by Karen Banes

Created on: September 12, 2008   Last Updated: February 26, 2009

It can come as a shock to realize that the study skills that got you through high school with good enough grades to secure a college admission will need some tweaking when you actually get into that college setting. This doesn't mean you have to devise a whole new way of studying, but it's certainly advisable to build on the skills that were effective in high school and cut out any bad study habits that are really going to hold you back at college level. Use the following tips to develop your existing skill set into one that will work for you in the college atmosphere.

#1. Participate. It's easy to cut class in college. If you don't turn up to class, your professor isn't going to phone you or send a note to your mom! He, or she, is just going to let you fail. Get into the habit of motivating yourself to attend lectures, seminars and study group meetings. Participation is a crucial at the college level if you want to get the most out of your studies, but no-one will force you into it.

#2. Prepare for class. You may not have needed to do a lot other than show up awake to take advantage of high school classes, but in college you will be expected to prepare thoroughly. New college students may be shocked to realize they will need to put in 2-3 hours of study time outside class for every 1 hour of class time, and a lot of this will be reading assignments that cover the material that will be discussed in class. If you don't do the required reading how are you going to discuss it in class?

#3. Be an active listener. This is closely linked to preparing well for class. If you have done the assigned reading you will know exactly what topics will be covered in class. During the lecture/seminar try to listen to your instructors (and comments from other students) with questions in mind or with the idea of finding examples to illustrate concepts you're not sure of.

#4. Find an effective note taking system. Different techniques work well for different students. Sometimes different systems work with different lecturers. If your lecturer follows the text book very closely, or perhaps posts copies of the lecture slides online, you may want to make notes from the book/online slides and then "flesh them out" or add to them with specific points or examples (maybe in a different colored pen for clarity) during the lecture.

#5. Get organized. Devise a good filing system and keep all notes and study materials in order. Try to review and file your notes every day along with any relevant

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