In this intense minefield of knowledge and half-knowledge, you need to have your wits about you. You need to be confident in your critical thinking abilities, and you have to be passionately willing and able to improve them.

Here are five ways to exercise your brain and stay academically athletic.

1. Discuss ideas outside of the classroom with intelligent people who enjoy a good debate.

College is a place for spirited arguments. When else are you going to have the opportunity to drink and discuss philosophy, economics, metaphysics, religion, politics and history on a nightly basis? Molten minds are forming all around you, and as the cerebral rocks cool, everyone wants to share. Get in on the debate, put in your two cents, no, better yet say a nickel’s worth. College is an open forum for any an all topics. Take advantage of it while you can.

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2. Take classes that intrigue you.

Nothing spurs analysis like interest. If you want to trick your brain into thinking that it’s in hobby mode, not study mode, and then you better be passionate about your subject matter. There must be something that you find fascinating. Whatever it is, enable that curiosity. Tap into genuine interest, and school work will start to feel instantly rewarding. By following your personal preferences, you’ll be able to delve more deeply into the material you study.

3. Take notes like your life depended on it.

Seriously. When you try to create a written historical record of your lecture, in real-time, the results are amazing. You focus more one what’s going on in the moment. You associate the information you process with audio and visual imprints. You have a concise record of everything you were exposed to, and you can review this material quickly and completely. Don’t forget to take notes as you read, and write all over your books!

Do your homework like you’re supposed to and come to class prepared. Subject-specific critical thinking is all about recalling information. The more ways you imprint, the more you retain. Make sure you like your classes, because you’re going to be asked to digest mass quantities of whatever material you’ve signed up to absorb. Talk about what you’ve learned with friends and classmates, but don’t get in fights over the periodic table. Respect everyone else’s opinion, but express your own. Realize that no matter what, there’s always more to learn

Some people are especially gifted with the right social skills. They are socially inclined to have the right ways of speaking, listening, and receiving messages. These people are very fortunate to have great social skills. People require basic knowledge of social skills because it is the primary way of communicating to others. It is dependent on verbal and nonverbal communication.

Verbal communication is a way of communicating with words, while nonverbal communication involves body language such as nodding, smiling, frowning and even the use of sign language (if you happen to be deaf).

Just as there are people who have good social skills, there are also people who are beset by problems with speaking and even listening. The results of poor social skills may lead one to become a loner with low self-esteem who is always being left out of discussions.

Proven Ways of improving social skill:

1. Try helping yourself first before asking others for their assistance. You can practice your social skill through daily situations such as going to work, shopping, talking with friends, chitchatting with family members and discussing work with colleagues.

2. Using a mirror can make you more self aware (compared to just speaking with a real person where you study the reactions of another person rather than yourself.)

By practicing, you will notice that you will eventually become comfortable with speaking with another person in no time. Even the nonverbal ways of communication (such as nodding, smiling, other facial expressions, and even body language) will then come automatically.

3. However, you should also be aware that nonverbal communication starts with involuntary actions. While talking with someone over a funny topic, you tend to smile unknowingly. For instance, agreeing with a speaker will make you nod. These are nonverbal ways of communicating. It comes naturally from a person without needing to be reminded.

4. Receiving information is also crucial. Getting the right message is proof of how well you can communicate. The fact that you always try to listen but somehow always get the wrong impression is a sign of weak social skills. Try to be a better listener so that receiving information becomes very easy.

5. Some social skill help can be found around you, if you think you need it. A family member can help you out anytime you ask. A good friend may also attempt to provide feedback on your level of social skill in a way that will not leave you embarrassed.

6. If your poor social skills is quite severe, there are social skill classes that may help you, particularly in communication. Classes are offered both for children and for adults. There are social skill deficiencies manifested by common disorders called ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) which manifest as early as in pre-school age children.

Schools for social skill building offer help with communication and relationship skills such as listening, conversing, reading and using proper body language, managing social interaction and peer relationships, developing self-control and self-esteem, getting along with other people and making friends, handling teasing and many more. Choose a program that is designed to fit your needs.

Learning these skills will enhance your chances for more successful social interaction. You will establish social competence, self-esteem and positive communication skills. It is very important to build communication skills as early as possible to create a good foundation for interacting with others.

A world without interaction is not healthy. Improving the social skill of individuals is very important for us and for our society.