College Success Guide

8/8/2019 College Success Guide

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Making the most o your study group

Include only students who are ully willing to participate

Keep the group small (3-6 students is most eective)

Plan to meet regularly—not just beore exams

Find a good location (classroom, meeting room at library, etc.) with

helpul resources such a chalkboards and moveable urnitureHold each member accountable to prepare or study sessions ahead o

time (assign each person to review certain material to teach)Make a list o questions your group has and meet with instructor or

claricationReview o what you have learned at conclusion o study session

At end o each study group, determine what you will review next session

and assign each member a specic task to complete

study groups

Students who study together own succeed at a level higher than those who study

alone...IF the study group ocuses on learning. ry using this handout when

you are setting up a study group to ensure greater success!

fun fac

Whether it’s an internsh

at Stu Magazine in New

York or one or the Seou

Broadcasting System in

Seoul South Korea, Iowa

State students literally

have a world of possibilities at t

disposal. Our students’

adventures in interning

have lead them out o t

classroom and into somthe coolest businesses a

locations around the wo

freshman success guide



a letter from

the presidentDear New Iowa State University Students:

We are delighted that you have chosen to attend Iowa State University andbecome a part o our university community and amily! This is a great placeto spend your college years, and I hope you will take advantage o the manylearning opportunitives, activities and helpul services that Iowa State oers.Your success at Iowa State is our highest priority. It is especially importantto get o to a good start at the beginning o your reshman year. Making

the transition rom high school to a university is a big step, and one thatcan be challenging at times. The sooner you become actively involved inthe lie o the university and get connected with others, the smoother andmore enjoyable that transition will be.

Iowa State has many services, staed by top proessional sta, to help with this transition. Many o theseservices are in the Dean o Students Oce, providing help with time management, study habits, coursework,stress, relationships, and other areas. This new resource, the Freshman Guide to College Success, organizes and

describes these services, and literally puts them at your ngertips. I want to thank student Ankit Patel, whocompiled this excellent resource or a class project.

Keep this resource handy, and reer to it oten. It will help you connect with people at Iowa State, and that’sthe best way to begin your path to success at Iowa State!

Have a great year!

Sincerely,

Gregory L. GeoroyPresident

Welcome!





“ About he Guid

reshmen Success Guide was created with a intention to aid new studin their transition rom high school to college. I you need to know

where to nd academic resources or want a quick reerence to eective studskills, you’re got the right guide. However, note that this guide should not besubstitute to seeking help rom an academic advisor or couselor.

I you are struggling in a course or just need some counseling, get in touch wan advisor within your college as soon as possible. It is important that you ghelp right away because unlike you are use to, courses in college move by a

Time management is a skill that will need to be mastered quickly in order tothe most o your Iowa State experience.

There are many tips and tricks contained within this guide to help you realizthe hazards that can lead to certain academic problems and what you can d

prevent it. Keep them in mind and you will be o to a great start!

It will be a challenging year, but one that will present you will many opportuSeize them as they come!

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... IN HIGH SCHOOL ... IN COLLEGE

PERSONAL FREEDOM

High School is mandatory and ree (unless youchoose other options).

College is voluntary and expensive.

Your time is usually structured by others (parentsand/or teachers).

You manage your own time.

You need permission to participate in co-curricularactivities.

You must decide whether to participate in co-curric-ular activities.

You need money or special purchases or events. You need money to pay or basic necessities.You can depend on your parents and teachers toremind you o your responsibilities and help you set

priorities.

You will be aced with many moral and ethical deci-sions you have not previously had to ace. Youmust

balance your responsibilites and set priorities.

All correspondence is addressed to your parents. They read it and tell you what you need to know.

All correspondence will be addressed to you.You must read all your mail, as you will be respon-sible or its content.

Guiding Principle: You will usually be told what your

responsibilities are and corrected i your behavior isout o line.

Guiding Principle: You are now responsible or what

you do and what you don’t do, as well as or theconsequences o your decisions.

