1.3 College Culture and Expectations
Questions to consider:
- What language and customs do you need to know to succeed in college?
- What is your responsibility for learning in college?
- What resources will you use to meet these expectations?
- What are the common challenges in the first year?
College Has Its Own Language and Customs
Going to college—even if you are not far from home—is a cultural experience. It comes with its own language and customs, some of which can be confusing or confounding at first. Just like traveling to a foreign country, it is best if you prepare by learning what words mean and what you are expected to say and do in certain situations.
Let’s first start with the language you may encounter. In most cases, there will be words that you have heard before, but they may have different meanings in a college setting. Take, for instance, “office hours.” If you are not in college, you would think that it means the hours of a day that an office is open. If it is your dentist’s office, it may mean Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In college, “office hours” can refer to the specific hours a professor is in her office to meet with students, and those hours may be only a few each day: for example, Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.
“Syllabus” is another word that you may not have encountered, but it is one you will soon know very well. A syllabus is often called the “contract of the course” because it contains information about what to expect—from the professor and the student. It is meant to be a roadmap for succeeding in the class. Understanding that office hours are for you to ask your professor questions and the syllabus is the guide for what you will be doing in the class can make a big difference in your transition to college. The table on Common College Terms, has a brief list of other words that you will want to know when you hear them on campus.
Common College Terms, What They Mean, and Why You Need to Know
| Term | What It Means | Why You Need to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance policy | A policy that describes the attendance and absence expectations for a class | Professors will have different attendance expectations. Read your syllabus to determine which ones penalize you if you miss too many classes. |
| Final exam | A comprehensive assessment that is given at the end of a term | If your class has a final exam, you will want to prepare for it well in advance by reading assigned material, taking good notes, reviewing previous tests and assignments, and studying. |
| Learning | The process of acquiring knowledge | In college, most learning happens outside the classroom. Your professor will only cover the main ideas or the most challenging material in class. The rest of the learning will happen on your own. |
| Student Office Hours | Specific hours the professor is in the office to meet with students | Visiting your professor during office hours is a good way to get questions answered and to build rapport. |
| Plagiarism | Using someone’s words, images, or ideas as your own, without proper attribution | Plagiarism carries much more serious consequences in college, so it is best to speak to your professor about how to avoid it and review your student handbook’s policy. |
| Study | The process of using learning strategies to understand and recall information | Studying in college may look different than studying in high school in that it may take more effort and more time to learn more complex material. |
| Syllabus | The contract of a course that provides information about course expectations and policies | The syllabus will provide valuable information that your professor will assume you have read and understood. Refer to it first when you have a question about the course. |
| Smart Start | Students need to be active and/or present during the first few days of class | Students who are not present on the first day of a face-to-face class or who are not active during the first three days of an online class can be dropped from the course. |
| Census Date | Date college certifies enrollment to the state | Dropping a course after this date will results in a Withdrawal on your transcript and may have financial aid implications. |
| Last Date to Withdraw | Last day you can withdraw from a course | After this date, you will receive a grade in the course. |
| 3-peat Rule | Third attempt charge | Upon taking the same course a third time, you will be charged out-of-state tuition. |
| 6-drop Rule | Can only drop 6 courses while pursuing your undergraduate degree | After dropping 6 college-level courses, you will no longer be able to drop and will get a grade on your transcript for all future courses attempted. |
| Pre-requisite | Course needed before you can register for a higher-level course | It is important to understand the order in which courses must be taken when registering for classes. |
| Core Curriculum | General education courses required at Texas public institutions | Completing the 42 credit hours of core classes makes you “core complete” and these hours are transferable to any Texas public college or university. |
| Academic Standing | Indicates if you are meeting college grade expectations | Students with a 2.0 GPA are in good academic standing. Continued semesters under a 2.0 GPA can lead to dismissal from the college. |
| Satisfactory Academic Progress | Progress towards degree | To maintain financial aid, students must have a 2.0 GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of the courses they attempt. |
| GPA | Grade Point Average | The average of all your grades impacts your ability to remain in college, get financial aid, and transfer to universities. |
You will discover that there are many differences between high school and college. Some of the differences are included in the table below. If your most recent experience has been the world of work or the military, you may find that there are other noticeable differences between those experiences and college.
