Is it true that college is mostly study based?

Hi Jose,

Jen's answer about course work is pretty good. In general, you are expected to be much more independent than in high school. You spend less time in class, but more time working on your own. You need to take charge of your learning, and if you are struggling, you need to be more proactive seeking out help.

However, another large component of college is the social and networking aspect. Being on a campus gives you access to a huge number of people who can help you along the way, both during and after college. Being involved in clubs and organizations on campus and getting to know your professors will unlock doors that just having a high GPA alone will never do. Never again will it be so easy for you to spend time with such a wide variety of people.

So, study hard, but also get involved and get to know people.

Best of luck!

Jose,

In my experience, college was where I learned the most about time management and managing my own schedule. Since you have a lot more freedom in college, it's extremely important to prioritize and plan ahead. Balancing everything along with your course work may be something you were exposed to in HS, but in my opinion college does take this to a larger scale. In your first year I encourage you to experiment and learn what personal management techniques work best for you and build on that as you progress ahead. Also as Michael mentioned above, I definitely think the social/networking aspect is very important in college. Looking back (after being out of college for about 3 years), I would say my biggest takeaway is the friendships I was able to create. There are so many individuals that I currently talk to on a daily basis that I first met in college. I encourage you to get involved in various student activities and organizations that interest you. You'll be very surprised at how many people you meet through all of these different channels in college!

Best of luck in your first year!

-Paras

Hi joseM,

Great question!

I found that College courses require good time management. A lot of College course work is spent reviewing and studying your notes and the textbook before and after class, as well as, staying on top of homework assignments and the material you’ve covered. Some courses require you to put in more time in than others, depending on the course and the professor. However, it is very doable if you budget your time correctly.

College is all about finding a good study balance that works best for you and your schedule. I recently just graduated with my Bachelors and Masters in Accounting. What worked best for me in college was staying organized. Teachers will handout or post online their course syllabus, which will outline/give you an overview of the course with important due dates, test dates, study topics, etc.  Something I would definitely consider looking into or buying is a planner - also a great way to stay organized. 

Another technique that helped me stay organized in college was "To Do Lists". In these "To Do Lists" I would write down important assignment due dates, homework tasks that needed to be completed, and other important dates (i.e., extra help sessions, quizzes, exam dates, etc.). 

The big thing is just making sure you have enough time, especially when preparing for exams and completing lengthy homework assignments. I found that I was the most successful when I did not wait till the day of to complete homework assignments, and when I started reviewing course material for exams at least 2-3 days in advance.

I hope that helps!

Wishing you the best of luck in College.

-Jen