The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), sponsored by Indiana University at Bloomington,  is one of the most important aggregators of information about student academic performance in college.  Every year, this survey is given to approximately 300,000 college students at institutions of all levels including flagship public research universities, elite private research universities, and private teaching and liberal arts colleges. This year’s findings mimic previous years in many ways, but a key finding on study habits makes this research important.

High School Students With Good Study Habits Acquired A Grades in 63% of First Year College Courses

This year’s survey focused on the enduring academic effects of student habits from high school through the first years of college. We have always preached that the habits (especially study habits and time-management) that your child practices in high school are very likely to endure through the initial years of college.  The NSSE finds that our observation is true.  Students who studied the most effectively (using higher order learning strategies and with less distractions) and for the most number of hours in high school were the highest performers in the early years of college. As college freshmen, those who were efficient and committed students in high school acquired A’s in 63% of classes, a rate more than one-third higher than those who studied less in high school.

Distracted and Undisciplined High School Students Failed to Even Find a Quiet Place to Study in College

Parents of the latest generation of high school graduates have repeatedly complained to us that their children are not taking the basic steps to be effective students.  Parents observe their children using the worst of study strategies like: studying while watching TV, while browsing the internet, or using social media.  Moms and Dads are right to be concerned, as these behaviors carry over from high school to the early years of college.  Those who studied effectively in high school continued to do so in college.  Those who were dedicated students in high school were also nearly twice as likely to study in a quiet place in their first year of college than their less-committed classmates.

The number one finding in this year’s survey is that student engagement in academic and extra-curricular activities is predictive of academic performance. Those who are most challenged and engaged end up with the highest grades. Yet, only 54% of college freshmen and just 61% of college seniors were highly challenged by their coursework. Secondly, students across all majors except engineering are spending about 12-15 hours per week studying and preparing outside of class time. Engineers are studying more than any other subject area, which is similar to findings across a number of major research efforts on college student behaviors. 

We Can Teach Your Child to Become a Good Student

If your high school-aged son or daughter has poor or underdeveloped study habits and is not engaged by coursework and extra-curricular activities, then a crash in college is likely.  We have the only programs in America dedicated to teaching high school students to study effectively,complete all obligations and assignments, and have plenty of time for relaxation, social life, fun, and engaging pursuits.

First, we will teach your child to read for meaning, take succinct and useful notes, and how to prepare for tests and write essays.  Next, we will teach your high schooler to: plan and review their weekly tasks and assignments, identify and track the habits, routines, and feelings that lead to consistent productivity, and turn long term goals into actionable steps today. Don’t let your child’s bad habits linger any longer. Get started with our turnaround programs today!

Key Takeaways:

• Bad habits in high school linger through the early years of college
• Students perform better in college in and out of class when they are engaged and challenged
• The internet and television are major distractions and a huge obstacle to student academic success in college
• Bored students perform poorly in high school and college