In "An Issue Brief for the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education," Michael W. Kirst and Andrea Venezia suggest that "improving the transition from high school to college is crucial...and requires new resolve and reform within and across the post-secondary and K-12 communities."

Many universities are developing resources that will aid in this transition, and in this section we will make available the most useful of these resources.

1. Come to class. Yes, it is important for you to be there. And being late for class is almost as bad as not coming at all. If you are absent/late your teacher will think that you don’t care about the class and/or their subject. This is not a good thing.
2. Pay attention and take detailed notes. Most college teachers believe that if it is important enough for them to spend class time on, it will show up on an exam. And you can’t be paying attention if you are talking to some other student, reading the newspaper, working a crossword puzzle, listening to your iPod, sleeping, eating, etc. You may want to transfer your notes to your computer that evening while they are fresh. You can always use your textbook to clear up any points of confusion.
3. If you must yawn, please do it quietly when the teacher isn’t looking. Yawning loud enough to announce to the entire class that you are bored will certainly earn you, at the very least, an angry look from your teacher. This is a very, very bad thing.
4. Keep your cell phone on off, silent or vibrate during class. I know teachers who have answered their student’s cell phones. It’s great fun for the teacher, but nearly not so much fun for the student with the phone.
5. Don’t text message in class. It’s obvious to the instructor. It will probably get you thrown out of class and your instructor will feel that you don’t care about the subject to which they have devoted their life and career. This is a very bad thing.
6. Study. I have never met a student who could simply listened to my presentations and do well on my tests. Your courses are not spectator sports. You have to participant, you have to play. Do the assigned readings and homework. Study some (1-2 hours per class) every day instead of trying to cram right before the exam. I know, you did well in high school without studying, but this isn’t high school.
7. Don’t simply memorize – concentrate on the concepts. When I’m working a problem in class, I want my students to concentrate on why I’m doing a particular step instead of just memorizing a bunch of facts or sequences of operations. Strive for understanding – that is true education. This is a great thing.
8. Your time is precious – learn to budget it wisely. Budget study first and socializing last. This will allow you to be much better prepared for class. This will impress your teacher and make your parents happy also. This is a good thing.
9. Don’t be afraid to answer questions in class. Being prepared will help you answer them correctly. And this will really impress your teacher. This is another very good thing.
10. Don’t be afraid to go by your teacher’s office for help. Most of us teach because we want to help individuals learn. Meeting one-on-one helps us to get to know you as a person and allows us the opportunity to make individualized study suggestions. But don’t just come by right before the exam. That will leave the impression that you are simply cramming. This is not a good thing.

Dr. Moore is a chemistry professor at Stephen F. Austin as well as co-director of the Teaching Excellence Center (see below).