one time and having three—yes THREE—upperclassmen interview me at the same time. Granted, they were pretty chill, but it was still a very unusual experience.

Luckily, however, not every club is like this. You’ll find that most hobby-related and community-oriented clubs have no filtering process whatsoever. Just show up to a meeting and you’ll automatically become a member. I find that it’s really just the the tech and business clubs, especially at elite schools, that tend to be a bit picky.

But regardless of where you go to college, I can assure you that you’ll find organizations and clubs that you can call home.

Difference 3: You’ll Have WAY More Resources

Alright, let’s shift to a more positive tone now. College has an ABUNDANCE of free resources to help you thrive both inside and outside of class.

For example, many institutions have career offices that will provide you with free resume and career advice to help you land your dream internships. You’ll also have access to older peers and mentors who might be willing to walk you through the process.

When it comes to your classes, you’ll have access to office hours. These are sessions where you can ask TAs for help on homework assignments or questions about an upcoming exam.

And here’s the best part: sometimes the TAs will literally walk you homework problems from start to finish. Office hours were a godsend during my later years at MIT, when I enrolled into much harder computer science courses (I’m looking at you, 6.046).

Alright y’all, if you enjoyed this letter and have made it this far, I need you to DM me “I read it“ on Instagram (@goharsguide). Newsletters are very weird compared to videos because there isn’t a comment section, so I don’t even know how many people end up reading these, LOL.

If you want additional study advice, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. Would love to see you there.

And if you need help with college applications, check out Next Admit! We have a team of Ivy League consultants eager to help you navigate the admissions process.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar