Learning College Style Study Habits

Just from your first week of College you can already tell that College is nothing like High School. The classroom structure is different and the workload is different. You will see when it comes time for your first test that it is different as well. When it comes to studying for a test in College you will find that you are basically left to study on your own. Some classes do not review for a test; they expect you to have been following the course so far and taking notes. You will see that in College the notes that you take will depend on what you think is important.

Think back to High School, you are sitting in a classroom and the chalkboard is filled with notes that will be important to you, say on the next test. The teachers in High School pretty much tell you what is on the test; in College they do not do that. The professors will not baby you when it comes to test taking. You are treated like an adult; there is no handholding or teachers making sure that you have the right notes. They provide the classroom and the teacher but it is your responsibility to purchase the right books and take your own notes. You are 100% responsible for your studying.

College testing is not always done on a weekly basis like in High School. Some Colleges will offer tests after the first few chapters or topics in the curriculum. It is very important for you to pay extra attention to the professor at the start of the year. This is where they go over the course and what is expected of you throughout the course. It is also important to make sure that you purchase your textbooks as soon as possible.

You can’t really know what books you are supposed to have before the class starts but on the first day your professor will give you a synopsis of the class and this will include the name of the text book. Since, you do not have this class everyday, the professor will expect that next time you come to class you will have the right book. In College, unlike High School, the professor will not have an extra textbook for you to use in case you don’t bring yours. You can actually lose a lot of information if you don’t bring your materials to class each and every time.

College is a lot harder than high school and you will have to start taking care of your own studies. It is very easy to fall behind in school and professors do not offer extra credit if you are falling behind. Here at College, you are treated as an adult and you are expected to act like an adult. Freshman may have a hard time getting used to the way College works at least in the first few weeks, but you have to make a concentrated effort in order to focus on each class and don’t overload yourself on homework or studying. If you don’t set up a system then you will have a hard time the whole year.