College is always an apprehensive time for students. All of the anxiety of leaving the comfort zone of high school, where you have spent the last four years becoming a senior, to stepping onto a new campus as a freshman for the second time. Among all the other worries of starting college life, like dorm assignments and making new friends, comes a big academic adjustment from the high school experience: the freedom to schedule your classes when you want, and more importantly, with which instructor you want. Because you'll have a little more say about who teaches the classes you take, it's important to remember that most college professors are unlike any instructor you've ever had in your education experience; they vary greatly in their teaching styles, temperament and even how much opinion they interject into their lectures. Ratemypressor.com is popular for a reason.
One of the biggest challenges incoming freshmen face is not knowing what to expect in the classroom. Many students are coming from the typical eight-period day, where their classes don't last but 40 to 50 minutes. College classes could last anywhere from that 40 or 50 minutes to even 3 hours depending on how many credit hours the course is worth and how often the class meets throughout the week. Professors may take up the allotted time for class, or they may get to a point halfway through class where they feel like it's a good time to stop and discuss other things or simply call it a day. The bottom line is that the professor controls the direction of the class.
Professors are there to teach their subject and impart their wisdom and expertise on that subject to you. That being said, they also get paid regardless of your attendance. They're not there to police you if you don't come to class, and they're not going to call your parents to ask questions, like in high school when your lunch period somehow turned into two lunch periods. Typically, college professors expect to educate adults, and in turn have expectations for you to be organized and to turn your work in on time.
