<p>I'm just wondering.. since I've heard about so many valedictorians from not-so-competitive high schools get into top colleges and struggle to survive in their first year classes.. while I know students who were ranked as average and struggled at a very challenging school have no problem staying on top of their classes in college.</p>
<p>Does your high school study habits and the kind of environment you come from really matter in surviving the academic life in college?</p>
<p>If you were considered a "genius" and graduated with high honors at a very easy, not-so-challenging high school.. honestly, a lot of these people did not have to try so hard to earn A's throughout high school. but is that really apparent in the way they study and survive in college? How bad does it get.. and is it common? I've heard of a kid who graduated as a valedictorian and ended up dropping a bunch of courses during his first semester at UCLA. I mean..a valedictorian.. come on..</p>
<p>It’s very common. I have a friend who graduated high school with a 4.0 as valedictorian. First semester GPA: 2.5 or something like that. Most of my friends were in the top 10% in their high schools, and very few have done well. I think it’s several factors:</p>
<ul>
<li>Bad study habits thanks to easy courseloads.</li>
<li>Arrogance based on old grades that make people think they can handle more than they can. (I’m guilty of this.)</li>
<li>Academic burnout (if they tried superhard in high school).</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m probably an extreme example, because most people aren’t stupid enough not to realize that they have to step up their game in college, but I’m certainly a case of the genre you describe. I had a 4.0 in HS and graduated first (w/o studying), 2390 on SAT (w/o studying), etc. I ended up with a 2.75 my first semester (lulz). I thought that going to class most of the time and listening would suffice; it was only too late that I realized that I should have been putting in time outside of class to learn the material. </p>
<p>Don’t know of many similar anecdotes, though – I think for the reason I mentioned in my first sentence.</p>
<p>I noticed this a lot, I met a lot of students who were brilliant in high school but most of them mention not having to study very much until actually coming to college. So they struggled a bit in the beginning. However most seem to have stepped it up and they’re adjusting quite well now.</p>
<p>It was sort of weird for me, I never excelled in high school and applied to college with a 3.3 average. However I did pretty well in many of my first semester courses. </p>
<p>My roommate is another special case, where he did great in high school and he’s also doing really well as a freshman in college. So I guess it really varies form person to person, with aptitude, study habits etc…all being factors.</p>
<p>Mostly it comes down to whether someone works and puts the hours in outside of class I think. Some students do that no matter how good or bad they did in high school.</p>
<p>I went to one of those college prep schools. High school freshman year kicked my ass (I had came from a public school), but I formed good study habits and work ethics throughout those four years. Nevertheless, I graduated with first honors and 3.4, and now all that hard work is paying off in college. </p>
<p>I know alot of kids who boast of having a 3.9/4.0 gpa in high school, but they can’t study or write a paper to save their lives. Grade inflation and lack of college preparation is a big problem in the U.S. of A education system. </p>
<p>Which goes to say that after you are admitted into college, all that hard work and your G.P.A. in high school doesn’t mean crap.</p>
<p>i fear academic burnout. junior year isn’t that hard (with the exception of my analysis class) , i’m taking the hardest classes offered
but i’m TIRED of everything.</p>
<p>I realized that the study habits I had throughout high school were not going to cut it, especially since I’m an engineering major. In high school, I could bs my way through, maybe not do so well on a few quizzes or tests and still pull off an A. However, college is a different story because everything is not only a bit harder, but weighted much more heavily. I think that’s the biggest thing that shocks incoming students: the fact that one midterm weighs say 30% so if you screw up big time, you really need to go all out on the final. Personally, I wasn’t also used to being graded on a curve; I was so used to the straight-scale grading (90%-A, 80%-B, etc or however it was for your high school) and thus, I was responsible for my own actions if I happened to screw up a test. Since you’re graded against others, their scores matter as much as yours. When you finally go to college, you’ll understand and hopefully you’ll adjust faster than some of us have, and not have to suffer with one or a few bad GPAs per quarter/semester.</p>
<p>I went to a “college prep” high school and I feel that it had prepared us for college well, judging by what my friends have said so far. Of those I’ve spoken to on the matter, I think all have 3.5+s or somesuch.</p>
