"College is not the same as high school", we've all heard that too many times from our parents and people that have gone through it already. Still, many people keep their old study habits from high school thinking that they can work on college, and they are wrong. In high school most students study the day before or even the morning before a test. Doing this in college will only result in failure for you, so improving your study skills is a must if you want to do well.
The most common study skills mistakes that student in college make are: not attending class, poor note-taking skills, poor time management skills and last minute work, depending on other students, plagiarism, and failure to seek help. Hopefully, there is help to improve every aspect you are having trouble with.
Not attending class is the easiest mistake one can make, since it only requires that you stay asleep either in your room or class (so going to class and falling asleep doesn't count as attending class since you are still missing out on everything). Attend all your classes to make sure your on track, you don't miss any material, and if you're sick and can't attend class, send an e-mail, phone call the teacher, or send a note with one of your friends excusing yourself.
Haven't it happened to you that in the middle of a lecture you see everyone furiously taking notes and you just don't know what's important and what to write down? Well, that's one of the skills most college students need help on because most high schools don't prepare student to take notes on a college environment. During lectures, listen carefully for the main ideas and write these ones down, not the entire Power Point presentation. Learn to write quickly and use as much abbreviations as possible, not worry about writing neatly, as long as you understand.
Poor time management and leaving things for the last minute is common in high school but fatal in college. The most important tip here is to create a detailed calendar listing all your classes, your study time as well as leisure time. Organize yourself and have a clearer view of the things you have to do. Also, avoid distractions, commit to the calendar you prepared, prioritize what's really important, and don't let work accumulate. Most of the time, plagiarism results from poor time management and a panicked decision to get your work done.
Many college students depend too much on their friends' notes, for example, instead of taking their own. This is risky, since each person take notes in a whole different way so that he or she will understand them. Depending on your friends when you're sick is understandable, but during different conditions it is a bad practice. Also, copying others' work in study groups is the worst mistake in studying for a test. Even though your copying everything down and get perfect scores on the assignments, when test time comes, you will fail because you didn't learn the material.
So for every problem there is a solution so that you can excel in college. If you need any additional help make sure you know where to find it. Help is everywhere in college, from your professors, TA's, study groups, tutoring, and many other additional resources. So make sure you find them and get the help you need.
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