CLASSES

Every day you proceed rom one class directly to

another.

You oten have hours between classes; class times

vary throughout the day and evening.

You spend 6 hours a day-30 hours per week-in class. You spend 12 to 16 hours each week in class.

The school year is 26 weeks long; some classes ex-tend over both semesters and some do not.

The academic year is divided into two separate 14-week semesters, plus a week ater each semester orexams.

Most o your classes are arranged or you. You arrange your own schedule in consultation withyour academic adviser. Schedules may seem lighter

than they are. Teachers careully monitor attendance. Some proessors may not ormally take attendance

(most will), but they are still likely to know whether

or not you attend.

Classes generally have no more than 35. Some classes may have 75-100 students.

You are provided with textbooks at little or no ex-pense.

You must budget substancial money or textbooksthat usually will cost more than $200 per semester.

High SChOOl vS. COllEgE

STUDY SKILLS



1. “I don’t know where to begin.”

Take control. Make a list o all the things you have to do. Break your workloadown into manageable chunks. Prioritize! Schedule your time realistically. Uhours in between classes to review notes. Interrupt study time with planned

study breaks. Begin studying early, with an hour or two per day, and slowlybuild as the exam approaches.

2. “I’ve got so much to study…and so little time.”

Survey your syllabus, reading material, and notes. Identiy the most importatopics emphasized and the topics you don’t quite have a grasp o yet and cocentrate on those. But remember, previewing is not a substitute or reading

3. “This stu is so dry, I can’t even stay awake reading it.”

Attack! Get actively involved with the text as you read. Ask yoursel, “What is

important to remember about this section?” Take notes or underline key concepts. Discuss the material with others in your class. Study together. Stay onoensive, especially with material that you don’t nd interesting, rather thanreading passively and missing important points. Remember, not everythingbe interesting to everybody!

4. “But I like to study in bed.”

Context. Recall is better when study context (physical location, as well as metal, emotional, and physical state) are similar to the test context. The greatersimilarity between the study setting and the test setting, the greater the likehood that material studied will be recalled during the test.

5. “I’m going to stay up all night until I get this.”

Avoid mental exhaustion. Take short breaks oten when studying. Beore a thave a rested mind. When you take a study break, and just beore you go tosleep at night, don’t think about academics. Relax and unwind, mentally andphysically. Otherwise, your break won’t reresh you, and you’ll nd yoursel ling awake at night. It’s more important than ever to take care o yoursel bean exam. Eat well, sleep, and get enough exercise.

People procrastinate or all sorts o reasons. Which o the below are reasons thayou procrastinate?

“I eel that a project is too huge to tackle”

“The assignment seems too difcult”

“I do not have a big enough time slot in which to complete the projec

“The work doesn’t seem relevant”

Once you have determined the reasons that you procrastinate, identiy1.which o the ollowing suggestions you need to implement to conquerbeast!

Pinpoint the Fear. Ask yoursel what is preventing you rom action. Wha2.is it that you ear? Determine i your ear is irrational or illogical. I you eailure as a student, you can build your condence in school by honing

study skills and getting extra assistance in courses when you need it.

Slice the Project Into Smaller, More Manageable Pieces. Don’t try to do t3.whole project at once. Get in the habit o dividing the rst ew parts o project into such small steps that you can’t possible justiy not doing it.

Be Specic About Each Piece o Work. Make your steps specic and you4.goals realistic (Don’t promise yoursel that you will get 10 pages done iknow 5 is a more realistic goal). Make Lists o Things to Be Done. Keep ylist handy and check things o as you do them. Being able to cross somthing o will inspire you to do another thing on your list.

Avoid Distractions. Think about your distractions. Are they really just wa5.o delaying yoursel rom studying urther? Identiy when and or how lyou will take your study breaks, and stick to it!

Reassess Your Goals. Do you have a habit o dismissing your classes, pro6.sors, and even entire areas o study by saying they are irrelevant? I so, tto motivate yoursel or those classes by reminding yoursel that each cyou pass brings you closer to your career goals.

