Transitioning to college can be daunting for students as they navigate a new learning environment without the familiar guardrails of high school.
But those who hone their study skills in high school are better prepared to take responsibility for their learning and time management in college, experts say.
“You’re building habits whether you think you’re doing it or not,” says Carl Foreman, master tutor for college admissions consulting company IvyWise. “Either you’re building good habits or you’re building bad habits. It’s best to establish norms as early as possible when the stakes are as low as possible so that when the stakes rise, you can keep up with that and just adjust your process to match those stakes.”
Prioritizing study habits may not come naturally, but experts say students should take responsibility for intentional planning during high school to establish rhythms that last.
“That isn’t to say parents and teachers can’t help provide some structure, but as a student, you must come to understand and internalize why certain practices are beneficial for you and learn how to develop those practices into habits,” Bernie Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research and student success for the University of Tennessee system, wrote in an email.
“When it comes to why this is a struggle, I’d say we’ve left too much up to chance, assuming students either have good study habits or they don’t. Instead, we need to help students embrace a growth mindset and realize these habits are learned behaviors that all students have access to.”
Here are six ways college-bound high school students can develop good study habits.
Ask for Help
Because college is typically more self-directed than high school, students must learn to advocate for themselves. When needs arise, it’s their responsibility to seek help from a professor, classmate or campus tutor and to find resources like academic advisers, mental health services and study groups.
[READ: 4 Tips for College Success]
While overly hands-on high school teachers may limit opportunities for self-advocacy, experts say students should look for ways to practice these skills before college.
“Students might arrive at college with little to no experience meeting with their instructors outside of classes, yet faculty office hours are one of the best resources you’ll have as a college student to excel in your classes, figure out your academic path and forge connections that will help you down the line in the form of grad school or employment recommendations,” Tina Brooks, a senior private counselor for admissions consulting firm Top Tier Admissions, wrote in an email.
“Even if it’s not common at your (high) school to meet with your teachers, try to arrive early or stay a few minutes after class to ask a question. Or, if your teachers do have open hours, use them to ask your teachers about something discussed in class.”
Keep a Calendar
The foundation for good study habits is “an understanding of and appreciation for the importance of time management,” Savarese says.
College professors generally won’t remind students of due dates as often as their high school teachers did. Using a calendar is one of the best ways to stay organized, remember due dates and avoid procrastination and stress, experts say.
Cell phones and laptops can help students manage a digital calendar with reminders. Traditional paper calendars can also be useful, experts say.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a college student not realize they had two mid-terms or multiple papers in the same week because they didn’t take the time to map out their known assignments,” Savarese says. By using a calendar, “students can work backwards, accounting for each assignment and building in a little study time each day instead of cramming at the last minute.”
[Time Management Tips for College-Bound High School Students]
Take Good Notes
Many college courses are lecture-oriented and students are expected or encouraged to take notes. Detailed note-taking may be crucial to a student’s success, but just getting the notes down isn’t enough, Foreman says.
“If you’re going to take notes, when you get home, get in the habit of pulling out those notes and looking at them again,” he says. “If you look at your notes every day, you’re kind of passively studying so that when there’s a big test or that paper is due, so much of that material is toward the front of your mind and you don’t have to cram.”
Meet Deadlines
High school teachers may be lenient with late work or make-up work policies, and some students make a habit of taking advantage of that grace, says Colleen Paparella, founder of DC College Counseling.
College professors likely won’t be as forgiving, she says. High school students should make a habit of meeting deadlines and assuming there won’t be a chance to turn work in late or redo it.
“That’s something where parents can talk to their kids and say, ‘even if you have an opportunity to make this up, take that as a true make-up opportunity,'” she says. “Don’t go into it thinking that you don’t have to do your best the first time around.”
Take Care of Your Body
Build and maintain a routine that includes regular physical activity in high school. It’s usually easier to keep this momentum going once you get to college than it is to start, experts say.
“If you like playing a sport and you can get your exercise that way, that’s great. If you’d rather work out at the gym, that’s great too,” Paparella says. “But you definitely need to build that in so that it becomes a habit.”
[See: Don’t Make These 8 Freshman Mistakes in College.]
Rest is another important piece of the puzzle. Paparella says many students she works with don’t get enough sleep. Between classes, extracurricular activities and homework, high school students may sacrifice hours of sleep to get everything done. For teens, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends eight to 10 hours of sleep each night.
High school students can form good sleep habits by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to stick to a consistent sleep schedule and limit light exposure and technology use in the evenings.
Prioritize Regular Attendance
High schools typically have policies that discipline students for unexcused absences from class. While such policies — or rewards for perfect attendance — may be motivating, college attendance policies are usually different.
Some professors take attendance, but generally you can choose whether to show up. Experts say you should make a point of being in class every day through high school and carry that habit with you to college.
“It’s such a slippery slope in terms of skipping class,” Paparella says. “You cannot do well in these classes if you are not going to them. It doesn’t matter if the professor is taking attendance or not, it’s next to impossible to succeed if you’re not going to class. Don’t let yourself go down that road. Don’t skip that first class. It’s almost addictive in a way.”
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6 Study Tips for College-Bound Teens originally appeared on usnews.com
