For example, making good grades in high school came fairly easy to me, despite being involved with my high schools drill team, key club, and National Honor Society. My extracurricular activities took up most of the time I should have dedicated to studying and doing homework, yet I was still able to manage to make A honor roll and graduate in the top 6% of my class. High school came pretty easy to me, and I was usually able to skim over my notes right before a test and still manage to make an A or finish up homework right before the bell rang. Teachers were also much more lenient with due dates in high school. I could turn in homework two days late and receive full credit. Due to not having to work hard for my grades, I, as well as most of my classmates, never developed good study habits.
Moving to college was a real wake-up cal
l for me in terms of exactly how much time I would have to dedicate to studying and doing homework. I had to take skimming through my notes hours before a test and transform that into making my own diagrams, flashcards, and other types of study aid in order to be successful in these collegiate-level classes. One tactic I found useful in college, but not high school, was creating study groups with people who were in multiple of my classes. Not only were they my study buddies, but they soon became some of my best friends in college. Being in a study group creates an atmosphere of being held accountable to finish schoolwork. The most rewarding feeling in college is receiving that A on a project or test that you dedicated hours upon hours working on/studying for, a feeling of accomplishment I never got to experience in high school.