I went to a liberal arts school in the Midwest and from my experience I learned early on to develop a love of writing, reading, and all nighters. I also figured out what profs I didn't like kind of early and avoided their classes. It took me a little longer to finish but I'm proud of my B.A. in History.

I tell my undergrad students that high school is about learning the "what." University history is about arguing the "so what?" and the "why?"

Things to expect:

For essays, there will rarely be a hard-and-fast grading rubric like many high schoolers are accustomed to seeing. This can be frustrating for some students.

You will almost certainly have to think creatively. That's the point; look at evidence and argue for a reason/conclusion. Your essays will receive a poor grade if they are not well-argued. FWIW, my general grading scale is this: A student who complied with the assignment (page length, topic, etc.) will almost always pass. A student whose paper is a little better than that -- shows some effort, some thought -- will receive a "C." A student whose paper is either well-argued or well-written will usually receive a "B." A student whose paper is well-argued and well-written will receive an "A." This will of course vary by instructor, but I think it's a solid general guide.

Your grades will also suffer if your writing is poor. Practice. Often. Many universities have a writing center (or similar) staffed with all sorts of helpers. Take advantage of this. Learn to think and write clearly. Put away (or burn) the thesaurus. Too many undergrads think flowery language is a requirement. This is most certainly not so. Think clearly and write clearly. For an example of what I mean, look at most any of the classic-ish historians -- Hofstadter, Schlesinger, Cott, Gutman, Commons, the Beards, and many others. They had very complex ideas, but they wrote with clarity. No one expects an undergrad to write like these folks, but we do expect your writing to show a clarity of thought.

The old cliche goes "History is argument without end." Given that, participate in the argument. Participate in class. Offer opinion. Ask questions. More often than not, your grade will be determined by a TA. The TA will have anywhere from 30 to 150 students (this varies widely by institution and class.) It doesn't hurt your grade to be one of the voices the TA remembers from class.

Don't get caught up in memorizing minutia. Yes, some dates are important, and yes, there may well be a map quiz (tho I loathe these,) but what is usually of more concern is the ability of a student to see the larger arc and interpret that arc's importance. Screw up a date -- minor issue. Screw up the importance of a sequence of events -- probably a larger issue.

Lastly, remember that every interpretation you are taught is one of many. Some interpretations have gained more traction than others and have become accepted by most historians. But that does not mean that all other interpretations are wrong. Unless you get stuck with a TA who is first-year grad student who's wayyyy-too-deep into Marx and thinks cream in your coffee is indicative or a failure to understand the dialectic between wealth and labor (it happens. sorry.) you'll do well to stand up for your own beliefs and interpretations.

Good luck, and have fun.

If you enjoy the study of history, both the dry reading of large text and the exciting versions of popular found in mass media, you're well on your way! Your biggest challenge in university will be finding a specific area of history that you enjoy studying. You do not necessarily need to pick a specific area of history to earn a B.A. in history, however, you may choose to focus on one specific region or time period you really enjoy to take a majority of your classes in.

If you're wondering about how will history classes be different than a typical high school course, I can tell you to grow to love lectures. Try going on websites that offer free college lectures and listen/watch a few. Some can be dry, others very interesting and it varies by professor; however, you'll have to become accustom to both. Also, practice your writing and research skills. Make sure you become comfortable with citation formats and research based writing. Learn to be simultaneously informative, and persuasive in your writing.

Best of luck!

Expect a lot of reading as well. In your later year course you will often be expected to read large books. Upwards of 600-700 pages a week per course. also learning the proper format of an esday is essential. Picking out a thesis and observing how an author argues for it throughout the text.