Specific Study Skills for College
If you received decent grades in high school, you may believe that you will have it made in college. And you may. But then again, you may not. Because you are expanding on what you have learned previously, you are going to need to study in a different way. While there will be some memorization and repeating that memorized information back to the professor, you will be asked how to apply what you have learned in much broader situations. And for that, you will need a different set of study skills.
When you receive your book, maybe even before you go to the first class, read the Introduction in the textbook. Once you have read that, go back to the Table of Contents and read down through the subject headings for each chapter of the book so that you will know what direction the course will take. If there is a particular chapter that stands out to you or is of special interest to you, go ahead and read that chapter or a portion of it. If you get a feel for the course before you go to the first class, you will be well ahead of the game.
During your class, take good notes, highlight things in the textbook that the professor particularly mentions. If it’s in the textbook and he or she particular quotes it in class and talks about it at length, you can pretty much be sure that sometime, you will see a question about that subject on a test. Take particular note of whether the professor stays with the order of the textbook or whether he or she skips around. That will tell you something about which ideas he or she considers as foundational. Always get the foundational ideas; sometimes several tests or projects will be built around those foundational thoughts.
When your first class is over, be sure to go back through your notes and your highlighted textbook before the next class. If you read your 2-3 pages of notes 2-3 times before you go back to that class again, you will be able to remember what you are hearing and learning better without a lot of last minute memorization before a test. Remember that college professors are not just looking to have to memorize the textbook; they are looking for you to be able to apply what you have learned. They are looking to expand your world.
One other thing you need to be aware of in college classes – you are going to be doing a lot of reading. You will not have to memorize everything you read but you will have to be able to logically think through and talk about the ideas given in the books you are reading.
Good study skills will enhance your reading and understanding during class. Be sure to develop these by finding people in your classes to talk with about what you are studying and to study with during test preparation time. Throughout your lifetime, you will be pleased with the skills you have developed, as well as the friends you make, while in class and while preparing for projects in a given class.
