New Academic Success Website Outlines Keys to College Success: First-Year Students Must Understand and Overcome Gaps Between High School and College Work and Expectations

DeLand, FL, August 18, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Every fall, the annual ritual begins as families across the nation pack up and send their high school graduates off to college to begin a journey in which many will stumble and some will fail.

"To assist new college students and their families, we've developed a chart outlining the key differences between high school and college and published it on our newly developed academic success and study skills Website, MyCollegeSuccessStory.com," said Dr. Randall S. Hansen, a college professor and co-author of the newly released The Complete Idiot's Guide to Study Skills.

"By understanding these key differences and learning how to bridge the gap between high school and college, these students can expect a greater chance for success -- not just in their first year of college, but for their entire college career," Hansen added.

The problem for many new college students, according to Hansen, is that college is unlike any other educational experience incoming students have ever faced, and many are unprepared to handle both the freedoms and challenges. "With just a little preparation and a change in expectations and habits, any student can close the gap and make a better and faster adjustment to college," said Hansen.

"For example, in high school your teachers constantly remind you of due dates and upcoming tests and quizzes," Hansen noted. "While in college, once the professor lists the dates on the course calendar he or she assumes the students are capable of obtaining this information on their own without the constant reminders."

"One of the other major differences is the structure of classes," Hansen said. "In high school, students attend school every day for the same hours -- so there is quite a bit of structure and sameness to their days. In college, classes typically meet only two or three times a week and students have large gaps between classes, leading to very little structure -- and often a bit too much freedom that some students do not handle well."

Another difference Hansen points out is that "in high school, students often spend time in class completing assignments to fill class time -- what some students refer to as 'busywork,'" Hansen adds. "In college class, however, the bulk of time is spent taking notes or participating in discussions -- not completing homework or other graded assignments."

The complete list of differences between high school and college, as well as the many other study skills and academic success tools, can be found on the newly launched MyCollegeSuccessStory.com Website: Ways in Which College is Different From High School.

Hansen is a founding director of the academic success site along with his partner, and co-author of the study-skills book, Dr. Katharine Hansen. MyCollegeSuccessStory.com currently has more than 30 academic self-help articles (ranging from study techniques to time management to writing style pointers) as well as insider college success tips from more than 25 real college students who successfully transitioned from high school to college. All the resources on the site are free to users.

About MyCollegeSuccessStory.com: The mission of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, a subsidiary of EmpoweringSites.com, is to provide key study skills tools to help students achieve academic success. The site is designed to help college-bound and current college students enhance the academic skills they have to achieve even greater success. The site is full of original sage advice, tips, and tools to help student navigate the waters of a college education. Besides expert advice, the site also includes stories from real college students and recent graduates -- who gladly share their stories and tips on how they learned how to excel in college. Finally, links to other key study skills Websites are also included.

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