<p>It seems like you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a val or sal, though, and they all seem to be keeping afloat, from what I can tell.</p>
<p>At my HS two types of people excelled – those that studied well and those that didn’t need to. Both groups have transitioned seamlessly – the former’s good study habits are paying off, and the latter’s, erm, ability to retain information without studying/capacity for polishing ******** are still serving it well.</p>
<p>I went to a top prep school for high school and I don’t recall studying nearly as hard as I do now in college even though my grades in h.s. were all A/A- and now all I get are Bs. The problem is my h.s. was very humanities focused but now I’m in a quant major. I do great on my papers but I can’t beat the curve on exams in quantitative classes. I never learned how to “study” and I’m too lazy to start now even though my GPA is taking a hit…</p>
<p>Went to one of the most competitive highschools and did absolutely nothing, no studying, never turned in homework, I was in mainly honors classes but I was pretty much always one of the weaker students in the honors classes… graduated with 2.8 uwGPA. Honestly, I blame it more on my parents than on myself, you kinda have to be me to understand my situation, not trying to take blame off myself honestly. Also I just thought many of my classes were useless so didn’t even try.</p>
<p>Now in college, I put in a bit more effort, first semester had a 3.76. Pretty happy with it and hope on staying above the 3.7 since I’m planning on transferring now that I find that I’m doing better in college. Kinda funny seeing everyone around me moaning about how hard classes are though lol.</p>
<p>I’m from the opposite end of the spectrum. I didn’t get really good grades in HS, but I didn’t do any work, and there isn’t any grade inflation at my school, plus, it’s a really good school academically. I got a 3.263 this semester (my first), and I know people who failed out. I remember one time, I helped a girl write a short paper for history because she had no idea how, and I thought about how pathetic that was!</p>
<p>To the OP, go Google Cal Newports Study Hacks! It offers LOTS of small tips on how to improve your study techniques. I will testify that these are solid tips. I already have a very good work ethic in HS, but college is different and tests you differently, I highly suggest you take a look at it! The best part is that its free!</p>
<p>I was a 4.0 valedictorian at my uncompetitive high school, and I managed to get a 3.6 at an elite school. I think there was some amount of luck involved, but it was fairly manageable. What really helped me was making friends with people from good and competitive high schools. I had them read over my papers and calculus proofs, and I think that really helped me. I’ve found that sitting down and doing homework in huge blocks of time (3-4 hours usually) allowed me to be productive and thorough. Also, I was always really productive when I worked in the morning before my classes (between 8 and 10 am). I want to keep that up for the rest of the academic year.</p>
<p>Singdancerunlife, no matter which college you go to, you will always find people who just lack all of the necessary skills for being a good student. That girl not being able to write a paper is not uncommon at all.</p>
Also, these:
-Being pre-med/choosing hard majors.
-Being too involved in extracurricular activities.
-Studying harder instead of smarter.
-Not sleeping (pulling all-nighters)!!!
-Bad dieting/eating habits.
-Being messy and unorganized.
-Bad time management/not being able to plan ahead of time.</p>
<p>I attended a challenging prep school and graduated near the top of my class. I found that my study habits from high school were unnecessary in college (State school, U of Texas at Austin). My study habits in college are centered around 9 hours of sleep a day, to make up for all the time I lost in HS :). </p>
<p>However, I know one valedictorian and numerous top 10% (Texas law…) students who found that their non-study habits in high school did not cut it in college, even in non-challenging courses. My old roommate found it difficult to write coherent papers longer than two pages, because he had never done so in high school. It took him a whole year to adjust, as he fell victim to the temptations of college life for a while, but he made it in the end. </p>
<p>I have no idea how it would be at more challenging institutions. </p>
<p>I believe an important study habit is SLEEP. Yes. SLEEP. Pulling all-nighters and sleeping for less than three hours a night is academic suicide. Get a good nights sleep.</p>
<p>I would also advocate studying smart, which will enable you to get enough sleep. Read texts when they are assigned. Do homework problems on time. Start working on the test review (if available) as soon as you receive it. Plan papers accordingly. DO NOT CRAM.</p>