College Preparation in High School

Did you learn how to take good lecture notes in high school? Most students don't. This is just one way that high schools are failing to prepare students for college.

Are college students coming to college with the necessary study skills? Are high schools preparing students by teaching them how to take lecture notes, read and process difficult material, outline and write polished essays, and study effectively for multiple exams?

High schools are all different, and the answer to this question may vary by school. However, as someone who taught college students for 14 years, my experiences indicate to me that high schools are doing a terrible job.

One thing high schools need to do much better is teach students how to take lecture notes. I was lucky: my 12th grade English teacher, Ms. Mauger, took it upon herself to sit down with her students and go over our notebooks. She explained what I was doing wrong and helped me improve. As a result, I knew how to take notes in college.

Other students are not so lucky. I can't even tell you how many times a freshman student came to me to discuss why they did poorly on an exam. Frequently, a look at the student's notebook revealed the problem. Many students told me that no one had ever taught them how to take notes, so no wonder they were struggling.

This is just one area of college prep where high schools need to improve. When students come to college, they're spending too much time just learning how to be students. To some degree, this will always be true, as nothing can fully prepare you for the college experience. But high schools could sure do a better job.