History Main / CollegeIsHighSchoolPart2

The transition from high school to college is typically one of the biggest transitions you'll make in your entire life [[note]]although arguably not as momentous as transitioning from elementary school to high, if only because [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the change seems a lot scarier]] when you're four years younger[[/note]].

The transition from high school to college is typically one of the biggest transitions you'll make in your entire life [[note]] although arguably not as momentous as transitioning from elementary school to high, if only because [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the change seems a lot scarier]] when you're four years younger [[/note]].

* In an old Dell ad, the "Dell Guy" was in a college lecture hall, plugging the latest product and eventually angering the professor. The bell soon rings and the professor has the Dell Guy stay after class to write sentences on the chalk board (a punishment fitting middle school more than even high school).

* ''Series/FamilyMatters'' continued using the same stale "big jocks and snobby girls perpetually pick on scrawny nerd" trope when Laura, Urkel and Eddie went off to college, even though it made almost no sense by that time.
* ''[[Series/SavedByTheBell Saved By The Bell: The College Years]]'': the main characters usually shared the exact same classes and still found the time to remain as close knit as ever.

* ''Series/ThatsMyBush'': The episode "A Poorly Executed Plan" has George's old college buddies come over for a visit. Let alone 50 year olds, these guys act immature even by HIGH SCHOOL standards!

** On the college side: there are dorms, even used by people who come from the town where the academy is; Max is effectively taking a major in the niche subject of photography; she is taught by a world famous photographer, who you'd expect would want to teach at the university level.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': In "Rebel Without a Glove", Daffy ends up teaching a political science course at the local college. Bells ring to mark the start of classes, and Porky acts likes a typical high school teacher's pet.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'' has Peter snarking that "College is just high school with ash trays..."

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GED=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing for dropouts who want to go back to school. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools. Also the structure is similar. Aside from having fewer rules usually about attendance (students aren't required by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences), no dress code and no set schedule, community college classes feel a lot like high school classes.

* In terms of being expected for high school graduates colleges didn't become a common part of life until after WWII, where the GI bill gave returning soldiers free tuition and numbers skyrocketed. For about 20 years colleges were seen as the caretakers of these kids arriving fresh from their parents home, with great attention being paid to their well-being in all forms with honor codes and other rules set in place such as curfew, travel, class attendance, etc. The counterculture protests of the 60's were concentrated around colleges and a "fight the system" mentality, which had the result of many colleges relinquishing the control they had over the personal lives of the students (private universities, particularly with a religious charter like Notre Dame and BYU, have remnants of this). This meant that much of the "parenting" universities did for their students was gone, and they were left to their own devices beyond the specific standards of education.

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GED=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools. Also the structure is similar. Aside from having fewer rules usually about attendance (students aren't required by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences), no dress code and no set schedule, community college classes feel a lot like high school classes.

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GED=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools. Also the structure is similar. Aside from having fewer rules usually about attendance (students aren't reguired by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences), no dress code and no set schedule, community college classes feel a lot like high school classes.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

* YMMV, but this trope can be TruthInTelevision, depending on the individual. In particular, some small liberal arts colleges/universities in the US have been referred to by students as "high school all over again." It depends on the person and the college, but this trope does happen in real life.

* In terms of being expected for high school graduates colleges didn't become a common part of life until after WWII, where the GI bill gave returning soldiers free tuition and numbers skyrocketed. For about 20 years colleges were seen as the caretakers of these kids arriving fresh from their parents home, with great attention being paid to their well-being in all forms with honor codes and other rules set in place such as curfew, travel, class attendance, etc. The counterculture protests of the 60's were concentrated around colleges and a "fight the system" mentality, which had the result of many colleges relinquishing the control they had over the personal lives of the students (private universities, particularly with a religious charter like Notre Dame and BYU, have remnants of this). This meant that much of the "parenting" universities did for their students was gone, and they were left to their own devices beyond the specific standards of education. In the 2010's it came to be noticed that students and some faculty started to demand "safe spaces" where students could learn without being approached by controversial ideas[[note]]among other examples, visiting lecturers have been aggressively protested and functionally assaulted, sometimes called "shout downs," where they use air horns to drown out anything they say[[/note]], which in turn meant that the students now expected the universities to protect them from any bad influences like a parent would. Many in academia have criticized college campuses that submit to this pressure from their students, as it creates a regressive mentality of assuming the students are children and can be "harmed" by ideas.

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GED=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools. Also the structure is similar. Aside from having fewer rules usually about attendance (students arent reguired by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences) and no dress code and no set schedule, community college classes feel a lot like high school classes.

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GEDs=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools. Also the structure is similar. Aside from having fewer rules usually about attendance (students arent reguired by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences) and no dress code and no set schedule, community college classes feel a lot like high school classes.

* Can be literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GEDs=] or other kinds of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools.
** Also the stucture is similar. Aside from having less rules usually about attendance (students arent reguired by any rules to actually attend classes but instructors may deduct points from participation or drop a student for repeated unexcused absences) and dresscode and no set schedule, Community College classes feel a lot like High School classes.

-->-- [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]], ''The Home Economics Story''.

* Somewhat literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GEDs=] or other kind of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills. Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade", not to be confused with the actual "grade 13" that was formerly a part of [[CanadaEh Ontario]] high schools.

The transition from high school to college is typically one of the biggest transitions you'll make in your entire life [[note]] although arguably not as momentous as transitioning from elementary school to high, if only because [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the change seems a lot scarier]] when you're four years younger [[/note]]. Abruptly gone are things like principal's offices, standardized school scheduling, and forced/required teacher compassion. Similarly, "popular crowds" are mostly relegated to certain dormitories. And bullying becomes PassiveAggressiveKombat if anything. In college, no matter how athletic or smart you are, you're basically a nobody in the midst of a large and culturally-diverse student body. And, unlike in high school, your instructors and parents will not determine your general course of action. Your life plan is now completely up to you. On the plus side, it is easy to make friends by finding groups that match your interests, although cliques ''typically'' are much more flexible (if not entirely nonexistent) and people don't ''entirely'' define themselves by music or fashion, and thus lifelong outcasts can finally have a place where they belong.

