Tips for Students with Disabilities to Increase College Success: College Survival Skills

Congratulations! You have decided to go to college – excellent decision. A college education can increase your opportunities for success. However, you will find the college learning environment different from that of high school. College is less structured and will require you to use more self-monitoring skills than you needed in high school. There will be no teachers or parents making decisions for you. Be prepared to face an increased level of academic competition and to have less contact with your professors. You will be the person responsible for your actions, your learning, your successes and your failures as a college student.

Are you a student who has a disability?

If this is the case you will be dealing with a new and more complex process of external support than ever before. As reported by McGuire (1991), “Often college-bound students with learning disabilities fail to understand that they will face a different set of demands within a postsecondary setting. They soon become overwhelmed by the amount of assigned material as well as the fast pace of instruction. Many lack the skills and strategies that are necessary for managing and self monitoring their learning in a variety of contexts.” It is vital that you arm yourself with a well thought-out plan and strategies for success long before that first day of class.

As a student with a disability, it is critical that you understand your disability and how it affects your ability to learn and participate in the college experience. Understanding your rights and, equally important, your responsibilities as a college student with a disability are also critical to your success. The office of disability support services at the college you plan to attend can help you reach these goals. This office can play a key role in your success and will refer you to other areas on campus where support services are available.

Many students believe that if they are interested in college and motivated to learn, they will be successful – this is not enough! “No one would expect to be able to succeed as a neurosurgeon or a pro football quarterback without training, but countless thousands of students assume they can succeed in college even if they are not skilled in reading, writing, listening, and other basic study activities.” (Carman, Adams, 1984)

Research shows that most students have not developed a systematic approach to study skills. In college, your instructors will take for granted that you have these skills, that you can read, write, listen, take notes and work on exams and assignments effectively. Unsuccessful students bumble through these activities. Successful students have a system. Plan to be a successful student – start college with survival skills!

No two people learn in exactly the same manner. We all have unique ways of processing information. It is vital that you understand your own learning style and find your keys to success. You’ll need a set of tools that you can utilize to learn, adapt, and create strategies tailored to your personal strengths and unique information processing skills. You must understand your own style and accommodate it to be an effective learner and to compete at the postsecondary level. Although some techniques apply to a specific area, it is important to develop strategic problem solving skills that transfer across the curriculum.

What follows is a list of suggested study skills and strategies that may be helpful to you as you make the transition from high school to college. These suggestions are paraphrased from interviews of Mentors, Scholars, and Ambassadors in DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internet working, and Technology) at the University of Washington. As participants in DO-IT, they are either preparing for college, participating in college, or sharing their past college experiences with youth who have disabilities. Consider these suggestions as you build your own personal study skills inventory.