“Procrastinationis the ear o

success. People procrastinate because they are araid o

the success that they know will result i they

move ahead now.

Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility

with it, it is much easier to

procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.”

“

”

procrastination

Can you put this o any longer? NOPE! You made it this ar...now k

going. Determine why you are procrastinating, and use the ollow

advices to develop strategies or succeeding!

You are not responsible or knowing what it takes tograduate.

Graduation requirements are complex and dier bymajor. Get and keep a copy o the UndergraduateButtetin in eect when you matriculate (becomea ully accepted student). It spells out the require-

ments that apply to you.

TEACHERS

Teachers check your completed homework. Proessors may not always check completed home-work or even collect it, but they will assume you can

perorm the same tasks on tests.

Teachers remind you o your incomplete work. Proessors may not remind you o incomplete work.

Teachers approach you i they believe you need helpor tutoring.

Proessors are usually open and helpul, but mostexpect you to ask or help or tutoring.

Teachers are oten available or conversation beore,

during, or ater class.

Proessors want and expect you to attend their

scheduled oce hours.

Teachers have been trained in teaching methods toassist imparting knowledge.

Proessors have been trained in experts in their par-ticular area o specialization.

Teachers provide you with inormation you missed

when you were absent.

Proessors expect you to get rom classmates any

notes rom classes you missed. Teachers present material to help you understandthe material in the textbook.

Proessors may not ollow the textbook. Instead,they may give illustrations, provide backgroundinormation, or discuss research about the topic youare studying. Or, they may expect you to relate theclasses to the textbook readings.

Teachers oten write inormation on the board to becopied into your notes.`

Proessors may lecture nonstop, expecting you toidentiy the important points in your notes. Whenproessors write on the board it may be to ampliythe lecture, not to summarize it. Good notes, and,thereore, good attendence, are a must.

Teachers oten take time to remind you o assign-ments and due dates.

Proessors expect you to read, save, and consultthe course syllabus (outline); the syllabus spells out

exactly what is expected o you, when it’s due, andhow you will be graded.

STUDYING

You may study outside o class as little as 0 to 2

hours a week, and this may be mostly last-minutepreparation.

You need to study at least 2 to 3 hours outside o

class or every hour in class.

You oten need to read or hear presentations onlyonce to learn all you need to know. You need to review class notes and text materialregularly.

You are expected to read short assignments that are

then discussed, and oten re-taught, in class.

You are assigned substantial amounts o reading

and writing that may not be directly addressed inclass.

Guiding Principle: You will usually be told in classwhat you needed to learn rom assigned readings.

Guiding Principle: It’s up to you to read and under-stand the assigned material. Lectures and assign-ments are based on the assumption that you havedone this.

STUDY SKILLS



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TESTS

Testing is requent and usually covers small amountso material.

Testing is usually inrequent and may be cumulative,covering large amounts o material. You, not theproessor, need to organize the material to prepareor the test. A particular course may only have 2 or 3tests in a semester.

Makeup tests are oten available. Makeup tests are seldom an option; i they are, youmust request one.

Teachers requently rearrange test dates to avoidconfict with school events.

Proessors in dierent courses usually schedule testswithout regard to the demands o other courses oroutside activities.

Teachers requently conduct review sessions, point-ing out the most important concepts.

Proessors rarely oer review sessions, and whenthey do, they expect you to be an active participant,one who comes prepared with questions.

Mastery is usually seen as the ability to reproducewhat you were taught in the orm in which it waspresented to you, or to solve the kinds o problems

you were shown how to solve.

Mastery is oten seen as the ability to apply whatyou’ve learned to new situations or to solve newkinds o problems.

GRADES

Grades are given or most assigned work. Grades may not be provided or all assigned work.

Consistently good homework grades may help raiseyour overall grade when test grades are low.

Grades on tests and major papers usually providemost o the course grade.

Extra credit projects are oten available to help youraise your grade.

