Gasparyan 1 Zoro Gasparyan Professor Vana DerOhanessian English 114A 5 December 2013 Never Stop Learning The nature

for preparation of college is successful for students who master in disposition of their skills and knowledge acquired from high school into college. However, most high school graduates do not perceive college work to be difficult prior to attending college. I discovered the difference in curriculum in between high school and college the minute I began to take college courses. Fortunately for me, I made the effort of enrolling into a community college concurrently with high school. I not only earned transferable college units, but I also had the benefit of distinguishing the different aspects of skill and knowledge that needed to be transferred from high school into my college experience. As a former student of the Magnet program in Ulysses S. Grant High School, I had the advantage of learning in an academically advanced environment that prepared and taught me sufficient skills and knowledge for college. The Magnet program at my high school and CSUN both contain differences in the responsibilities as a student in terms of organization, time management, and adherence to the core academic structures of both institutions. The organization and time management techniques that developed throughout high school were mostly based on the cause and effect strategy. I learned from the mistakes I made in my freshman year of high school, and it prevented me from doing the same mistakes in the future. My main mistake in freshman year was my bad habit of procrastination. However, I managed to prevent procrastination because it wasnt working out well for me. An important

Gasparyan 2 skill that I transferred from high school into college was to take control of my work so it wont take control of me. I tried with the best of my ability to avoid procrastination and not allow my work pile up. This action provided me with a positive attitude, and it promoted my academic success in my courses. In addition, a key skill that I also transferred with me from high school to college is organization. My teachers in high school enforced me into keeping a planner and being organized with the papers and work that were handed to me. I was to be up-to-date on due dates for assignments. My honors government and economics teacher, Mrs. Khachikyan, was a very fastidious person. She required her students to keep their work organized in a notebook and had certain guidelines and rules for the students to follow in regard to setting up the notebook in a unique way. I am glad that she required us to follow rules and guidelines in the class because it enabled me to prepare for the professors expectation from students in college. A skill I havent transferred from high school to college is studying for a short time for an upcoming test. This isnt possible in college because it isnt wise to try to study large amounts of information in a short amount of time. At CSUN, I study the lectures by writing it down on flashcards at least three hours after every class meeting. I will eventually recognize and remember all the material needed for the test. These techniques increased my responsibility as a student, and prepared me to continue onto higher education. Besides the Magnet program at Grant High School, there was also a regular curriculum which had underprepared or incompetent teachers that didnt prepare the students for college (Rose 1). Mike Rose, who was a former vocational track student, was accidently misplaced into a bottom level curriculum at Mercy High, but he took responsibility and rebelled against the hardships and pressures he faced in the low-standard school system. According to Mike Rose, the vocational track consisted of teachers who had no idea of how to engage the imaginations of

Gasparyan 3 us kids who were scuttling along the bottom of the pond (Rose 2). The regular curriculum at my high school is very much similar to the vocational track that Rose was in. The teachers in the regular curriculum werent attentive towards the students and didnt care if you learned the material in class or not. There was definitely a difference in terms of status in between the Magnet program curriculum and the regular curriculum in my high school. Mike Rose overcame the challenges and became a professor at UCLA. Fortunately for me, I was placed in the Magnet program, but I do believe that the students in the regular curriculum at my high school should be treated equally and be given the same attention as the students in the Magnet program. Despite the fact that there was dissimilarity in between the students at my high school in terms of education, there are also some comparisons and differences in curriculum in between high school and college. Furthermore, there are major comparisons and differences in the sense of policies and core academic structures in between high school and college. One of the differences is that at CSUN, there is a broad range of courses to choose from in contrast to a limited variety of classes to choose from in high school. Another advantage for me is to maneuver my schedule of classes on the days and times of my choice in contrast to attending high school from Monday to Friday under a systematic schedule. At CSUN, it is my responsibility to attend class regularly, take adequate notes from lectures, and study for upcoming test each day to master the material. In high school, the use of cell phones and electronics werent allowed during class but in college, some professors allow me to use electronics, especially if I take notes on an iPad or iPhone. My relationship with my instructors in high school and professors in CSUN are also very different. The professors at CSUN dont look after me due to the large amount of students in the classes and huge transition from a small campus to a large one. On the contrary, a major comparison

Gasparyan 4 between high school and CSUN is that the professors and instructors both will help me succeed in their class if I ask for help. The professors at CSUN have office hours at which you can attend and talk about your issues or concerns. The instructors at my high school are available after every class session and will talk with you privately. My high school and college experiences are completely different from each other. Both the Magnet program and CSUN demanded dedication from me. It is my responsibility to stay organized with my work, manage my time wisely, and be familiar with the core academic structure and policies in CSUN. In high school, I set small and short-term goals but in CSUN, I have set a long-term goal, and I am on the road to achieving it. My long term goal is to continue to graduate school and become a Pharmacist. With the skills and knowledge I obtained throughout my educational career, I will hopefully become a successful student. I will never stop learning.

Gasparyan 5 Work Cited Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary: A Moving Account of the Struggles and Achievements of Americas Educationally Underprepared. New York: Penguin, 2005. Print.