White woman in glasses reading book, friend asleep with book on couch behind

4 Important Lessons From High School to Take With You to College

There are many new things to learn in college, but students can still apply some of their successful high school academic techniques. Here's what to know!

It's no secret that college life is significantly different from high school. However, though there are a lot of new things to learn at the postsecondary level, students can still apply some of the same techniques that were successful in high school to their college education. Here are some lessons learned freshman through senior year—the first time around—that will also benefit you in handling your college experience.

1. Get to know instructors and staff

One of the reasons so many students make it to college is because they had some amazing and inspirational teachers throughout high school who helped them get there. You may have even asked some of your professors to write letters of recommendation to include in your college applications. Getting to know your professors can make a significant difference in college as well; not only does it make the class more interesting, but it’s a terrific opportunity to get informed opinions about options for your future studies and career from experienced professionals. Professors can be excellent mentors and provide incredibly valuable advice.

That said, in college, it can be a bit more difficult to get to know the professors or even teaching assistants, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. In classes with more than 100 students, lecturing professors probably won’t even know your name. However, connecting with professors is crucial to acing a class and understanding your options later on (e.g., it’s never too early to start thinking about graduate school and/or career paths). Take advantage of your professors’ office hours, contact them via email, and ask questions during or after class. Many professors, when approached politely, will be very helpful to students.

Related: 6 Reasons to Put in Effort With Counselors and Teachers

2. Separate work and play

Doing well in college requires balancing your studying and your social life adequately; prioritization and self-discipline are key elements to accomplishing this goal. Bring all of your best study habits from high school, while recognizing that college is a new environment. You may have studied well at home when you were in high school, but you may not be able to study as successfully in your dorm, whether due to the noise of a busy residence hall or because you just get along so well with your roomie, you want to hang out all the time! Most colleges have multiple libraries and many study rooms that can be reserved in advance to provide a quiet place to work. Perhaps you also learned in high school that studying in the same place you sleep doesn’t typically work, as late-night cram sessions often end with you falling asleep on top of open textbooks. Most dorms already include desks, but if you move into an off-campus apartment, be sure to buy a desk and most importantly, use it!

3. Know your learning style

It may have taken you all of high school to figure out how you study best, so make sure to bring that with you to college. If you learn best by listening, ask professors if you can record their lectures. If notes are your best friend, keep writing them, and try using different colors to highlight items too. If you’re a kinesthetic learner, choose classes that will keep you active through hands-on activities. Also, try scheduling breaks in your study sessions to keep from getting bored. It’s also critical to know when you study best. Are you a late-night thinker, or would you prefer to get work done in the afternoon and take the evening off? If you couldn’t overcome procrastination in high school, give it another try in college by starting assignments and papers as soon as you get them, or create a plan to complete coursework in small manageable parts over a period of time, rather than leaving them until the last minute before their deadlines.

4. Study with helpful peers

In high school, you may have learned that you’re only as studious as your friends. In college, continue to choose your study partners wisely: no one wants to stay up until 3:00 am. just because a class partner didn’t do their share of the work. Choose study-mates who are dedicated, hard-working, and innovative. All of you must be team players as well; do your share and take the lead when necessary, but also see what others have to offer and give them a chance. A solid group of study buddies can be a reassuring presence when trying to comprehend the complicated instructions of a major project or when final exams creep up on you. There is no shame in using a little bit of support when working through the academic challenges that arise in college.

Related: 5 Simple Ways You Can Make Studying More Fun

High school was a major period of transformation—and college will be too! You learned a lot in your teen years, and you can use that as a guide for a lot of things during your time as a young adult. But you can especially use the learning tools and resources as a foundation to better adapt to college-level academics.

 

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Cathryn Sloane

Cathryn Sloane

Cathryn Sloane is a contributing writer from Varsity Tutors, a premier private academic tutoring and test prep provider designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence. Varsity Tutors delivers in-home, personalized, one-on-one instruction in any subject, from STEM to the humanities, and customized preparation for all standardized exams, including ISEE, SSAT, SAT, and ACT and graduate exams such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT.  Students from elementary to graduate school are expertly matched with an exceptional tutor who is best able to address their unique needs and goals. To ensure satisfaction and safety, only the highest caliber tutors are selected to join Varsity Tutors following a rigorous screening process. Varsity Tutors currently serves 19 cities nationwide and offers a variety of tutoring packages. Students and their families interested in learning more about Varsity Tutors should visit varsitytutors.com.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Asia Stockdale

Asia Stockdale

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress helped me overcome a huge hurdle. Because of the small town I live in, I felt like I would never achieve more. I felt like I could never go beyond because of costs. I feared I wouldn’t be able to find scholarships. I had no idea of where to start. With CollegeXpress, I easily found scholarships—they came to me. It was a helper, and I was instantly matched with opportunities to go above and beyond educationally.

Michael

Michael

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress showed me that Western New England University was a great match for me both with curriculum and location. CollegeXpress is an excellent resource both future and current college students.

Hailey Riddile

Hailey Riddile

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me find scholarships to apply for and look into more colleges. While there are many websites similar to CollegeXpress, every website is different, and I've found a lot of good insight on this website. Receiving emails from CollegeXpress about scholarships is extremely useful, and getting insight about colleges near, far, and anywhere in between helps me narrow down my choices to what I want, which is also super helpful. The articles are always really good reads, and I can't stress enough how helpful this website has been to me. Anything related to college is beneficial to me as a senior, and I have learned lots of useful things to help me on my college journey this year.

Elizabeth Stafford

Elizabeth Stafford

High School Class of 2021

As a UK student moving to California due to my dad's job in the military, when I first signed up for CollegeXpress a few months ago, the college process ahead seemed daunting and incredibly stressful. That all changed after I started to explore what this website had to offer. Not only was I helped by the vast array of resources available to me, but through being a CollegeXpress member, there have been so many more benefits. There have been emails with college tips—all of which I found incredibly helpful—as well as invitations to events and notifications of scholarships that'll make college possible for me. Overall, I'm very grateful to CollegeXpress for all of these things and more. Not only have they helped me grow my understanding of the college process, but they've also helped me to grow as a person, giving me new skills that I can take with me through life.

Nikole Dixon

Nikole Dixon

$500 Refer-a-Friend Scholarship Winner

Toward the beginning of last year, I was searching for scholarships to apply to through my school, town, websites online, and anything else I could find. I asked tons of questions [online] about scholarships and the best places to find them because I was desperate and needed as many as I could find. I came across a ton of bogus websites, but as soon as I found CollegeXpress, I knew I had to tell other people about it. It was definitely the most helpful site I came across, so I told my friends about it. CollegeXpress is definitely a website worth giving as a source.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In