Many television and movie writers, however, seem unusually clueless about how different college life really is from high school life despite the fact that most of them are college-educated themselves. Thus, they'll apply many popular high school tropes to university settings. Sometimes this makes sense, and a few, such as the SadistTeacher, are if anything ''more'' plausible in a college setting. Far more often, however, the opposite is true, because they're either unrealistically below the maturity level of your typical college student, or simply not feasible within the general structure of university life. For example, a team of thuggish [[JerkJock football players]] [[BarbaricBully perpetually bullying a shy/awkward freshman]] is ''highly'' unlikely in a university setting since they will not live in the same building, attend the same classes, or have remotely the same schedule. Just as unlikely is a close-knit group of students having the exact same class schedule each semester.

One could argue that the reason why this trope exists is because most college-themed works are aimed at a high school audience (or, perhaps, because [[TheCoconutEffect college students are imagined to]] ''[[TheCoconutEffect look]]'' [[TheCoconutEffect like high-school students]] thanks to DawsonCasting). And, since most people would be uncomfortable watching "naive" high school students (for example) engaging in raunchy/anti-social behavior, writers instead use a college setting, while implementing enough high school tropes that their works will still be relatable to the average high schooler. In other instances, it's simply a matter of [[CriticalResearchFailure not doing the research]], especially if the author is himself/herself a high school student who has only the most vague idea of this whole "college" thing. Sometimes, however, this trope will be justified by depicting the work's respective university as a sub-par school where all the burnouts and slackers go. Some countries, particularly any that have ever been communist, actually do have universities that are like super high schools in that they lack freedom and choice; also, the students themselves will probably be a lot more innocent due to their education ''in general'' having been throttled (think of Cultural Revolution-era China, where ''no one'' was educated for several years until the schools were finally reopened) and thus will probably have the social skills of teenagers or even younger children.

* The 2008 sex-comedy ''Film/{{College}}'', which depicts college students as doing nothing more than non-stop drinking and partying (ie. having little concern for their studies, etc.). An attitude that might ''just barely'' get you by in high school but will definitely get you nowhere in college.

* Somewhat literally true for community colleges in the U.S., as many of them offer [=GEDs=] or other kind of high school equivalency testing. They also offer high school-level courses in subjects like mathematics and English for people who otherwise lack college-level academic skills.
** Community colleges are sometimes derisively called "13th grade."

One could argue that the reason why this trope exists is because most college-themed works are aimed at a high school audience (or, perhaps, because [[TheCoconutEffect college students are imagined to]] ''[[TheCoconutEffect look]]'' [[TheCoconutEffect like high-school students]] thanks to DawsonCasting). And, since most people would be uncomfortable watching "naive" high school students (for example) engaging in raunchy/anti-social behavior, writers instead use a college setting, while implementing enough high school tropes that their works will still be relatable to the average high schooler. In other instances, it's simply a matter of [[CriticalResearchFailure not doing the research]]. Sometimes, however, this trope will be justified by depicting the work's respective university as a sub-par school where all the burnouts and slackers go. Some countries, particularly any that have ever been communist, actually do have universities that are like super high schools in that they lack freedom and choice; also, the students themselves will probably be a lot more innocent due to their education ''in general'' having been throttled (think of Cultural Revolution-era China, where ''no one'' was educated for several years until the schools were finally reopened) and thus will probably have the social skills of teenagers or even younger children.

* YYMV, but this trope can be TruthInTelevision, depending on the individual. In particular, some small liberal arts colleges/universities in the US have been referred to by students as "high school all over again." It depends on the person and the college, but this trope does happen in real life.

* The University of Grimsborough, in the Facebook hidden-object game ''Criminal Case'', contained several features one would normally associate with high schools: a parents' association, a prom, among others.
* Blackwell Academy from ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange does its best to blend both college and high school tropes:

->'''Title Card''':''This is an Iowa State College production.''
->'''Tom Servo''': "Iowa State College, the high school ''after'' high school."

Many television and movie writers, however, seem unusually clueless about how different college life really is from high school life. Thus, they'll apply many popular high school tropes to university settings. Sometimes this makes sense, and a few, such as the SadistTeacher, are if anything ''more'' plausible in a college setting. Far more often, however, the opposite is true, because they're either unrealistically below the maturity level of your typical college student, or simply not feasible within the general structure of university life. For example, a team of thuggish [[JerkJock football players]] [[BarbaricBully perpetually bullying a shy/awkward freshman]] is ''highly'' unlikely in a university setting since they will not live in the same building, attend the same classes, or have remotely the same schedule. Just as unlikely is a close-knit group of students having the exact same class schedule each semester.

The transition from high school to college is typically one of the biggest transitions you'll make in your entire life [[note]] although arguably not as momentous as transitioning from elementary school to high, if only because [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore the change seems a lot scarier]] when you're four years younger [[/note]]. Abruptly gone are things like principal's offices, standardized school scheduling, and forced/required teacher compassion. Similarly, "popular crowds" are mostly relegated to certain dormitories. And bullying becomes PassiveAggressiveKombat if anything. In college, no matter how athletic or smart you are, you're basically a nobody in the midst of a large and culturally-diverse student body. And, unlike in high school, your instructors and parents will not determine your general course of action. Your life plan is now completely up to you. On the plus side, it is easy to make friends by finding groups that match your interests, and thus lifelong outcasts can finally have a place where they belong.