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College Study SkillsHow are college study skills different from high school study skills? Not much difference really. But I can think of three words that best describe the difference: independence, intensity and organization.IndependenceMany kids will be leaving home for the first time, but even if your kids stay home to attend a local college, they now have a greater degree of independence, if for no other reason than their age, and their graduation from high school.This is where parents wonder (or worry) about whether they prepared their kids for life. Well, I can’t guarantee life preparations, but let’s at least have them prepared with their college study skills. A Blessing or Curse?Independence can be a blessing as well as a curse. Independence is a blessing when you see your child blossom in their new roles and responsibilities, and a curse when you realize they aren’t ready. Part of this readiness is general maturity, and a part of the maturity is whether they can adapt to a new set of college study skills.In my experience, it becomes quickly apparent whether your kids are responsibly handling their new found independence. I’ve seen many kids wash out of their first semester of college, not because they couldn’t do the work, or their college study skills were lacking, but because they couldn’t exercise the minimal amount of self discipline to be successful in college. Preparing your kids for independence begins early. From making them clean their bedroom, cut the yard, clean the house, help with dishes after dinner, doing laundry, contributing to the upkeep of the house....notice that none of this has anything to do with the educational system? It’s about life skills, life responsibilities, and learning to take responsibility for the greater good. In a word, “maturity”. College is a wonderful and fun time, but knowing when to study, and when to have fun is the single most important decision the newly independent student must make. So a college study tip for you incoming college freshmen...grow up! So teach them early and remind them often. IntensityIf you slacked in high school, you need to make some changes for college. You’ll quickly find out that the old excuses that worked so brilliantly in high school now fall upon the deaf ears of college professors.No late work accepted, no make up exams, no excuses for no body! So instead of coming up with new excuses, spend your time developing better college study skills, preparing for exams and taking responsibility for your actions (or in-actions). Cramming Isn't the Same as IntesityCan you cram and get through college? Probably. Should we consider cramming a college study skill? Maybe. We’ve all done it once or twice. Is this the best way to do it? No.If you don’t plan your study time, you may be forced to cram, and cramming for an exam is better than giving up. But cramming is a bad habit to fall into, and a really bad habit to carry over into your work life. Intensity is ConsistentBack to intensity. Intensity doesn’t mean doing as much as possible in a limited amount of time. Intensity means keeping your eyes on the prize and consistently taking focused action toward that goal. Intensity means developing college study skills, learning from college study tips and consistently doing what it takes to stay prepared.You have to have intensity throughout the entire semester, and consistent intensity means you don’t need that frantic or chaotic intensity that I associate with cramming. Plus, if you’re prepared throughout the semester, there are fewer last minute surprises that can torpedo your study plan. So one college study skill to develop is consistent intensity, which means:
Now, I can hear some parents saying “I didn’t do all that and I did pretty well in college.” And I don’t doubt that. But you would probably agree that if you followed these recommendations, you could have done better...besides, don’t you want your kids to do this the right way...especially if it’s on your dime? Return from College Study Skills to TutorTrend Home Page
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