Student Success Skills - Making the Most Out of a College Education

Whether you yourself are a student or are the parent of one, regardless of the level of education, building certain student success skills is a crucial part of getting the most out of an education. There are many qualities that can help a student learn, but some are much more helpful than others, and in this brief article we'll take a look at some of the most important characteristics to promote in any student, be they in first grade or a junior in college.

Student success skills can be broken up into four categories - classroom, home, financial and personal. Classroom skills involve abilities like test taking, which includes keeping cool under pressure, working under a time limit, and learning how tests work. Another useful classroom skill is observation - the ability to take notes quickly and clearly, the ability to gather information in a number of ways. There are several types of learning that any student might use: aural, visual, and kinesthetic. Aural learners retain the most information through listening, visual learners get the most out of seeing something, and kinesthetic learners through actually doing something.

Home skills are important after a student has gotten information, as they need to know what to do with it. Examples of home student success skills would be reviewing notes, working on a computer (knowing things such as how to upload and e-mail files and using word processors is a huge help), and avoiding distractions. Having a strong work ethic is also an important part of getting work done at home, and students should train themselves to try and perform a certain amount of studying each night or at least for a few days a week. Students without a proper work ethic often fall behind in studying, and the first thing to go after studying is test scores.

Financial student success skills are more important today than ever before. For the first time reports have come out showing that more students are dropping out of college due to financial reasons than academic. It is important your child receives a practical financial education before heading off to college or your child may return back in debt, with no degree and needing a place to live.

Personal student success skills are somewhat more vague, but can include things like students staying interested in and challenged by their classes, as well as getting to class on time and dividing up their time in a realistic way. Personal responsibility plays a huge part in the independent lifestyle of college, and should be learned early on. Academic coaches can be used to teach students these skills, and personal tutors can have a huge effect on overall performance.

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