Differences Between High School and College
| High School | College | Why You Need to Know the Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grades | Grades are made up of frequent tests and homework, and you may be able to bring up a low initial grade by completing smaller assignments and bonuses. | Grades are often made up of fewer assignments, and initial low grades may keep you from earning high course grades at the end of the semester. | You will need to be prepared to earn high grades on all assignments because you may not have the opportunity to make up for lost ground. |
| Learning | Learning is often done in class with the teacher guiding the process, offering multiple ways to learn material and frequent quizzes to ensure that learning is occurring. | Learning happens mostly outside of class and on your own. Faculty are responsible for assigning material and covering the most essential ideas; you are responsible for tracking and monitoring your learning progress. | You will need to practice effective learning strategies on your own to ensure that you are mastering material at the appropriate pace. |
| Getting Help | Your teachers, parents, and a counselor are responsible for identifying your need for help and for creating a plan for you to get help with coursework if you need it. Extra assistance is usually reserved for students who have an official diagnosis or need. | You will most likely need help to complete all your courses successfully even if you did not need extra help in high school. You will be responsible for identifying that you need it, accessing the resources and using them. | Because the responsibility is on you, not parents or teachers, to get the help you need, you will want to be aware of when you may be struggling to learn material. You then will need to know where the support can be accessed on campus or where you can access support online. |
| Tests and Exams | Tests cover small amounts of material and study guides are common to help you focus on what you need to study. If you paid attention in class, you should be able to answer all the questions. | Tests are fewer and cover more material than in high school. If you read all the assigned material, took good notes in class, and spent time practicing effective study techniques, you should be able to answer all the questions. | This change in how much material and the depth of which you need to know the material is a shock for some students. This may mean you need to change your strategies dramatically to get the same results. |
Some of What You Will Learn Is “Hidden”
Many of the college expectations that have been outlined so far may not be considered common knowledge, which is one reason that so many colleges and universities have classes that help students learn what they need to know to succeed. The term, which was coined by sociologists, describes unspoken, unwritten, or unacknowledged (hence, hidden) rules that students are expected to follow that can affect their learning. To illustrate the concept, consider the situation in the following activity.
Activity 1.4
Situation: Your history syllabus indicates that on Tuesday your professor is lecturing on the chapter that covers the stock market crash of 1929. This information sounds pretty straightforward. Your professor lectures on a topic and you will be there to hear it. However, there are some unwritten rules or hidden curriculum that are not likely to be communicated. Can you guess what they may be? Take a moment to write at least one potential unwritten rule for each question.
What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing before attending class?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing in class?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
What is an unwritten rule about what you should be doing after class?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
What is an unwritten rule if you are not able to attend class?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Some of your answers could have included the following:
Before class: Read the assigned chapter, take notes and record any questions you have about the reading.
During class: Take detailed notes, ask critical thinking or clarifying questions, avoid distractions, bring your book and your reading notes.
After class: Reorganize your notes in relation to your other notes, start the studying process by testing yourself on the material, make an appointment with your professor if you are not clear on a concept.
Absent: Communicate with the professor, get notes from a classmate, make sure you did not miss anything important in your notes.
The expectations before, during and after class, as well as what you should do if you miss class, are often unspoken because many professors assume you already know and do these things or because they feel you should figure them out on your own. Nonetheless, some students struggle at first because they don’t know about these habits, behaviors, and strategies. But once they learn them, they can meet them with ease.
Learning Is Your Responsibility
As you may now realize by reviewing the differences between high school and college, learning in college is your responsibility. Before you read about the how and why of being responsible for your own learning, complete the Activity below.
Activity 1.5
For each statement, circle the number that best represents you, with 1 indicating that the statement is least like you, and 5 indicating that the statement is most like you.
| Most of the time, I can motivate myself to complete tasks even if they are boring or challenging. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I regularly work hard when I need to complete a task no matter how small or big the task may be. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I use different strategies to manage my time effectively and minimize procrastination to complete tasks. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I regularly track my progress completing work and the quality of work I produce. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I believe how much I learn and how well I learn is my responsibility. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Were you able to mark mostly 4s and 5s? If you were able to mark at least one 4 or 5, then you are well on your way to taking responsibility for your own learning. Let’s break down each statement in the components of the ownership of learning:
- Motivation. Being able to stay motivated while studying and balancing all you have to do in your classes will be important for meeting the rest of the components.
- Deliberate, focused effort. Taking ownership of learning will hinge on the effort that you put into the work. Because most learning in college will take place outside of the classroom, you will need determination to get the work done. And there will be times that the work will be challenging and maybe even boring, but finding a way to get through it when it is not exciting will pay in the long run.
- Time and task management. You will learn more about strategies for managing your time and the tasks of college in a later chapter, but without the ability to control your calendar, it will be difficult to block out the time to study.
- Progress tracking. A commitment to learning must include monitoring your learning, knowing not only what you have completed (this is where a good time management strategy can help you track your tasks), but also the quality of the work you have done.
Taking responsibility for your learning will take some time if you are not used to being in the driver’s seat. However, if you have any difficulty making this adjustment, you can and should reach out for help along the way.
