In some respects college is much less formal than high school. One place this tends to be most visible is in classroom expectations.

Class attendance may not be as rigidly enforced as in high school

Subjects which were avoided in high school may be frankly discussed in class.

Faculty tend to have a more casual relationship with students.

For the most part, no one cares how students dress, though that may vary depending on the class.

Students sometimes mistakenly think that this informality means that anything goes. It doesn't. Here are a few general guidelines for students as to what is appropriate.

• Go to class. Students need to go to class, and they need to go regularly. Most students miss an occasional class. Most faculty are understanding. But faculty aren't understanding when students fall into a pattern of showing up for a couple of classes and then missing a couple of classes. They aren't very understanding when students miss two or three weeks and then show up wanting to make up work.
• Students should go to class on time. Most faculty hate to be interrupted during a lecture or class activity, and a late entry is an interruption. Some faculty give new assignments at the start of class, and students don't want to be in the position of having to ask for something to be repeated.
• Students shouldn't throw away the course description they receive at the start of class. Many faculty prepare a day by day syllabus for the semester and it will tell you what material they'll be studying on a given day. Faculty who hand out a syllabus may not bother to announce in class what the next assignment is or when the next test is scheduled--it's on the syllabus.
• Students should go to class prepared. College is an expensive proposition. Students might as well get what they've paid for.
• Students shouldn't sleep in class-a more common occurrence than one might think. This is a variation on being prepared. It's a toss-up as to whether or not it is better to skip class or to go to class and sleep through it. Most faculty find it a bit insulting when students fall asleep in class.
• Students should participate in class discussions to the best of their ability. They should be active participants in their educations. Most college courses want to encourage students to be active, critical thinkers. Sitting passively in class doesn't take full advantage of the opportunity students are given.