High School Study Skills and How to Transition into College

In high school, you typically go to school at 8 and are home before 6 even if you are involved with extra-curricular activities. You parents might tell you that you need to do your homework or study before watching tv or playing video games. A parent probably makes dinner and might do the dishes also. You probably do not have to go to the grocery store, worry about picking up detergent or cleaning supplies, or make sure there is enough milk in the fridge. However, you might be busy with a part time job, sports, or theater, but for the most part, you probably have enough time to do your homework and study.

When you get to college, you will find out that you are not in class nearly as much as you were in high school. The 8 to 3 schedule of 35 hours a week has been cut to around 15-20. It seems as though you have plenty of time to get everything that you want to do accomplished with ease with the extra 15 to 20 hours.

While that seems like it might be an easy adjustment to make, time starts to go much faster in college. For each credit hour you take, most schools recommend 2 to 3 hours of studying. That means for a 15 credit hour week, you should study for 30 to 45 hours during that week. You may need more, or you may need less, depending on the type of student you are and the level of difficulty in your classes. Plus, now you have to make sure your dorm stays clean and if you move off campus, you will have to buy all the groceries and supplies that you need. It is difficult to know how much time that consumes before you start doing it on your own.

So how do you transition your high school study skills to college study skills? You have to become much more diligent and detail oriented in college. You might have been able to get away with studying, going to facebook, then going back to studying in high school. In college, you will be successful if you know the material well, rather than knowing the material just for a test. Since you have the extra time away from class, it is important to look at your material not just before a test, but before and after each class. That is really the most important thing you can do to ensure your knowledge of the material.

Critical thinking is very important, as most classes are no longer about memorization, but instead why things happen and what might happen. Your high school study skills of memorization are still important, but you have to learn how to think on your own. By learning the material in a more knowledge based manner, you will help develop your critical thinking skills. Looking at material that will be covered in the upcoming class can help you come up with questions to ask the professor if it is not covered in class. This also can help you come up with more advanced question than are covered in the class. In some classes, tests will be given on things that the professor does not cover, so having knowledge on the subject is crucial.

The high school study skills that you learned hopefully gave you a good foundation on which to build. Continue to memorize, however, truly learn all aspects of what you are memorizing. In college, there is not nearly as much busywork as in high school. This allows you to really gain from what you put into your studying. Learn how the Genius Student Planner can help you develop into an exceptional student.

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