Student in an engineering lab in front of a CNC machine

The transition from high school to college can be both exciting and challenging. Academic Coaching & Tutoring (ACT) is here to assist you during this important moment and throughout your time at the University of Delaware.

Explore below to learn why we say freshman year is not grade 13! 

In High School… In College…
  • Will update you on what to expect throughout the course.


  • Will provide a syllabus at the beginning of the semester with all course information, policies and due dates for you to regularly reference. 
  • Will check your completed homework.
  • Will assume you have mastered your homework for exams. 
  • Will remind you of incomplete work. 
  • Will not remind you of incomplete work. 
  • Will approach you if they think you need help.
  • Will ask you to initiate contact if you need help.
  • Will be available before, during and after class for questions.
  • Will request that you come to office hours or set up an appointment if you have questions. 
  • Will provide you with information you miss when absent.
  • Will expect that you to get notes from others when you’ve missed class.
  • Will present material to help you understand the textbook.
  • Will not follow the text, but require you to read and relate it to in-class material. 
  • Will write information on the board to be copied as your notes. 
  • Will trust you to decide what needs to be written down. 
  • Will supply facts and help you process and make connections to material.
  • Will expect you to think about/synthesize seemingly unrelated topics
In High School… In College…
  • Are in session from morning through afternoon, one after the other. 
  • Are in session at different times from day to day and may occur in the evening. 
  • Are held for 30 hours per week. 
  • Are held for 15-18 hours per week, though you should expect to spend more time on school work outside of class.
  • Are mostly arranged for you based on the requirements you need to graduate. 
  • Are arranged by you with the help of an advisor, based on more complex requirements for graduation.
  • Are carefully monitored by teachers for attendance. 
  • Are sometimes monitored by professors for attendance based on the expectations shared in your syllabus.
  • Are usually taken by no more than 35 students. 
  • Are sometimes taken by more than 300 students. 
  • Are accompanied by free textbooks. 
  • Are accompanied by expensive textbooks that you must rent or purchase. 
In High School… In College…
  • Can be accomplished in a few hours per week.
  • Can take 2-3 hours per credit every week, or approximately 30-45 hours per week for a 15-credit semester.
  • Can be completed in one sitting because material is less detailed. 
  • Can involve regular review of information on an ongoing basis because material is more detailed.
  • Can require short assignments that are discussed and often re-taught in class. 
  • Can require substantial reading and writing that may not be revisited in class. 
In High School… In College…
  • Are frequent and cover small amounts of material.
  • Are usually only given 2-3 times and may be cumulative or cover large amounts of material. 
  • Are accompanied by study guides. 
  • Are not accompanied by study guides. Instead, professors expect you to organize the material and prepare yourself.
  • Are often able to be made-up if you missed the original date. 
  • Are rarely able to be made-up.
  • Are frequently rearranged to avoid conflict with school events.
  • Are usually scheduled without regard to demands of other courses or activities.
  • Are successfully completed if you can remember facts and information as it was provided to you.
  • Are successfully completed if you can apply what you’ve learned to real situations or to solving new kinds of problems.
In High School… In College…
  • Are given to most assigned work.
  • Are limited to major projects and exams.
  • Are supplemented by extra credit projects to help raise your grade. 
  • Are not supplemented by extra credit. 
  • Are based on the guiding principle that effort counts.
  • Are based on the guiding principle that results count.
In High School… In College…
  • Is facilitated by anyone who sees you need it, whether or not you want it. 
  • Is available when you ask your professors or other on-campus offices.  
In High School… In College…
  • School is mandatory and free.
  • School is voluntary and expensive.
  • Time is planned by others. 
  • Time is managed by you. 
  • Responsibilities and priorities are set and managed with the help of family and teachers.
  • Responsibilities and priorities are set and managed by you. 
  • Behavior is corrected by family and teachers, minimizing the consequences of bad decisions. 
  • Behavior is not corrected by others, meaning that you must take responsibility for your actions or inactions and face the consequences. 

Support from Academic Coaching & Tutoring (ACT)

All UD students are encouraged to take advantage of the range of services offered by ACT. These include: 

Academic Coaching via:

Peer Tutoring via: 

Whether you are just getting started or well on your way to success, ACT’s services are for you– all for free!

Visit Advising Central to Learn About Other UD Support