Depends if it's a GE or core class. GE's are usually in larger lecture halls. Laptops depend on the professor. None of them require a laptops. If they do, they have a damn good reason, because that's not something everybody can have. About half my professors outright say "no laptops" or a similar restrictive policy in the syllabus, because they can be distracting. About the time part, first off, it's not always an hour. You choose your timeslots, usually an hour a week per credit (and usually 3 credits a class) and that can be spread out across 1, 2, or 3 days. But yeah, you just listen to lectures like that. They can be boring as **** , but they're always easy, so do yourself a favor and make sure you get A's.
If it's a core class, however, it'll probably be smaller, since it's only for people of your major or similar majors. In those, you take notes that are most appropriate for the subject and teacher, and you want to pay lots of attention, and more importantly, make friends, because those people will go on to be your colleagues.

I wish I could give a tl;dr, but that's difficult, so let me go with this: don't worry about what the class is like, because at the end of the day, it's just a class. You've taken them before in grade school. Worry about making a schedule that works best for you so you can maximize your time in and out of class (be that via studying, making money, socializing, making connections, whatever), and think about where you want your education to take you, career-wise.

Source: Cal State Fullerton, baby. I wish I were older so I could give you more perspective, but I can't. Good luck.

Damn typo. "A laptops" is not a phrase. My apologies.

If class is interesting:
note taking on laptop or notebook while attentively listening to the lecture for 50 or 75 minutes depending what day the class is on.

If class isn't interesting:
texting friends about how ******** this class is and how either biased or just plain stupid the professor is while facebooking and checking football scores for 50 minutes or 75 minutes depending on what day it is.

Some classes will be interactive. Most language classes and some business classes and obviously science labs will require a lot of in class work and homework. other classes will just leave you alone for 5 weeks and then give you a test.

What goes down in a college class?
Learning, hue

Do you just sit there for an hour, listening to the teacher?
Depends, some classes take 50 minutes, others 1.5-2 hours sometimes more. Also it depends what type of class it is (seminar, lecture, traditional classroom, etc.)

Are laptops mandatory, or is it just easier to bring one than a notebook and pen?
Its your personal preference whether you're better at taking notes with a laptop or a pen and paper. Some professors don't allow laptops in class though.

Do you actually do work in the class, or just at home?
Again, depends on what type of class it is. In lecture classes, most of the work is done in your dorm and discussed/handed in in class the next day.

Creepy avatar. Creepy name.

I love it.

Depends. As a history major, a majority of my classes are lectures, and the grade in each class is determined by a midterm, a final, and a paper that's usually 15-25 pages (my thesis came out to 31), so if you fail one you're basically screwed. My friend is a chem major, and her classes consist of hour and a half lectures and two hour labs each week.

I'm an awful writer, that's why I'm so afraid I'll fail any composition course I need to take. My topics are always **** , and I just barely scrape by the minimum required pages if there are any. My paragraphs are shorter than normal on average because I run out of stuff to talk about quickly.

So, thanks for scaring me! >o<

Most colleges have ACE or writing centers that help you out, and normally the 101 classes are basically prep classes to get you ready for higher levels. It scared me too at first, but it's easy to adapt, especially if you live in a dorm your first year. Everyone is taking the same basic classes as you in freshman year, so its easy to find someone to help you out.

You should see my senior paper right now. My topic is how Jason Brody in Far Cry 3 was a hero for the things he did on the island. No idea how the **** I'm going to connect it to a book, online articles OR my senior English class. Likewise, I'm not entirely sure how I'm gonna stretch this 6 pages without just retelling the story of the game.

The grade I got for my opening topic/thesis was 2.5/7 (2/5 for topic, and .5/2 for thesis)

:c

Looking at greek mythology would be a great way to fill the literature criteria. Beowulf and King Arthur are also options

We've only read Beowulf, Hamlet and Death of a Saleman this year so those are the only books I can use (I think).

I was gonna use Beowulf's slaying of deadly creatures as a comparison to how Jason is a hero for slaying hundreds of pirates and privateers. It's basically the same thing on a larger, more-believable scale.

Well, start by explaining the concept of "hero." What does a hero do, stand for, how is someone considered a hero? That's a good two pages right there because everyone has a different idea of what a hero is. Are they superman, your mom, a firefighter? You could look into these different ideas and explain why someone might think that way. If you can find access, JSTOR is a great source for credited journal articles. Another good idea is to look at heroes from greek mythology and compare them to Jason Brody as a way to show how that concept of hero has lasted through the ages. Your teacher might not like the fact your doing your paper on a video game character, so you have to show her why that's significant. Your best bet is explaining the growing impact video games are having, and how kids can start looking up to video game characters just as they look up to comic book characters.

I don't know how the **** I'm gonna write 2 pages on what a hero is, since the definition on dictionary.com is a sentence. Thanks for the ideas, though.

Yeah, she gave me a pretty ****** grade (the lowest possible (1/4) on my "college essay draft paper" earlier this year) because it was about Mass Effect 3, and the choices you make at the end of the game. I was pissed at her for a while about that and still used the essay (but heavily edited) for my College apps which I have actually not sent out yet.

Honestly, you can't define the idea of "hero" in one sentence, mainly because it's so ambiguous. Some people considered Bin Laden a hero because he fit their ideals of what a hero was.

Good luck on your college applications, it's really not that bad lol.

While I know my essay is **** , I'm hoping my recent grades (honor roll all junior and 1st quarter senior year) + SAT scores (all 3 in the top ~75 percentile) will be the things that get me accepted.

Depends on where you apply. Some colleges just have minimum sat and gpa scores, and if you can beat those you're in.

at least at my college you have these huge lectures taught by somebody usually doing research in that field and probably a doctor or something. and then some other time you meet for a discussion section with 10-15 people taught by grad students in that area and they are sometimes mandatory and you discuss things further and go over any questions and whatnot.

if its a big 150-300 person class, you're in a lecture hall (think movie theatre), professor talks with powerpoint up, you take notes on paper or laptop, while half the class has facebook up, you dont do any work in class, he/she will assign a reading at the end, rinse. repeat.

Cool. What about in smaller classes more high-school sized (10-30 people)

Then it's just high school again. I had small classes at a community college, it was just high school round two

Ah. I plan on going to a Uni so maybe there wont be any small classes.

All I know is college sounds a lot easier than high school.

That's what I said. Just don't let the "I don't HAVE to...so **** it" mentality kill it off lol

I'll probably only do that in classes I hate (EG, 1/2 of my Gen Eds. I'm really only there for Computer stuff, so if it doesn't involve computers, I'll hate it)