<p>I didn't go to a particularly competitive high school and therefore coasted by. Now I am struggling in college because I don't have the analytical or comprehensive skills needed to succeed in my classes. </p>
<p>I'm a sophomore and I want to fix this so I don't find myself in a pit by the time I graduate. How can I "learn" skills (analytical, quantitative, qualitative, etc.)?</p>
<p>I feel like I can take the obvious course, such as math for example, and "learn" how to think quantitatively. However, I'm looking to learn without sacrificing my GPA. Is this even possible?</p>
<p>Everyone learns/studies differently. But I would suggest breaking everything down into small, manageable steps. If you have a chapter to read for a class, read one section, take notes, review it, then take a break. After a half an hour or so, review your notes and read the next section, review, etc. If you have a paper to write, brainstorm for half an hour, break, then draft a thesis, break, etc. Trying to cram your head with too much at once can make it difficult to retain information. </p>
<p>Critical thinking skills are difficult to learn, but this doesn’t mean you can’t have a high GPA. You may have to put a little more time into things until you are used to them.</p>
<p>See if you have any bad habits - such as checking Facebook (or this site) while trying to read. Shut off your computer or go to a place in the library that doesn’t have computers so you can focus. Little things like that can make a difference.</p>
<p>Your college should have a department that helps with study skills and the like. If not, some SAT/ACT study schools like Kaplan and their competitors do it.</p>
<p>“Shut off your computer or go to a place in the library that doesn’t have computers so you can focus. Little things like that can make a difference.”</p>
<p>Your post just made me realise how important high school was. College hasn’t taught me $_$ about critical thinking and analysis. High school was where I learned everything, where the learning environment was better. Go take a calculus course, maybe an english/history course. If you don’t put your GPA on the line though, you might not take it seriously enough.
Also, your topic title doesn’t match your post. You’re not in high school… you say study habits but your post talks about thinking skills, completely different</p>