The College Conversation: Prepare them for studying

When we think about our teenagers’ college readiness, we often consider whether they are socially prepared for college. Will they be independent enough? Eat a balanced meal? Separate “lights” from “darks” to avoid pink socks? Will they advocate their needs to friends, professors or coaches? What is often left out of this internal dialogue is whether your child has the fundamental skills necessary to succeed academically in college.

Your teenager may not admit it, but there’s a part of him that’s psyched to go back to school. It feels good to start fresh, make new friends and meet new teachers. But, as high school registration approaches, school schedules are distributed, and the start of school inches closer, anxiety often kicks in. Some will encounter their first college-level course taking an Advanced Placement class. Others will have six core classes in the main subject areas, and that ultimately means more homework. And more homework means less free time and the need to actually study for classes instead of cramming the night before.

Did you know that, in college students are often surprised at how much they have to study? More than that, they often realize they never learned how to study in the first place.

There won’t be teachers stamping homework to ensure it’s complete. Professors will stand at a podium without visual aids espousing the history of Western Civilization. Students must take real notes, processing information quickly using their auditory-verbal skills. Heavy amounts of reading will be assigned. In the liberal arts and humanities, I’m talking at least 300 pages a week, 10 novels a semester and five main papers.

For science majors, reading is often not even assigned — if you read it, great. If not, that’s your problem. Projects and research are spread out over the course of 18 weeks, nine if the college operates on the quarter system. Testing will take place on specific weeks with midterms and final exams. Your child might have four tests in one day. Leaving work until the last minute can spell disaster.

A note from mom won’t excuse a late paper. Regardless of your child’s track in high school — college prep, honors, AP/International Baccalaureate — he’ll be forced to seriously put his brains to work in college.

I often ask students to describe their study habits. More often than not, they’re baffled when asked to define what it means to “study.” They go on to explain how they prepare for tests and the environment in which they complete homework.

Is this what I asked? Our students have been trained to think that studying only takes place before test days and to finish what often falls into the category of busywork that was assigned in class. When prodded further, they tell me how they prepare for exams — it rarely entails more than flipping through the pages of a textbook to review the material learned in class.

Many don’t have legible notes. Or, they mindlessly copied what a teacher displayed on the white board or overhead projector, without really understanding the concepts on paper.

To be college-ready, students need to be self-aware and really understand how they learn. They need intrinsic motivation and self-discipline to stay focused, as well as stellar time management skills. Regardless of the major they plan to pursue, they’ll need to read critically, write analytically, and think creatively.

How will they handle it when a teacher is lecturing at them from a podium without any visual aids?

Start talking about this and exploring your child’s study habits more closely. If he or she doesn’t have the study skills in high school, the reality is your child probably won’t thrive in college.

I’m sure you’ve pounded into their head the value of eating their vegetables before dessert, and how to avoid 15 pairs of pink socks after doing a load of laundry, but do they really know how to study? This will be the true test of their college-readiness.

LISA McLAUGHLIN is the founder and executive director of EDvantage Consulting Inc., an independent college admission counseling firm in South Orange County. end college admissions questions to [email protected].