Extra credit projects, generally speaking, cannot beused to raise a grade in a college course.

Initial test grades, especially when they are low, maynot have an adverse eect on your nal grade.

Watch out or your rst tests. These are usually“wake-up calls” to let you know what is expected-

but they also may account or a substantial part o your course grade.

You may graduate as long as you have passed allrequired courses with a grade o D or higher.

You may graduate only i your average in classesmeets the standard or your major. Most majors de-partments require a student to maintain a 2.25 GPA

in the major and a 2.0 cumulative average.

Guiding Principle: “Eort counts.” Guided Principle: “Results count.”

Courses are usually structured to reward a “goodaith eort.”

Though “good aith eort” is important in regard tothe proessor’s willingness to help you achievegoodresults, in the grading process, it will not substi-

tute or results.

*Adapted rom Southern Methodist University’s web page

STUDY SKILLS





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`

Set aside a xed place only or studying.

When you are going to study, try to study in the same place each time.

Ater a while, study becomes the appropriate behavior in that particu-

lar environment. Then, whenever you sit down in that particular place,you’ll eel like going right to work.

Beore you begin an assignment, write down on a sheet o paper the

time you expect to nish. Doing this may put just the slightest bit o pressure on you, enough so that your study behavior will become in-stantly more ecient.

Strengthen your ability to concentrate by selecting a social symbol that

is related to study.

Select one particular article o clothing, like a scar or hat, or a new little

gurine. Just beore you start to study, put on the piece o clothing orset the gurine on your desk. Use this item only or studying. I youritem gets associated with anything else besides studying, like day-dreaming, get a new one. This item will be a regular ritual that will helpyou get down to work, plus it will cue others that you are studying andshouldn’t be disturbed.

I your mind wanders, stand up and don’t look at your books.

Don’t sit at your desk staring into a book, mumbling about your poor

will power. I you do, your book becomes associated with daydream-ing and guilt. I you must daydream, and we all do it occasionally, standup, but don’t leave the room. Continue your daydream and then whenyou’re ready to study, sit back down and resume studying.

Certain behavior is usually habitual at certain times o the day. I you can

make studying – or at least some o your studying – habitual, it will bea lot easier to start. And i the behavior is started at a habitual time, youwill nd that it is easier to get going without daydreaming.

yu y fd y v yu udy

d u f h c? Ty h !

Controlling your

environment!

choosing

a majorWhether you know exa

what major you want to

pursue or still eel you n

to explore, Iowa State

University has over 10majors or you to choos

rom.

So, i it just so happens

the major you’re pursui

turns out to not be you

thing, you’ve got 99others to choose rom.

Another major, another

potential adventure wa

or you to explore.

STUDY SKILLS



























“Procrastinationis the ear o

success. People procrastinate because they are araid o

the success that they know will result i they

move ahead now.


with it, it is much easier to

procrastinate and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.”

“

”

procrastination




























rocrastination is he ear o success.People procras-tinate because

they are araid o the success

that they knowwill result i they move ahead now.


with it, it is much easier toprocrastinate

and live on the “someday I’ll” philosophy.

“

”

procrastination




STUDY SKILLS



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For more study skills resources, head over to http://www.dso.iastate.edu/asc/academic/study.html















Pc f Schdu

Make use o dayit ours. Research shows that each hour or study during the day is equal to one and a hal hours at night.

tudy immediatey ater ecture casses. Retention andunderstanding are enhanced by studying right ater class. You will be ato complete your assignments aster and more eciently because you have to re-ocus your concentration

tudy at te same time eery day. A student should havecertain hours set aside or studying that are treated the same as class.Having the same study time ve days a week will soon become habit an

thereore easier to ollow.

Pan enou time to study. The rule o thumb that you shoulstudy two hours or every hour you are in class is only a guide. Adjust asnecessary.

List actiities accordin to priorities. By putting rst thing

rst, you will get the most important things done on time.

