How to Succeed in College Without TryingWithout Trying was just to get your attention.
BORING
WHY DO SOMETHING THAT IS BORING?
It is the right thing to do To avoid a negative
consequence Doing the boring task will get
you something you want
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
STUDY SKILLS ASSESSMENT
ANSWER KEY
TIME MANAGEMENT – 1, 2, 3 CONCENTRATION – 4, 5, 6 NOTE TAKING – 7, 8, 9 READING COMPREHENSION – 10, 11,
16 READING SPEED – 12, 17, 18 WRITING SKILLS – 19, 20, 21 STUDY STRATEGIES – 13, 14 15
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?
Set your goal. Your goal provides you with direction.
Are you willing to pay the price to reach your goal?
HOW WELL ARE YOU DOING?
Assess your semester.• What are your current grades?• Are these the grade you want to get?• How well do you know the material?• Are you up to date in all of your
reading?• Are you having any difficulty learning
the material?• What major assignments do you have
to complete this semester?
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE
Sleep Diet Exercise Managing feelings Making connections Know your professor
BASIC INGRDIENTSSleep
If you do not sleep at night, you will sleep sometime.
DietBrain food
Not Brain Food
Exercise
No Exercise – No Energy
Manage Feelings
Get Involved
HOW TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSOR
Read your syllabus carefully Listen closely in class Speak with your professor Ask questions
Know your professor
Course Policies:Assignments: In this course, as in the working world, you must turn in your assignments on time. All projects are due at the beginning of class on the dates given on the syllabus. Assignments turned in late will normally be penalized one letter grade unless you have made other arrangements with me in advance.
Know your professorAppearance: All work must be neatly typed, using standard margins and spacing. I require all documents to be in 12 point, Times New Roman font. Whether it is a letter, a memo, or a report, your communication should exhibit appropriate format. In general, letters and memos should be single-spaced with a blank line between paragraphs and reports should be double-spaced. All rough drafts must be typed.
Know your professor
Grammar, Spelling, Proofreading: At work, even a single error in spelling, grammar, or proofreading can jeopardize the effectiveness of some communications—depending on the rhetorical situation. My grading will reflect the great seriousness with which these matters are viewed in the working world.
Know your professor
Back-up Copies: Always prepare two copies of each major assignment. I will grade one copy and hand it back; the other copy will be for your own safe-keeping. Every student is expected to save all work in progress and every document written in this class, whether independent or collaborative, on some type of storage devise.
Know your professorAttendance and Preparation: I expect you to attend every class and to have your textbook and all works in progress with you. If you have unexcused absences, your class grade may be docked up to one full grade. Excused absences must be arranged in advance and all missed work must be made up. In the case of an emergency, you must send me an email detailing the date(s) and reason for your absence.
Know you professor
Conferences: I strongly encourage you to see me when you have questions about an assignment, when you would like to try out some ideas before a draft is due, or when you have questions about a comment on a draft. You should also see me for help with particular writing problems, to resolve differences about grades, or to suggest ways to improve the course.
Know you professor
When grading your assignments, I will ask one overriding question, “Does it work?” That is, would your communication have the intended effect on the reader you are addressing in the world outside the classroom. I will, of course, recognize the difference between a competent performance (a “C”) and good and excellent performances (“B” and “A”). A competent performance is one that stands a reasonable chance of succeeding; an excellent performance is one that seems assured not only of success but also of winning praise.
Know you professor
All documents will receive a grade from A-F. Major projects receiving a grade of a B- or lower, may be revised once after meeting with the instructor. The maximum grade for a rewritten paper is a B.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROFESSOR?
Stickler for timelines – Hand in everything in on time
Attend every class. Notify the professor when you are going to miss class.
Neatness counts – Type everything Focus on the details.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THIS PROFESSOR?
No excuses – Admit your mistakes Meet with the professor even if you
find the professor a little scary. Establish a relationship with the
professor because the professor’s grading is subjective.
Do it the professor’s way!
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCEEDING
Schedule effectively Use learning strategies that work Know how to prepare for tests Learn how to manage your
personal obstacles to learning
CREATE A WEEKLY SCHEDULE
What are you going to do?– Review each syllabus and identify the
tasks you must complete (readings-projects-quizzes-tests).
