As a professional education consultant and academic supervisor,
Martin Griffin has overseen the functioning of entire high school
districts and organizations. His goal is to ensure that students are
properly prepared for their future, whether that be a career right out
of high school, or attending a college or university. For students who
decide to attend a university, transitioning from a high school
environment to a college one can be difficult. Here are ways for
students to prepare for the new academic challenges of higher education.
- College classes are structured differently than high school ones. Large lectures of hundreds of people are very common. To prepare, students should start managing their own notes and processing information with less help from the teacher towards the end of high school.
- Students should find out which strategies help them learn best. If they are a visual learner, words and pictures will help them the most, and they should focus on taking thorough notes and dissecting reading material from the class. For auditory learners, recording a lecture may be most effective. These are just two of the many different types of learners in our population.
- Students should attend professor’s office hours if they have questions or need extra help. It can also be helpful to talk to the TAs. Because college professors will not follow up with each student the way a high school teacher will, students need to be proactive about getting the information that they need and getting their questions answered.
