When speaking about college classes, the first thing you must consider is that you will be spending 2 to 3 hours per week studying outside class for each unit of credit. Together with the time in class, this works out to a total of up to 60 hours spent on academic work. It is very much like working on a typical job. The best thing about it is that you get to choose your own hours. The bad part is that having a real job besides taking the college classes will pretty much start a race against time. Therefore, you must learn how to budget your time!

The first and most important rule about attending college classes is never to miss a class. You will gain more from actually listening to lectures and participating in discussions, than trying to figure things out of a friend�s notes. You will be learning more effectively and you will remember things longer.

Should a concept give you trouble, you must definitely do additional reading or problem solving beyond what has been assigned. If this does not do the trick, you may ask your friends, colleagues or teachers to help you understand that particular matter. Asking for help is always the best thing you can do, as studying and working together with friends can be valuable for each and every one of you in solving difficult problems. It is very important to study the matter on your own before joining a study group with friends. Study groups are effective only if every individual comes prepared to contribute. Be careful though, you can very well learn alone too!

When studying for an exam, it is best to learn an hour or two each day, as only this way will you be able to avoid studying the entire night before. The best strategy is to redo your problems and other assignments, but also to try additional problems, in order to be sure that you understand all the concepts. Study your notes from lectures and discussions. Pay attention to what your teacher expects you to know for an exam.

With all these taken care of, you must go to sleep early the night before the exam. You won�t be able to concentrate otherwise. Remember the fact that thinking is more difficult when blood is being diverted to the digestive system, so do not eat too much before the exam!