→ Professors don’t always collect homework, and there are fewer tests → You will be expected to know how to do database research
→ Professors are trained experts in their field and not in teaching methods → You will be expected to know how to evaluate resources
→ Extra credit is usually not available → There is more academic freedom in college
→ Professors don't typically allow retakes or revisions
→ College tends to be lecture, discussion, or lab focused
→ You will be expected to know certain academic jargon, such as abstract, peer review, journal, serial, scholarly, call number, subject heading, etc.
→ WA creates social & cultural activities and offers them to you; in college, you must seek out these interactions
→ Look at your college library's website before you go to get an ideal of what resources are there (& some schools have more than one library – Harvard has over 70!)
→ Accept that you are ignorant, that is why you are in school -- ask for help!
→ Most university librarians are subject experts! Make friends with at least one reference librarian—they are willing and able to help you research--visit before you start your research
→ Get an early start when researching in college: Sometimes you need books delivered from another library; lots of schools now store their own books off-site; reference & reserve materials require time in the library
→ Even a presentation you have created is “new knowledge” – you have put the information together in a new way (your way)
→ When you get to campus, scope out the library before classes begin, so you know how to print, where the reserve desk is, the hours, where you can have food, etc.
Mildred H. McEvoy Library at Worcester Academy | 81 Providence Street | Worcester, MA 01604