by Marcella McCleese

Created on: November 25, 2009

College can be a worrisome and challenging experience for students. The pressures of new classes, new teachers, new social situations, and living away from home are extremely overwhelming. Students can make college an enjoyable and manageable experience by developing a few skills essential to college survival.

Reading Skills

An enormous amount of college work consists of reading and reading comprehension. A key element in reading effectively is to clear the mind of all distractions, paying close attention to what is being read. Students should look at the title of the passage, look at any subheadings, study any diagrams or illustrations, and quickly skim over the passage before reading it in its entirety. Following these steps gives students a general idea of what the passage is about. After reading the entire passage, students should ask themselves three questions: What is the main idea of the passage? What kind of writing is the passage? What was the author's purpose for writing the passage? Asking the preceding questions enables students to understand and remember what they read more proficiently.

Note-Taking Skills

Taking lecture notes is very important since they reflect what the instructor thinks, in addition to identifying the material that will be on exams. Class assignments are also given during lecture. Before lecture, students should become familiar with the material that will be presented. Look at the course syllabus and review any notes from the last class. Listen carefully to the instructor, attempting to identify any transitional words, such as "therefore", "finally", and "furthermore." Transitional words usually signal an important idea. Students should be open-minded and should not mentally argue with the instructor. Mental disagreement with an instructor causes the student to become distracted. After class, notes should be revised as soon as possible, coordinating textbook notes with lecture notes. Review the notes at least once a week and always review previous lecture notes before the next lecture.

Study Skills

Effective study skills can be difficult to develop because, in actuality, most people don't like to study. Unfortunately, that approach won't lead to a successful college experience. Studying can be made easier with a few simple tips. Estimate the study time needed for each class, which is usually two hours for every one-hour of class time. Students should study at their most alert times, enabling them to stay focused. To reduce

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