Student Success Resources

This university of chicago website http://www.dr-bob.org/vpc/ provides links to a large number of websites created by a variety of universities. It provides students with assistance on a variety of subjects. Click on this link and select from a variety of subjects

There are over 30 student success videos available through your etbu intranet login that can assist you with a variety of study skills and college adjustment skills. These are very good videos.

If you need counseling assistance with personal problems, please contact student services at ext. 2320

Time Management

Work on your hardest subjects first; save the easiest for last.
"The problem is not with time but what you choose to do with the time you have available. You have to take advantage of time spent studying. You need to be physically and emotionally prepared. "
Organize your free time into usable chunks-5 minutes here or there is of little value.
Make lists, prioritize them, and follow them.
Revise your “to-do” list every night. Items that were not completed one day should be completed the next.
Find a place that allows you to study without interruption. Do not allow others to interrupt your work.
Utilize your planner as a temporary filing system.
Use our Time Management Form

Reaching Your Goals

Carefully examine your life to determine what you value most.
Determine where you are going.
Seek advice from people who have achieved your goal. Ask them how they got it and if it was worth going through what they had to endure.
Set your goal high, but be realistic.
Set goals that can be measured.
Set both long and short term goals.
Develop a plan to achieve your goals and objectives.
Write clear objectives that can be reached in steps.
Look at your goals and objectives one step at a time.
Find something that motivates you and stick to it.
Internalize your goals so that they become your own.
Don’t let others dictate your goals.
Think positively. Good things come to those who wait...and work hard.

Learning and Processing Information

Become actively involved when studying, reading, and taking notes. Ask yourself questions to keep focused. Draw visual diagrams, study with friends.
Get organized...Develop a note taking system, record assignments, and keep an organized notebook.
Your study environment should be quiet and free of distractions. (No cell phones...No face book)
Use colored pens and pencils when taking notes and studying.
Create movement when studying. Walk, march, or tap a finger to keep you alert.
Use mnemonics to store and retrieve information.
Get involved in what you trying to learn!

Note Taking

Attend class.
Be prepared for every class by doing homework and reading assignments.
Sit where you can see and hear the professor.
Recopy your notes after each class.
If it’s on the board, repeated by professor multiple times, write it down.
Organize your notes by class and put them in that class folder/notebook.
Develop your listening abilities and tune out chatter.
Keep good, straight posture when in class. This will help keep you more alert.
Ask questions.
Keep your notes neat and clear; do not doodle on your notes.
PARTICIPATE in class.

Studying Effectively

Get organized.
Create and use a notebook system for each class.
Identify an appropriate study environment and study time.
Create and use a study plan. (SQ3R is an effective example)
Thoroughly learn material.
Use mnemonic devices.
Summarize class and textbook notes.
Use context clues and word analysis to define unfamiliar words.
Use index cards for vocabulary, formulas, or concepts.
Above all, study over a period of time rather than cramming!

Test Anxiety

Thoroughly learn the material.
Approach the test with a positive attitude.
Chewing gum or eating hard peppermint candy can help relax some students.
Get a good night’s sleep prior to test.
Eat a healthy (high protein) meal before the test.
Arrive early to the test so you want be rushed.
Take deep breathes if you find yourself becoming nervous.
Enter the room with all materials needed for the test.
Reward yourself for a job well done.

Effective Test Taking

Create a study schedule as soon as a test is scheduled.
(Look on each of your course syllabus for these dates)
Ask your instructor what specific information will be tested.
Find out how you will be tested; for example by essay or multiple choice.
Write a list of questions you think might be asked on the test.
Form a study group to study with several days prior to test.
Attend a “Power Hour” if ACE is hosting one for your class.
Make a list of questions from notes and reading assignments that still don’t make sense and ask your professor for additional clarification.
Above all, get a good night sleep the night before and eat a healthy meal before the test.

General Test-Taking Techniques

Read and follow all directions.
Answer the easiest questions first.
Know your time limit.
Read the question carefully.
Answer every question if there is no penalty for guessing.
Ask for clarification, if permitted.
Skim through the entire test before writing a word.
Watch for words that may change the meaning of the question such as not, either/or, and always.
Answer the question neatly.
Above all, think positively!

Strategies for Answering Matching Questions on Test

First, read through each column.
Match the easiest items first.
Lightly cross out or check off an item as it is matched.
Use the process of elimination to match difficult or unknown information.
Leave no questions blank if there is no penalty for guessing.

Strategies for Answering True-False Questions on Test

Read the statement carefully.
Pay attention to special words that may increase the likelihood that the statement is true. Words such as some, few, many, and often are examples.
Pay attention to special words that may indicate the statement is false. Words such as never, all, every, and only fall into this category.

Strategies for Answering Multiple -Choice Questions on Test

Carefully read the statement and try to answer the question before reading the answer choices.
Answers containing words such as never, all, every, best, worst and only usually can be eliminated as an answer choice.
Lightly cross out answers that you feel or know are incorrect.
Read all the options before making your decision.
If the answers are dates or numbers, you can usually rule out the lowest and highest answer.
Answer each question if there is no penalty for guessing.

Strategies for Answering Short Answer Questions on Test

Read the question carefully to make certain you understand how to answer it.
Be short and to the point.
Never leave a blank unless there is a penalty for guessing. Write in something –a few points are better than none.
Look for answers or clues to the questions in the test itself.

Strategies for Answering Essay Questions on Test

Being able to write well and think clearly are skills needed for answering essay questions. Most essay questions ask you to explain, compare and contrast, or define.
When asked to explain an event or idea, the instructor will be asking you to give reasons for why an event took place or to offer a description of an idea. You will need to know events leading up to incident.
When asked to compare and contrast, you need to write about how two events or alike and how they are different. This is usually done in paragraph form.
When asked to define, you simply write what something means.

~Taking a test is an opportunity for you to show how much you have learned. ~