Leae unscedued time or exibiity. Packing your sche

with too many details will almost assure your ailure. Lack o fexibility ismajor reason why students don’t ollow schedules.

Anayze your use o time. One cause o getting behind in collis ailure to make use o short periods o time. By keeping a time log, yo

can see where you are currently wasting time.

You can do so

much in 10 minutes’ time.en minutes,once gone, are gone or good..Divide your lie

nto 10-minute units and

acrifce as ew o hem as possible in meaningless

activity

“

”

scheduling

What are you willing to give up temporarily in order to be a succes

college student? Learn to complete tasks in less time and make use

time that was previously wasted.

TIME MANAGEMENT

















So when youare listening to somebody,completely,

attentively, thenou are listening not only to the

words, but alsoto the eeling o what is being

conveyed, to the whole o it, not

part o it.

“

”

effective listening &

note-takingNote-taking enhances your thinking and listening, but you cannot w

as ast as you think. Keep these strategies in mind to maximize y

note-taking to capture most o what you hear in class

listening & notetaking

You can think about 4 TIMES FASTER than a lecturer can speak . Eecve LISTENING req

the expenditure of energy; to compensate for the rate of presentaon, you have to ac

intend to listen. NOTE-TAKING is one way to enhance listening, and using a systemac

approach to the taking and reviewing of your notes can add immeasurably to your

understanding and remembering the content of lectures.

Beore ClassDevelop a mind-set geared toward listening.

Test yourself over the previous lecture while waing for the next one to begin.

Skim relevant reading assignments to acquaint yourself with main ideas.

Enhance your physical and mental alertness: eat a snack before class, sit in the

and/or center of the room, & focus your aenon on the speaker.

INTEND TO LISTEN.

During ClassResist distracons, emoonal reacons or boredom.

Pay aenon to the speaker for verbal, postural, and visual clues to what’s

important.

When possible, translate the lecture into your own words, but if you can’t, don

it worry you into inaenon!

Be consistent in your use of form, abbreviaon, etc.

Ask quesons if you don’t understand.

Ater ClassClear up any quesons raised by the lecture by asking either the teacher or

classmates.

Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms from text or other sources.

Edit your notes, labeling main points, adding recall clues and quesons to be

answered.

Key points in the notes can be highlighted with dierent colors of ink.Make note of your ideas and reecons, keeping them separate from those of

speaker.

PeriodicallyReview your notes: glance at your recall clues and see how much you can reme

before rereading the notes.

Look for the emergence of themes, main concepts, methods of presentaon o

the course of several lectures.

Make up and answer possible test quesons.



study groups

ave you ever read or awhile, and caught yoursel wondering why you have no idea what you just r

Use the strategy presented below to help keep yoursel engaged in what you are reading!

eishe

VEISHEA

is an annual week long

celebration held

each spring. The celebra

eatures an annual para

and many open-house

demonstrations o the

university acilities and

departments. In additioVEISHEA brings speaker

lecturers, and entertain

ers to Iowa State. VEISH

is the largest studen

run estival in the nation

READING

effective reading

oals

Understand the material

Set number o pages

Time dedicated reading

Focus on one thing

me and Space

Distraction ree

Options – Lounge, library, empty classroom

teps to eective Reading

Overview1.Read portion o assignment, 3 to 4 pages2.

Mark section read3.Underlinea.Write terms in your own wordsb.Write down any questionsc.

Write or recite4.Write notes and/or speak what learned rom sectiona.

Repeat Steps 2, 3 and 4 or next 3-4 pages5.Review periodically6.















When one door closes another pens. But oten

we look so long soregretully upon

the closed door hat we ail to see he one that has opened or us.

“

”

three steps to

better writing

Come to the Writing and Media Help Center to get individual help and specifc

resources rom the Iowa State University Writing and Media Help Center!

1. Prewrite for ideas (85% of time spent)

Freewring is a good starng point and one way to deal with wria.

block. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or punctuaon. Writ

at least ve to seven minutes.

Make lists or outlines of what you may decide to say.b.

