by Michelle Tejada, staff reporter
High school goes by in a blink of an eye. After high school, it isn’t over yet. The next stop is college! It is entirely different, both socially and mentally. However, with some changes to the high school working environment, it can be similar to college.
High school and college have different standards. In high school, students are responsible for meeting learning standards. In college, students are expected to reach standards without any assistance. In order to have students ready for this kind of environment, teachers should push their students to achieve the standards before senior year. This way, they can be ready for college.
“Being a little bit strict, not giving second chances, making things more serious are all the things teachers should follow to make high school more like college,” sophomore Vanessa Torres said.
Students are guided throughout their entire high school experiences and can seek for a limitless amount of help from teachers and other peers. Making students more independent can help them in the long run. Teaching students how to learn and study on their own can also help them lay ground for what lies ahead.
“The whole reason for high school is to prep one for college. I think that a lot of things colleges do differently should be enforced in high school because it’s the stepping stone. A lot of people struggle when they go to college and most students drop out because it’s too hard. So if there starts to be a change now it will be easier later,” junior Kajiado Morrison said.
Writing in MLA format in high school gives the students the practice to do so for college. Most students do not know how to cite their sources correctly and are not penalized for it. This mistake could be avoided in college if students were obligated to use MLA format in high school.
“It would benefit students if we were all taught on the same level as college students. If the work/difficulty level gradually increased from ninth to twelfth grade, then students will be more ready for college,” senior Angel Lee said.
College is a new beginning in a teenager’s life. If high school was more like college, which is the most important stage in a student’s education, then students will be better prepared. Changes in school policy and teachers’ enforcement on students to learn and take on new challenges can definitely make high school a little more like college.
