How to Write a Great High School vs College Essay (+Free Sample)
If at any point in your academic career you will have to write a high school vs college essay, do not be fooled letting yourself think that this is an easy task. So
How to Write a Great High School vs College Essay (+Free Sample)
If at any point in your academic career you will have to write a high school vs college essay, do not be fooled letting yourself think that this is an easy task. So before we discuss the peculiarities of the writing process and provide you with a sample, let's define a compare and contrast essay. Once you received the topic, you will have to understand that:
- 'compare' refers to the search for the similarities between two notions, objects or phenomena, whereas
- 'contrast' forces you to look for the differences between the above-mentioned things.
You can see that writing such paper involves preparation and analysis of the information you would like to include in the essay.
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Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay for High School and College
The process of writing a compare and contrast essay consists of the following steps:
- Brainstorm ideas
- Consider main points
- Develop a thesis statement
- Decide on the structure
- Draft an outline
- Write the paper
- Edit and proofread
The first part of the writing process is brainstorming when you can write down everything that is somehow related to the topic. Write every single silly or crazy idea down (you can cross them out later), but make sure you cannot make them work first.
Once you have all the ideas written down, choose things you would like to focus on and throw out everything that does not fit. You will have to choose from 2 to 5 main points you will cover in your essay. The next step is to write a thesis statement that will cover all the point you will discuss later or present the main idea (e.g. 'college fives a student more opportunities for personal growth').
While choosing the best structure for your essay you might need to consider what is best depending on the points you plan to cover. There are three basic ways to approach your essay:
- Subject by subject. It means that you will have to discuss school (in as many paragraphs as needed), then describe college in the corresponding number of paragraphs.
- Point by point. This organizational form allows you to discuss certain features or characteristic of two objects. For this type of essays, you can compare and contrast form of ownership, living costs, etc.
- First compare, then contrast. In this structure, you will have to write down all the similarities first, and then move on to the differences.
If you are asked to prepare similarities between high school and college essay this means you have to compare and look for things in common. Whereas, contrast essay will require you to write differences between high school and college essay.
While writing your paper, make sure to pay attention to word count, as well as the overall tone of an essay. Once you have written your essay, make sure to take a break before editing and proofreading. You will have to check initial requirements and make sure your formatting is proper. Give yourself time to proofread your paper twice, before you submit it. Make sure to submit your paper at least half an hour prior to the deadline, so you have enough time in case of emergency.
High School vs College Parallels
It is important to understand that high school vs college life has a lot of different features. Is it possible to draw the parallels between the two? One of the main task in childhood is to understand and get ready for an adult life. This knowledge can be attained in high school. However, when you are in college, you become a sole controller of your own life. You take responsibilities for important decisions and decide whom you want to be in future. Well, when you follow the right track, e.g. study the subject you chose, receive high grades, rest assured that you will succeed in your life. Balanced schedule in college is the key to academic success. Of course, you cannot forget about rest and spending time with your friends but everything should be balanced. Below you will find out about differences that you may experience while transitioning from school to college life. High school vs college parallels:
- High School: When you are in high school, you have more friends because you know more people.
College: Here, you will be lucky to know at least one person in the class.
- High School: High school provides books at zero cost in most of the time.
College: Here you will have to pay for the books in most of the cases.
- High School: You do not have to pay for the living because you live with your parents.
College: Most likely, you will have to rent an apartment or live with your friends in the campus.
- High School: Schedule is the same and you have to wake up early in the morning.
College: You wake up whenever you want or you wake up for your very first class.
- High School: You are forced to get ready for every class and learn everything.
College: You learn the subjects you choose.
- High School: Others dictate your schedule and time.
College: You are a sole time manager.
- High School: High school teachers use the written books for the classes.
College: Professors write their own books and refer to them in classes.
- High School: High school students study from the comfort of their homes.
College: College students get ready for classes and tests in the libraries.
- High School: Notes are written to friends in high school.
College: You yourself must take notes.
- High School: It is possible to do 