How long will completing each task take? Write down your estimate.
Where are you going to do it? When are you going to do it? How are you going to do it? How will you monitor yourself?
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
8:00 BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST BREAKFAST CAP 120S BREAKFAST PAPER
9:00 SLEEP ENGL 015 READ ECON ENGL 015 BREAKFAST ENGL 015 PAPER
10:00 SLEEP PHIL 001 BREAK PHIL 001 BREAK PHIL 001 PAPER
11:00 SLEEP KINES 072 READ PHIL KINES 072 READ PHIL KINES 072 PAPER
12:00 LUNCH ECON 004 LUNCH ECON 004 LUNCH ECON 004 RELAX
1:00 READ PHIL LUNCH BREAK LUNCH BREAK LUNCH RELAX
2:00 READ ENGL READ FOR ENGL
STUDY MATH READ ENGL STUDY MATH READ ENGL RELAX
3:30 FOOTBALL BREAK MATH 110 BREAK MATH 110 BREAK RELAX
4:00 FOOTBALL READ PHIL MATH 110 READ PHIL MATH 110 ECON HW RELAX
5:30 FOOTBALL BREAK MATH 110 ECON HW MATH 110 ENGL RELAX
6:00 DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER DINNER RELAX
7:00 PAPER ECON MATH HW STUDY PHIL MATH HW PARTY RELAX
8:00 BREAK ENGL MATH HW HW MATH HW PARTY RELAX
9:00 PAPER RELAX STUDY ECON RELAX RELAX PARTY RELAX
10:00 PAPER ENGL RELAX HW STUDY PHIL PARTY RELAX
FOLLOWING YOUR SCHEDULE
Set a specific time to start Have visual reminders Tell someone when you plan
to start “Just get started”
Scheduling
• Keep track of whether you started on time and how long it took you to complete the task.
• Make good use of this information. If you did not start on time, work on your initiation skills.
If the task took you longer than you planned, give yourself more time.
SCHEDULING A WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Use the assignment calculator:
http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/
EFFECTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
IDENTIFY AN AREA THAT YOU USE EXCLUSIVELY FOR STUDYING If you consistently study in the same
area, you will train your brain to focus on academic material when you are in that area.
If you want to take a break, leave the area that you use for studying.
Consider studying in the library because it is conducive to completing academic work.
Beds are for sleeping; they are not for studying.
QUESTIONS TO ASK
• Who can help you study effectively?• Do you study better alone or in a
group?• Who in your class knows the material
well?• Would you be comfortable meeting
with your professor?• What resources do you have on
campus?
STUDY SKILLS
Use active study strategies.• Verbalize the material you are studying.
DO NOT passively look over your notes.• Make multiple connections among the
concepts you are learning--for example, how are they similar or different, and how can the concepts be grouped?
• Teach the material to someone who is not in your class.
• Make flash cards for vocabulary, facts, and terms.
MEMORY STRATEGIES• An acronym is an invented
combination of letters. Each letter helps you to remember a concept. For example, IPMAT can be used to remember the stages of cell division (Interphase – Prophase – Metaphase – Anaphase – Telephase).
• An acrostic is an invented sentence or poem. The first letter of each word is a key to help you to remember information. For example, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” provides the sequence in solving or evaluating math equations.
• Create a story to help you remember the information.
• Number different aspects of the concepts.
• Draw a picture of the concept you are trying to learn.
CREATE A STUDY GUIDE• Write down all of the main topics or concepts.
• Under each main idea, write down important details or facts.
• List key concepts and vocabulary and generate a definition for each one.
• Draw any charts or tables that you need to understand the material.
STUDY GUIDE FORAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder3 Types Predominantly Inattentive Type
9 symptomsDiagnosis requires 6 symptoms
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type6 hyperactive symptoms3 impulsive symptomsDiagnosis requires 6 symptoms
Combined Type
ADHD SymptomsInattentiveCareless mistakesFailure to sustain
attentionDoes not listenDoes not follow
throughPoor organizationAvoids tasks requiring
mental effortLoses thingsDistractedForgetful
Hyperactive/Impulsive
FidgetsOut of seatOften runs aboutDifficulty playing
quietlyOn the go – Driven by
a motorTalks excessivelyBlurts out answersDifficulty waitingOften interrupts
Can you write down all of the symptoms?
