College Academic Learning Made Easy

It's that time of the year again when the semester seems to moving forward at breakneck speed and classes start getting harder. Reading is piling up and activities are overwhelming. Time just isn’t enough! That’s when it's time to hit the panic button and live off six hours of sleep and generous amounts of Starbucks coffee while getting familiar with the books on the shelves of Rush Rhees library that I tend to stare off into, wishing I was anywhere else but here studying for an exam.

Sometimes, freshmen might be of the opinion that college learning is similar to high school learning. Actually, I believe it is quite the contrary. In high school, I learnt all my chemistry and biology in class, rarely having to ever read the textbook. Emphasis lay on classroom learning. When I came to college however, I realized that reading, and especially reading ahead, was a big part of the world of college studying. Lectures are faster-paced than high school classes because of the more detailed material we have to cover. Professors expect you to have read the material before coming to class so that the lectures can complement the reading and enhance learning, while encouraging active participation and discussion. With lengthier material and tougher courses, it is expected that there is plenty to study before a midterm. As a result, professors and counselors alike emphasize that you study and review every week to keep up with classes before it gets too late and you’ve fallen too behind in the class.

Once in college, I realized that this approach to self and independent learning has actually helped me shoulder more responsibility and manage my time efficiently. It is indeed true that a college education helps carve that strong, independent and mature individual inside you that was beginning to take shape in high school. The transition from high school to college was marked by a tremendous increase in my freedom by leaps and bounds. I take lectures, not classes, with plenty of free time in the day, and I am expected to use that time fruitfully to keep up academically as well as in extracurricular activities in order to be a well-rounded individual. I am expected to read ahead, with the professors going over the material in class and assigning homework and exams that test on this material and often make you think out of the box. The biggest academic transition for me was from being told exactly what to do and being followed up on to make sure I do that in high school, to living up to a set of academic expectations where the choice is on you.

As a freshman fellow this year, I sought to spread awareness of these differences between high school learning and college learning to my freshman hall. I knew I had difficulties transitioning from high school, where I was so used to depending on my teachers to tell me exactly what I had to do and ensuring that I was on task. And with all this sudden freedom in college, I struggled to grasp a foothold to get back in line with how college academics worked too. I eventually learned the ropes to efficient time management, responsibility and independence, and am still learning. I still get distracted, studying gets boring, work overwhelms me and all I want to do sometimes is spend time with my friends and forget about work. But I have to constantly remind myself that college is all about finding an equilibrium with your social and academic life – I have to give and take, even if it involves not going to dinner at Cheesecake Factory for my favourite baked salmon so I can study instead… sigh. The U of R is home to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning  (CETL) that helps students smooth this transition from high school to college. Along with another freshman fellow, I invited them to talk about effective study skills and preparing for college exams to the freshmen in our hall and it seems to have helped them!

I thought I’d share the three most important things I’ve picked up over the past two years here from experience, my parents, and the people around me at college:

1. Priorities and balance – With so much to do in college, it is extremely easy for us to take on too much or get distracted. It is extremely important to recognize when such a situation has arisen and work toward maintaining a balance between academics, activities, and a social life. Prioritizing is essential. If I find myself overwhelmed or at a loss for what I’m doing, I stop and reflect a little. Reminding yourself why you are here and how important it is to you  – remembering your future goals and how your present actions will help you get there, might just motivate you to keep going.
2. Emotions – With classes, activities and a social life, college can get overwhelming. There will be ups and downs, but one thing I’ve always been told is to never give up. If it is a bad time and you’re riding a bad wave, the good one is going to follow.
3. Plan – If I have to achieve a sound college life where my academics and social life are in balance, I have to plan it out. Be sure to use that planner you get from orientation week to pencil in important deadlines and work in a schedule that fits in everything. If it doesn’t,  the planner is probably trying to tell you that you’ve taken on too much to maintain that balance! 

Don't get bogged down with all that school work! Balance is universal; it'll come along so that spending time with friends seems as often as studying or attending classes in that calendar we go buy at the start of every academic year! Good luck with the rest of the semester!