In Down-to-Earth Sociology: "College Football as Social Structure," the statuses

Each position occupied by students in high school is a status. With each of these statuses are a set of accompanying behaviors, norms, values, and expectations. Providing students are recent high school graduates, these statuses and role expectations will not have changed much, if at all. The problems that may lead to confusion for students returning to school include the fact that their master status has changed from "high school student" to "college student" and they will be viewed as outsiders. If several years have passed since the students graduated, there will be an increased distancing from the high school role, and changes are more likely to have occurred in the behaviors associated with this role. Schools that have merged, a new school that has been built, and changes that have occurred in school administration may also affect how students respond to their previous statuses.