Don’t Do It Alone
Think about our earlier descriptions of two students, Reggie and Marisol. What if they found that the first few weeks were a little harder than they had anticipated? Should they have given up and dropped out? Or should they have talked to someone about their struggles? Here is a secret about college success that not many people know: successful students seek help. They use resources. And they do that as often as necessary to get what they need. Your professors and advisors will expect the same from you, and San Antonio College has all kinds of offices, staff, and programs that are designed to help. This bears calling out again: you need to use those resources. These are called “help-seeking behaviors,” and along with self-advocacy, which is speaking up for your needs, they are essential to your success. As you get more comfortable adjusting to life in college, you will find that asking for help is easier. In fact, you may become really good at it by the time you graduate, just in time for you to ask for help finding a job! Review the table on Issues, Campus Resources, and Potential Outcomes for a few examples of times you may need to ask for help. Make sure to download the Alamo Colleges District app on your phone so that you will have at your fingertips information on all the resources SAC offers to students.
Issues, Campus Resources, and Potential Outcomes
| Type | Issue | Campus Resource | Potential Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic/ Intellectual | You are struggling to master the homework in one of your classes. | The Student Learning Assistance Center, Math Labs, Writing Center, Library, Disability Support Services, plus more. | A peer or professional tutor can walk you through the steps until you can do them on your own. |
| Health | You have felt extremely tired over the past two days and now you have a cough. | Wellness 360 Health Center | A licensed professional can examine you and provide care. |
| Social/ Cultural | You haven’t found a group to belong to. Your classmates seem to be going in different directions and your roommate has different interests. | Student organizations, interest groups, and cultural awareness months. Victory Center for Veterans |
Becoming a member of a group on campus can help you make new friends, make connections for your career, and learn about other cultures. Visiting the Victory Center can help veterans and their dependents make the transition to college. |
| Financial | Your scholarship and student loan no longer cover your college expenses. You are not sure how to afford it next semester. | Financial aid office | A financial aid counselor can provide you with information about your options for meeting your college expenses. |
| Life Challenges | You are having trouble covering a utility bill, need food, or are having trouble managing an emotional situation. | Student Advocacy Center | You can get food, counseling, and case management assistance to overcome challenges to completing your education. |
Common Challenges in the First Year
It seems fitting to follow up the expectations for the first year with a list of common challenges that college students encounter along the way to a degree. If you experience any—or even all—of these, the important point here is that you are not alone and that you can overcome them by using your resources. Many college students have felt like this before, and they have survived—even thrived—despite them because they were able to identify a strategy or resource that they could use to help themselves. At some point in your academic career, you may do one or more of the following:
Feel like an imposter |
There is actually a name for this condition: imposter syndrome. Students who feel like an imposter are worried that they don’t belong, that someone will “expose them for being a fake.” This feeling is pretty common for anyone who finds themselves in a new environment and is not sure if they have what it takes to succeed. Trust the professionals who work with first-year college students: you do have what it takes and you will succeed. Just give yourself time to get adjusted to everything. |
Worry about making a mistake |
This concern often goes with the imposter syndrome. Students who worry about making a mistake don’t like to answer questions in class, volunteer for a challenging assignment, and even ask for help from others. Instead of avoiding situations where you may fail, embrace the process of learning, which includes—is even dependent on—making mistakes. The more you practice courage in these situations and focus on what you are going to learn from failing, the more confident you become about your abilities. |
Try to manage everything yourself |
Even superheroes need help from sidekicks and mere mortals. Trying to handle everything on your own every time an issue arises is a recipe for getting stressed out. There will be times when you are overwhelmed by all you have to do. This is when you will need to ask for and allow others to help you. |
Ignore your mental and physical health needs |
If you feel you are on an emotional rollercoaster and you cannot find time to take care of yourself, then you have most likely ignored some part of your mental and physical well-being. What you need to do to stay healthy should be non-negotiable. In other words, your sleep, eating habits, exercise, and stress-reducing activities should be your highest priorities. |
Forget to enjoy the experience |
Whether you are 18 years old or 48 years old starting back to college after taking a break to work and raise a family, be sure to take the time to remind yourself of the joy that learning can bring. |
Policies and Procedures
Wondering when final exams are or what the prerequisites are for a course? Maybe you need to know what the tuition rate is or how long Spring Break is. Most of the information students need about all college policies, procedures, degrees and resources can be found in the San Antonio College Schedule/Catalog. Also included are the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Handbook which outlines behavior expectations for students and how to handle any problems that may arise. This document can be found on the SAC website (mysaccatalog.alamo.edu). Also, your instructor in this class will be going over much of this information throughout the semester so that you can be well-equipped with the information you need to smoothly continue your education.