Highschool vs. College — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 30, 2023
Highschool is a secondary school for teenagers; college is a post-secondary institution offering advanced learning. The former emphasizes general knowledge, the latter specialization.
Difference Between Highschool and College
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Highschool serves as a transitional, formative phase in a student's educational journey, focusing on providing foundational knowledge across a variety of subjects. College, in contrast, allows students to specialize in a chosen field, offering a more advanced and detailed curriculum, granting degrees upon completion.
Highschool typically caters to teenagers, often providing a more structured environment with a set schedule and mandatory attendance. In contrast, college fosters independence, offering flexible schedules, elective courses, and emphasizing personal responsibility for attendance and coursework completion.
In highschool, students usually interact with the same peer group daily and experience a cohesive, uniform learning environment. In college, diversity and varied interactions are the norms, allowing students to encounter a broad spectrum of individuals and ideas, often from different cultures and backgrounds.
Assessment and evaluation in highschool are usually more frequent, with a focus on a wide range of subjects. College evaluations might be less frequent but are more in-depth, often requiring extensive research, and are typically concentrated on the student’s major or area of specialization.
To sum it up, highschool lays the groundwork, providing general knowledge and preparing students for the future, whether in higher education or the workforce. College provides specialized knowledge and skills in a chosen field, preparing students for specific careers and fostering independence and diversity.
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Comparison Chart
Level of Education
Secondary
Post-secondary
Focus
General Knowledge
Specialization in a field
Structure & Schedule
More Structured & Set
More Flexible & Varied
Diversity & Interaction
Limited
Extensive
Assessment & Evaluation
Frequent & Varied Subjects
In-depth & Specialized
Compare with Definitions
Highschool
A school where attendance is typically mandatory, with a structured environment.
Attendance is strictly monitored in most highschools.
College
An institution of higher learning offering specialized courses and degrees.
She is studying biology in college.
Highschool
A secondary school providing education to teenagers.
Jake is excited about starting highschool next year.
College
A place fostering independence, diversity, and specialized knowledge.
College exposes students to diverse ideas and people.
Highschool
An institution that offers a diverse curriculum focusing on general knowledge.
The highschool provides students with a well-rounded education.
College
An institution with flexible schedules and elective courses.
He chose a college with a flexible schedule to accommodate his job.
Highschool
A place providing foundational learning before college or employment.
Highschool prepares students for further studies or the workforce.
College
A college (Latin: collegium) is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, or a secondary school.
Highschool
A school where students experience uniform learning and frequent evaluations.
In highschool, students undergo regular assessments in various subjects.
College
An institution of higher learning that grants the bachelor's degree in liberal arts or science or both.
Highschool
(proscribed) high school
College
An undergraduate division or school of a university offering courses and granting degrees in a particular field or group of fields.
Highschool
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12; as, he goes to the neighborhood highschool.
College
A junior or community college.
Highschool
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
College
A school offering special instruction in a professional or technical subject
A medical college.
College
The students, faculty, and administration of one of these schools or institutions
New policies adopted by the college.
College
The building, buildings, or grounds where one of these schools or institutions is located
Drove over to the college.
College
Chiefly British A self-governing society of scholars for study or instruction, incorporated within a university.
College
An institution for secondary education in France and certain other countries that is not supported by the state.
College
A body of persons having a common purpose or shared duties
A college of surgeons.
College
An electoral college.
College
A body of clerics living together on an endowment.
College
(obsolete) A corporate group; a group of colleagues.
College
(in some proper nouns) A group sharing common purposes or goals.
College of Cardinals, College of Surgeons
College
(politics) An electoral college.
College
An academic institution.
College
A specialized division of a university.
College of Engineering
College
An institution of higher education teaching undergraduates.
She's still in college
These should be his college years, but he joined the Army.
College
A university.
College
(Canada) A postsecondary institution that offers vocational training and/or associate's degrees.
College
A non-specialized, semi-autonomous division of a university, with its own faculty, departments, library, etc.
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Balliol College, Oxford
University College, London
College
(UK) An institution of further education at an intermediate level; sixth form.
College
(UK) An institution for adult education at a basic or intermediate level (teaching those of any age).
College
A high school or secondary school.
Eton College
College
(Australia) A private (non-government) primary or high school.
College
(Australia) A residential hall associated with a university, possibly having its own tutors.
College
(Singapore) A government high school, short for junior college.
College
(in Chile) A bilingual school.
College
A collection, body, or society of persons engaged in common pursuits, or having common duties and interests, and sometimes, by charter, peculiar rights and privileges; as, a college of heralds; a college of electors; a college of bishops.
The college of the cardinals.
Then they made colleges of sufferers; persons who, to secure their inheritance in the world to come, did cut off all their portion in this.
College
A society of scholars or friends of learning, incorporated for study or instruction, esp. in the higher branches of knowledge; as, the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and many American colleges.
College
A building, or number of buildings, used by a college.
College
Fig.: A community.
Thick as the college of the bees in May.
College
The body of faculty and students of a college
College
An institution of higher education created to educate and grant degrees; often a part of a university
College
British slang for prison
College
A complex of buildings in which a college is housed
College
A place where students can major in a specific field or subject.
In college, she decided to major in English Literature.
College
An institution preparing students for specific careers and advanced research.
College equipped him with the skills needed for his career in finance.
Common Curiosities
Does college offer more flexibility in schedules?
Yes, college often offers more flexible and varied schedules.
Is highschool mandatory?
Yes, highschool is typically mandatory in many regions.
Are highschool schedules usually fixed?
Generally, highschools have more structured and set schedules.
Is highschool before college?
Yes, highschool is a secondary school, attended before post-secondary institutions like college.
Is college more about independent learning?
Yes, college emphasizes independent learning and personal responsibility.
Do colleges offer elective courses?
Yes, colleges typically offer a range of elective courses allowing students to choose based on interest.
Does highschool provide foundational learning?
Yes, highschool provides foundational learning in various subjects.
Is college focused on specialization?
Yes, college allows students to specialize in a chosen field or subject.
Can you earn a degree in college?
Yes, colleges grant degrees upon the completion of specific courses and requirements.
Does college typically have more diversity?
Yes, college usually has a more diverse population and range of subjects.
Is attendance strictly monitored in highschool?
Typically, yes. Most highschools have mandatory attendance and monitor it strictly.
Are highschool assessments frequent and varied?
Yes, highschool assessments are usually frequent and cover a wide range of subjects.
Do highschool students have the same peer group daily?
Generally, highschool students interact with the same peer group daily due to a more structured schedule.
Is college more research-intensive?
Yes, college often requires more in-depth research, especially in specialized fields.
Is highschool education more generalized?
Yes, highschool education focuses on providing general knowledge across various subjects.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
