How do I prepare for university?

[curlz]

I am starting university in july next year studying computer science. I am a bit worried as I have no idea what I am getting in to. At school I was a slacker, I never did homework and never studied. How can I go to university when I don't know how to study, take notes, do assignments or prepare for exams? Do you guys have any suggestions as to  how I can get myself ready for this??

[Jones]

If you were a slacker in high school, you're gonna have a hard time in college. You definitely need to be more attentive in class and take notes because professors won't just ask students whether they have questions. Attend all your classes, too.

[Hungry!]

High School work ethic does not translate over to college work ethic. Much of what you do in high school is busy work just ment to babysit you. College does not have nearly so much of this.

Basically the best way to prepare for college is to figure out what you need to improve on, set a schedule, and GET INTO WHAT YOURE STUDYING. If you enjoy what you're learning about, you'll probably be motivated to excel in your classwork.

When you get to college, plug yourself into people with the same major, as you will probably see them in your classes. Form study groups. I used to be a high school slacker like yourself, but I've discovered that a great way to stay focused on school is to attend these study groups.

Just remember, you have a lot more freedom in college, and this can make or break student. You have the freedom to goof off and party, but you also have the freedom to learn about something that you care about. Hope this helps, and good luck!

[coco]

You listen to me and you listen to me good. I'm a college freshman and in college slacking is not acceptable. Go in freshman seminars. Those help a lot. I wish I went to one. Ask close college friends about how to study. The first year is going to be tough. But if your committed you can do. Good Luck! whatever you do, don't drop out

[j_sun]

I can certainly relate as I had such a tough time in high school all around though improved so much while attending college.  Since it is going to be your first semester and especially if you are living on-campus and must attend full-time, I would not take classes that are too intense just yet to allow yourself to get accustomed to the schedule and responsibility of doing assignments on time which can include research papers and studying for tests.  And not to scare you, but computer science may be pretty rigorous with learning the computer language which is supposed to be like learning another language unto itself as well as the math requirements so please just take things one step at a time, one foot in front of the next

The idea of forming a study group is fantastic hoping that your schedules don't conflict.  It can really help to reinforce what was discussed in class and perhaps help to fill in any loopholes in one's class notes.  Someone mentioned attending 'freshman seminar' which sounds kind of like a 'college success' course which is a wonderful idea as that type of course tends to offer studying and notetaking strategies (please, however, ask the school counselor if that is the type of material taught in that class).  

What helped me to study was making notecards out of lined index cards, 4x6" since it tends to be less strain on the hand.  These are particularly useful for vocab words, dates and new terms.  If deciding to highlight (with yellow highlighter) text (presuming that it's your book to keep don't highlight too much or it can detract from what one is trying to do and jumble everything up.  I used to highlight text in bold as well as the words 'not' or 'doesn't', anything 'negative' so to speak so that it's less confusing.  If using a highlighter, it can also help the marker not go thru the page by putting a piece of paper in back of the page while using the highlighter.

Keeping a pocket calender as well as a calender for keeping track of assignments can be very useful too.  It is crucial to stay organized with which assignment is due for which class and by which date  

Perhaps you can play 'catch up' and do some reading from now til July (and thereafter to help prepare you to be more on the level of your peers.  Here are a few books that have helped me become more well-rounded (albeit I'm still a work in progress and always trying to learn something new 'The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy' by E.D. Hirsch'Princeton Review Word Smart I (and II)''Words You Should Know in High School' (sorry don't know author's name off-hand)'Foreign Words and Phrases' by Manser

(Children's book)  'Who Knew? 100's and 100's of Questions for Curious Minds' by Strauss (found at barnes and noble).

I also got this book from the store Bed, Bath and Beyond called '1001 Things Every Teen Should Know Before They Leave Home' by Harry H. Harrison, Jr.  It's chockful of great tips such as needing to keep a budget and such.  One doesn't necessarily have to be living on-campus to benefit either.  There are also those books found at barnes and noble or borders in the study guide/college section such as 'Been There, (Should've) Done That' with tips and wisdom passed along from former college students.

For more general career info:  http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search 'computer analyst', 'computer scientist', 'computer programmer' or such.