Students throughout the country enter college each year without the
needed study skills. It is not unusual for bright students to get through
the lower grades and even through high school without much studying. But
when those same students get to college they often find they are completely
lost and their grades are falling at alarming rates. Study skills in
collage are vital if the student wants to get the most out of his college
experience and wants to succeed.

In addition, the student may want to go on
to a graduate program and will need the best grades he is capable of to
apply to the program of his choice. Study skills do more than assist in getting the best grades a person is
capable of. They also help prepare the student for the work world that he
will enter upon graduation. In the work world there are many jobs which
require a certain amount of personal study time or training time.

If the
employee developed good solid study skills during college then the ability
to study and learn new job skills will be there.Solid study skills in college also prepare the college student with
good time management skills, which will be valuable in the job
market(Stewart 1999) . Time management is vital in many areas of life
including college(Stewart 1999) . For each class a student takes the
teacher has an expectation that the student will devote several hours per
week studying that class material , notes and preparing for tests.

Managing
the time for study will allow the student to stay on top of the study needs
instead of having to cram at the end of the period for the test. In
addition effective time management of study time will lessen the time the
student has to spend studying. Learning how to study can be very time
effective(Stewart 1999) . The college student who reads, pulls out key
points and makes notes about them , then reviews those notes will in the
end be better prepared and use less time than the college student who waits
until the night before the test to read the entire coursework and try and
memorize it(Stewart 1999) . Another help to study skills is for a college student to do homework
assignments soon after they are assigned(Stewart 1999) .

In high school
there is much more structure with the teacher assigning work that is
generally due the following day(Stewart 1999) . However in college the
teacher will often hand out the entire semester's assignments on the first
day of school and not mention them again. it is up to the college student
to plan his time and break the assignments into manageable blocks
throughout the semester. Solid study skills will have the student already
prepared in how to do this because study skills involve planning and use of
time."A recent study by the American School Counselor Association and Sylvan
found that nearly 60 percent of school counselors surveyed believe students
are not adequately prepared to tackle homework assignments.

Seventy percent
of the counselors said teachers in their school think students have poor
study skills(Stewart 1999) ."
Very few schools offer classes on how to develop solid study skills,
therefore students are left to their own devices when it comes to figuring
a method out(Stewart 1999) . Unfortunately waiting until the grades begin
to fall is not the time to start the study skill learning process, it
should be instilled before entering school(Stewart 1999) . A lack of study skills at the college level can be costly in several
ways.

The first way it can be costly to the student is in tuition and class
fee costs. A college student who does not have solid strong study skills is
at risk for failing classes and having to take them over again. This means
additional class fees as well as more tuition if those additional classes
prolong the projected graduation date.College students who are willing and skilled at spending a few hours
a week preparing and studying their class subjects saves themselves lots
of frustration and anxiety later(Palmer 1996) .Research has demonstrated students who have access
to a study skill course have a higher retention rate when it comes to
material at test time(Michael 1995).

There are many steps to proper studying. It involves listening ,
reading, processing information and receiving information(Study 1999) . The
most important things a college student needs to do to improve study skills
is to learn how to use motivational techniques, develop memory techniques,
learn how to write outlines and take good notes and learn effective time
management skills for studying(Study 1999) .The majority to college success is motivation. That motivation can be
applied to study skills to further advance the level of success the student
experiences(Houston http://www.

shsu.edu/~) . If one wants to do well in
college they must be willing to set aside time for studying.One of the ways
a college student can begin to manage study time and get himself more
regimented about it is to join a study group that meets on a regular basis.This will get him in the habit of studying at the same time and help him
pick up study tips by participating with other college students(Houston
http://www.

shsu.edu/~) . The student should be sure to include facts such as the following.Several studies have proven that students who develop study skills for
college and apply them from the first day of school are more successful
than students who do not(Schumm 1992).


As we head into the new millenium the world is becoming more
complicate every year. Young adults often try and get through college in
fewer years than before in an effort to get into the work world as soon as
possible. Other students are on scholarships and must maintain certain
GPA's to keep their funding. For these students and students like Joey,
having solid study skills in place when they enter college will help them
be successful in the final leg of their formal educational process.

REFERENCES
College Study Skills. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3843/study2.

html
Palmer, Sue (1996 July). Could do better - but how?Independent.OBTAINED FROM DATABASE SEARCH OF ELIBRARY.COM
Michael, Frank (1995 September). Why student withdraw from classes.

The Journal of Psychology
OBTAINED FROM DATABASE SEARCH OF ELIBRARY.COM
Sam Houston State University
Counseling Center http://www.shsu.edu/~counsel/study_skills.html
Schumm, Shay (1992 November). Active learning strategies for mastering
lecture material.

Journal of Reading . v36 n3 p222(2)
Stewart, Mark (1999, September).Students often need help with time
management
The Washington Times
OBTAINED FROM DATABASE SEARCH OF ELIBRARY.COM