1.1 Welcome to College!
Congratulations on your decision to attend college! For the great majority of college students, it really was your decision—not just an automatic thing to do. If you happen to be one of the few who just sort of ended up in college for want of anything better to do, the benefits of college will soon become obvious.
The reason for this book, and for almost all college courses, is that college does require commitment and effort. Like everything else in life that leads to meaningful results, success in college is not automatic. But when you apply yourself to your studies using the skills you’ll learn in this book, you’ll find you can succeed.
The Value of College
When asked, most students say they’re in college primarily for the job or career they expect to follow after college. And they are correct that a college degree pays off enormously in terms of future earnings, job security and stability, and job satisfaction. Every statistic shows that people with a college education will make much more in their lifetime (much, much more than the cost of college itself) and be much happier with the work they do. According to the Pew Research Center, college graduates earn about $650,000 more than high school graduates through a 40-year career.
But your future career is only a part of the big picture. A college education results in many other personal benefits, and these also should be part of your motivation for doing well and continuing with your college plans. Here are a few other benefits of a college education:
You will have a fuller life and a better understanding of the world around you.
You will gain decision-making and problem-solving skills.
You will meet many interesting and diverse people and have a richer social life.
You will gain self-confidence.
You will gain learning skills that can continue for a lifetime.
You will be better equipped to deal with other people, organizations, governmental agencies, and all the hassles of daily life.
You will feel more fully a part of your community, the larger culture, and history.
A college education leads to greater success in all those areas, even though most students are usually more concerned with making it through the next class or test than the rest of their lives. But sometimes it helps to recall what a truly great step forward you are taking!
A book like this one can help you stay motivated when things get tough, but it can’t necessarily give you motivation to start with. You have to bring that to college yourself. What we can promise you is that if you are committed, you can learn the skills for succeeding in college.
Special skills are needed because college isn’t the same as high school. Throughout this book, we’ll look at the many ways college is different from high school. To name just a few, college is different in study skills needed, in personal skills related to being independent, in social skills for getting along with instructors and others on campus, in financial realities, in matters of personal health, and more.
Remember, you can learn whatever you need in order to succeed. That’s what this book is all about. You’ll learn how to get the most out of going to class. You’ll learn how to study in ways that use your time efficiently and help you pass tests. You’ll even learn how to remember what you read in your college textbooks. You’ll learn how to manage your time more effectively than you might have in the past, so that studying is less a burden and becomes more a simple routine. You’ll even learn how things like eating well and getting enough sleep and exercise make it easier to do well in your classes.
How Is College Different from High School?
College is very different from high school in many ways, and some of these differences cause difficulty for some students.
Time management is more important in college because of varying class and work schedules and other time commitments.
College instructors seldom seek you out to offer extra help if you’re falling behind. You are on your own and expected to do the work and meet deadlines without someone looking over your shoulder.
There may be no attendance policy in some classes. You are expected to be mature enough to come to class without fear of penalties.
Many classes are large, making it easy to feel lost in a crowd.
Many instructors, especially in large classes, teach by lecture—which can be difficult for those whose high school teachers interacted a great deal with students.
College courses require more study time and require you to work on your own.
Your social and personal life in college may be less supervised. Younger students may not cope well with suddenly having freedom to do what they want.
What does all this add up to? For some students, this freedom can lead in negative directions: sleeping late, skipping classes, missing deadlines, failing to study adequately for tests, and so on. Even students who work hard in their classes may also have difficulty transitioning to the higher academic standards of college. Suddenly, you’re responsible for everything. That can be a challenge to get used to. All the chapters in this book will help you make this transition successfully.