Learn to Study for Success at College and University

Going to College or University is an exciting yet daunting experience for many students. It’s exciting because you can study interesting subjects, make new friends and pursue new hobbies in College. But it’s also daunting because in order to get a successful academic education, you’ll have to accept personal responsibility for a task for which you have received little or no special training in school. This task requires you to manage your own learning or to become an active, independent and self-motivated student when it comes to planning, conducting and evaluating your academic work.
For example, it's up to you whether you go to lectures in the first place. And it’s up to you whether you spend your time studying in the library or going to the shops. And it's your business not that of your lecturers to make sure that you don’t fall behind in your studies. Put simply, if you don't want your free time in College to become wasted time, you will have to master a number of study skills that were not taught in school. For example, you’ll have to learn to listen and write at the same time while taking lecture notes in class. And you’ll have to learn to study effectively – or read with a question in mind. Of course, you’ll also have to master the art of “getting down” to studying regardless of the mood you're in. But most of all, you’ll have to learn to think for yourself – the true hallmark of an educated mind. Put simply, as you can see, your biggest challenge in the years ahead is to manage your own learning effectively.
The good news is that by reading this eBook, you’ve already taken a step in the right direction. You’ve realized that you’ll have to become a driver rather than a passenger in your educational journey. And so, the purpose of this eBook is to give you some “driving lessons” in learning.
This eBook will explain how you can develop some of the most important study skills for success at college and university. Among the areas covered are: Managing your own learning and getting down to studying, practical tips on motivation and managing study time, learning from lectures, listening and note-taking skills, improving reading and summarizing skills, improving concentration, remembering and understanding, evaluating and thinking critically, planning and writing essays and papers, and finally, exam skills; doing your best when it matters most.