Inattentive1. _________2. _________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. _________7. _________8. _________9. _________
Hyperactive/Impulsive
1. _________2. _________3. _________4. _________5. _________6. _________7. _________8. _________9. _________
EXAM PREPARATION
Take practice tests. Review your study guide with your
professor. Ask your professor to explain the
format of the exam. Predict possible test questions.
STUDYING FOR EXAMS
• Review your syllabus and textbook. What are the objectives of the course?
• Assemble all of your handouts and notes.
• Are you missing any important information?
• Predict possible test questions.
• Use the Learning Center.• If your textbook has a web site, GO
TO THAT WEB SITE AND TAKE PRACTICE TESTS THAT YOU FIND.
• Search the Internet for practice tests.
LEARN HOW TO CREATE LEGAL CHEAT
SHEET
Study guides can become:
“LEGAL CHEAT SHEETS”
Illegal cheat sheetNot a good idea
A LEGAL CHEAT SHEET
Turn the test over Recreate your study guide Draw any charts or graphs you may
need. Write out memory strategies Make lists you memorized What does a Legal Cheat Sheet look
like?
What a legal cheat sheet for Abnormal Psychology looks like
PersonalityOCEANOpennessConscientiousnessExtraversionAgreeablenessNeuroticism
Core ConceptsHiM2AC3
Abnormal BehaviorHIDESHelp SeekingIrrationalDeviantEmotional DistressSignificant ImpairmentPERSPECTIVESBiologyGenes, brain, transmittersMedication
DSM IVI Clinical DisordersII Personality Disorders MRIII MedicalIV StressorsV GAF
SocioculturalSociety Culture familySociety changeFamily interventions
Fear/AnxietyFear immediate, basicFight/FlightAnxiety futureEmotions + thoughtsHuman emotion
PsychodynamicInternal conflictTherapyCognitiveFaulty thinkingCBT
BehavioralLearnedRelearn Change behaviorHumanisticLife experiencesPositive regard
KNOW THE OBSTACLES YOU FACE AND HOW TO MANAGE THEM Feeling overwhelmed
– Use relaxation techniques– Focus on one task at a time– Get help from Counseling Services
Trying to be perfect– Set realistic expectations– Lower your expectations
• Distracted when you are studying. Turn off your cell phone and Instant
Messenger.Reward yourself for staying focused. Keep a pad and pencil with you when
studying so you can write down other thoughts you want to remember that pop into your mind.
Vary your study activities and topics.When you notice your thoughts
wandering, take a break and refocus.
Distracted by other activities
• Post your goals and look at them daily.
• Tell your friends what you are trying to accomplish. Ask for their help.
• Stay away from distracting people.• Use a weekly schedule to stay
focused.
The material is boring
Look for something in material that catches your attention
Ask yourself how material could be useful to you in the future
Talk to your professor about the material
Use the course to discipline yourself to learn boring material
HELP ON CAMPUS
LEARNING CENTER – OLMSTED W-117COUNSELING SERVICES - SWATARA
BUILDINGACADEMIC COACH – Karen Miles
OLMSTED W-117DISABILITY SERVICES – Alan Babcock
SWATARA BUILDING
WEB SITES
General Informationhttp://www.studygs.nethttp://ced.ncsu.edu/onlinetools/http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/studyskills.htm Chemistryhttp://www.chemistrylecturenotes.com/ Schedulinghttp://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/ Essay Tests Generalhttp://www1.csbsju.edu/academicadvising/help/essayexm.htm
WEB SITES• Graphic Organizershttp://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_go.htmlhttp://www.kathimitchell.com/graphorg.htmhttp://www.lib.byu.edu/sites/instruction/2009/11/24/graphic-organizers/• Writing and grammar questionshttp://www.grammarnow.com/• Test Taking Strategieshttp://mit.edu/uaap/learning/teach/tests/index.html• Math and Scienceshttp://www.albion.edu/asc/qsc/help_sites.asp
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