College and High School: Two Very Different Experiences

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High school to college are two very different experiences. Many students enter college expecting the experience to be the same as the one they had while at high school. These students are wrong to make that assumption since they are so different. College costs more, presents more academic challenges, and offers a more social environment than high school, while both still provide students with knowledge and skills that could, and will, be useful in the future. First, in terms of cost, college is more expensive than high school because of tuition, living expenses, and books. Anyone who wants to attend college must pay fees, whereas it is free to attend a public high school. College tuition can start at roughly $50,000 a year and can wind up costing as much as $250,000 by the time of graduation. The people that attend a government funded high school don’t have to pay for their education in the form of tuition, but through their taxes. In addition to tuition, college students must also worry about room and board, on or off campus. In Boston, rental costs for a basement apartment can range from $600 to $1000 per month, and residence fees at most colleges work out to roughly $10,000 every year. In contrast, high school students don’t have living expenses because the majority of high school students live at home with their parents for free. College is also more expensive than high school when it comes to the cost of learning materials, such as textbooks and supplies. In college, students must buy textbooks for each course they take, and these books are not cheap, and they could cost anywhere from $200 to $500 new or $100 to $300 rented and used per a book. Most high school students don’t have to worry about buying their textbooks because... ... middle of paper ... ... college provide students with knowledge and skills they will need for the future. Skills such as social skills, reading something and remembering it, and also patients and perseverance to keep going with something even though it may seem tough. Student will have to go out into the work force and work through tough assignments given from a boss, or if they are going into business for themselves, how to keep going even when times get tough. All skills learned in high school and cared out through college. College may make students uses these skills more than in high school with persevering on projects, internships, and jobs, but started out in high school. On the basis of financial, academic, and social aspects, college is more costly, more academically challenging, and more socially stimulating than high school, but prepare students for the future ahead on their own.

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