This is a me to compare ideas and queson things that seemc.

illogical.

Find a topic. Is it appropriate? Too narrow? Too broad? Test yourd.

by compleng the following sentence: “The purpose of this pape

convince my instructor that…”If the completed sentence is clear

the task is doable, the topic is probably right.

2. Writing for organization (1%)

Write in larger chunks, building your paper around your topic, ane.

pung things in a suitable order.

Pay aenon to the ow of ideas from one sentence to another f.from one paragraph to the next

Put your rst dra away for a couple of days and then read it. Dog.

say what you want it to say? Are the ideas organized? What chan

do you need to make?

3. Rewriting for polish (14%)

Read again and correct: replace “to be” words with strong acveh.

Add smoother transions: use words and phrases to showi.

relaonships between sentencesDelete wordy sentences or paragraphs that add nothing j.

Vary the structure and length of your sentencesk.

Be consistent with your verb tensel.

Double-check spelling and grammarm.

Connue to revise unl you’re sasedn.

Have a second reader take a look and give suggesonso.

writing



study groups

Stress and test perormance are related to each other. For most people, test perormance alls

o because they are over-stimulated by stress in their lives. Tese lie stressed can be

divided into physical barriers (body) & cognitive barriers (thoughts).

cyride

The CyRide bus systemserves the Iowa State

University campus and

the city o Ames. Rides o

campus are free.

CyRide stops are plenti-

ul on the campus. Lookor the Cy bus stop sign

right). Routes are design

by color, and the popula

on-campus routes are t

“orange,” “brown” and “

routes. Students are am

with the routes and can

help you nd the best b

or your destinatio

test preperation

barriers to exam succes

Phyc B T Pfc

Get penty o seep the night beore the test. I you are sleepy,

your ability to think clearly and to remember will be aected. Crammingis an ineective study strategy that inhibits recall.

Aoid stimuus ike cofee or suar prior to test. Skip yourmorning coee and don’t eat the sweet roll. These substances addchemical stress. Don’t take stimulants or drink coee to stay awake thenight beore the test.

at a baanced diet. It is important or optimal unctioning that

your body has all the nutrients it requires. Eat oods rom all our oodgroups and don’t skip meals.

Learn to reax. Take time to learn about relaxation process andwhat works or you. One technique is to breathe deeply but slowly or 30

seconds. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Cv B T Pfc

ereneraizations: “I can never get math,” or “I always do poorlyon essay tests.”

atastropizin: “Taking a test in a horrible experience,” or “I I dopoorly on this test, I’ll ruin my whole lie.”

Usin an Inappropriate xampe: “My uncle Larry funked

this course when he was in college,” or “This guy in my Spanish class toldme that Proessor Johnson gives horrible tests.”

Improper Inerence: “I just have to accept that I will never do wellon tests.”

onictin Goas: “I want to do well on this test, but I just have tomake the party on the night beore.”



suggested readings

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Choosing a College Major: Future-Focused Strategies for

Finding a Field Where You’ll Excel by Randall S. Hansen

Major in Success: Make College Easier, Fire Up Your Dreams, and Get a Very Cool

Job by Patrick Combs

101 Things a College Girl Should Know by Stephanie Edwards

Been There, Should’ve Done That II: More Tips for Making the Most of College bySuzette Tyler

College and Career Success for Students with Learning Disabilities by Roslyn Dobler

College Rules! How to Study, Survive, and Succeed in College by Sherrie L. Nist andJodi Patrick Holschuh

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to College Survival by Laurie Rozakis

The Everything College Survival Book: From Social Life to Study Skills -- Everything

You Need to Know to Fit Right In -- Before You’re a Senior! Jason R. Rich

How to Earn Straight A’s in College: 75 Tips for Academic Success by Andrew

Chapman

The Latino Student’s Guide to College Success Leonard A. Valverde

The Secret to Your College Success: 101 Ways to Make the Most of Your College

Experience by Toni Buxton

Documents

College Success Guide