How to Be an Active Learner in College

After spending a lot of time, effort, and money to get into college, one of the strangest things I've seen people do is treat it like a chore instead of something valuable. The closest thing I can compare it to is buying a high-performance sports car and never leaving your driveway. If you're going to college for the wrong reasons and with the wrong attitude, a degree alone is not going to mean as such as you may think.

Whether you're financially paying for it now or later, you need to be a smart consumer when it comes to your education. If it helps to imagine yourself "paying admission" every time you enter a classroom, then approach it that way (though sometimes I wanted my money back when it came to certain instructors!) For the most part however, thinking of it from that perspective helped me when I was in college. There are also other things you can do which will help you:

1) Take the time to be prepared.

At the beginning of the semester, most instructors will give you an outline called a syllabus. This is so each meeting you'll know where you are and where the class will be heading. Preparing could just mean looking over and reading the chapter before the instructor discusses it. This will make the lecture portion a way of making your learning more solid, as opposed to going in hearing everything for the first time. This will also help you if you have a different learning style (like reading over hearing, etc.)

2) Think and ask questions.

Have you ever been in a class where a student is asking questions for the sole purpose of getting attention? Being an active learner is not about showing other people how smart you are--that comes across as fake. If you have a genuine question however, don't be afraid to ask it. Remember, you're paying your instructors to help you learn.

3) Go the extra mile beyond what the average person does.

I'm not saying to do this with everything because it can get overwhelming. If it's something you're interested in however, go a little deeper into learning more about it than the average person. It's this quality that separates the experts from the people who have a basic knowledge of a subject.

4) Put quality into your work.

With class projects, you're always going to have people who want to do the minimum to get it done. Breaking out of that attitude will not only make you a better grade in that particular class, but it's a good life lesson to carry outside the classroom. Plus I think a lot of other people have that inner desire to do well. Don't let the fear of standing out stop you from that. There's a saying I've heard a few times that "a rising tide raises all ships." You'll be helping someone else in that classroom along with yourself, whether you realize it or not.

5) Take notes and remember to review them later.

What worked best for me from a test-taking standpoint is taking notes in class and then later typing them up. If you combine this with being prepared, you'll be seeing and hearing the same information multiple times. Repetition in different forms leads to real learning, not just memorization and later forgetting.

6) Enjoy the experience of learning something new.

Obviously there's going to be certain classes that have serious material, but in general try to have as much fun as you possibly can. The best classes I remember most are the ones where everyone was able to learn and laugh at the same time.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Good luck and best wishes for your future!