Note-Taking Strategies Part 4

Note-Taking Strategies

Part 4

http://www.collegeboard.com/student /plan/college-success/995.html

For Review

Once you’ve done all of the above, you'll find you’ve created your own personalized study guide. Cover the main section of the page and use the key words and questions in the left margin as a quiz.

Stick to it

Review your notes the day you take them and all your notes once a week. That way, you won't need to study as much when its test time.

You've been doing the work all along. Try out the Cornell system but if it doesn’t work for you, experiment with other methods. Ask your classmates how they take notes or ask a teacher for advice. Taking good notes requires practice, like any other skill. And the more you work at it now, the more prepared you'll be to take notes in college.

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Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?

Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?

Part 4 of 4

Emphasis on the Written Word

Most of the communication, as well as the course work, in distance-learning classes are written. That’s a plus, because the focus on the written word gives you the opportunity to develop as a writer—and strong writing skills are essential to academic success. However, if writing is a serious weakness for you, virtual learning may not be the best educational option until you improve your skills. Yes, most of distance education is the written word; therefore, you need to be good reader, love to read, and love writing also. Most of your assignments will be written and submitted to the instructor in the written format. Your penmanship needs to be excellent, spelling great, sentence structure above average, vocabulary extraordinary. You need to have online access with reliable equipment. If your internet communications at home and will need to go to someplace where you do have access to the internet.

Decide whether it’s Right for You

Distance education isn't for everyone, but is just might be for you. You really should seek it out and give it a try. You never know until you try. You might even fall in love with distance education. While distance education may be the perfect alternative for some students, it’s not the right choice for everyone. So carefully consider your unique needs and interests and give distance education a try; then, decide if it is right for you.

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Selecting Your Courses Part 6

Selecting Your Courses

Part 6

Success in AP can also help you in other ways. AP helps you stand out in the admission process and offers the opportunity to learn from some of the most inspiring teachers in the world. Learn more about the AP program.

For more Help in Choosing Courses

Use College Search to look up a specific college’s academic requirements to be sure you are on track to attend the college of your choice.

If you have concerns about your class schedule or progress in school, set up a meeting with your school counselor, teacher or adviser. There are many resources to help you with this process, and with achieving your personal, college and career goals. Without goals, you meander all sorts of directions. Goals give you purpose, direction, enthusiasm, and passion for that which you really desire. Define your goals deliberately, evaluate your goals often and make changes as necessary, work hard to achieve your goals, and continue working hard until you actually do reach your goals.

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Student Success Statement

Student Success Statement

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing.”  

Theodore Roosevelt

This statement is self-explanatory because there are many times in our life were we have to decide whether do something that we really love or not and when you encounter times like that the best way to pick the best decision is to feel good about it after whatever you've decided to do. A tough decision would be getting accepted to your dream college but there is another university/college that you love as well and you get accepted in both; I believe however you feel about it you will make a wise decision.  

   

Selecting Your Courses part 5

Selecting Your Courses

Part 5

The Arts

Research indicates that students who participate in the arts often do better in school and on standardized tests. The arts help you recognize patterns, discern differences and similarities, and exercise your mind in unique ways, often outside a traditional classroom setting.

Many colleges require or recommend one or two semesters in the arts. Good choices include studio art, dance, music and drama. Many students have talents and extraordinary abilities in the arts. Students should look within their own repertoire of talents and identify their artistic abilities and take college classes to develop their talents.

Advanced Placement (AP)

To be sure you are ready to take on college-level work, enroll in the most challenging courses you can in high school, such as honors or AP courses. Research consistently shows that students who score a 3.0 or higher on an AP Exam typically experience greater academic success and college graduation peaks of achievement.

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Selecting Your Courses Part 3

 Selecting Your Courses

Part 3

Science

Science teaches you to think analytically and apply theories to reality. Colleges want to see that you’ve taken at least three years of laboratory science classes. A good combination includes two semesters of each of the following sciences:

• ·        Biology
• ·        Chemistry or Physics
• ·        Earth/space science

More competitive schools expect you to take four years of lab science courses. You can add two semesters in one of the following subjects:

• ·        Chemistry or physics (the science you didn't already study)
• ·        Advanced biology
• ·        Advanced chemistry
• ·        Advanced physics

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Selecting Your Courses

Selecting Your Courses

Part2

The following subjects and classes are standard fare for success in high school and beyond, whether you plan to attend a four-year or two-year College.

English (Language Arts)

Take e English every year. Traditional courses, such as American and English literature, help you improve your writing skills, reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Math you need algebra and geometry to succeed on college entrance exams and in college math classes—and in many careers. Take them early on. That way, you’ll be able to enroll in advanced science and math in high school, and show colleges you’re ready for higher-level work.

Most colleges look for students who have taken three years of math in high school. The more competitive ones require or recommend four years. Each school has its own program, but some of the courses typically offered are:

·        Algebra 1

·        Algebra 2

·        Trigonometry

·        Calculus

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Selecting Your Courses

Selecting Your Courses

Recommended Classes for College Success

Part 1

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/33.html

The academic rigor of your high school courses is an important factor in the college admission process. College admission offices see your high school course schedule as a blueprint of your education. They’re looking for a solid foundation of learning that you can’t build on in college.

To create that information, take at least five solid academic classes every semester. Start with the basics and then move on to advanced courses. Challenging yourself is part of what makes school fun; but you need a firm grasp of the fundamentals before going on to more advanced work.

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How to Take on College Studying Part 3

How to Take on College Studying

Part 3

Do the reading

You need to do more than just read the chapters you are signed—you’re expected to understand them thoroughly. Here are some tips:

·       Don’t skim. Read all the material carefully.

·       Break up difficult assignments into sections you can digest—chapters, subsections or even paragraphs.

·       Look up any words that you don’t understand.

·       Pause to think about whether you understand the material; ask questions in class about anything that is unclear.

·       Take notes instead of highlighting—this makes you think through and rephrase the key points.

·       Create a summary sheet of what you learned from each assignment you read.

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How to Take on College Studying

How to Take on College Studying

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/961.html

Part 1

Develop Good Habits

In college, you’ll need to build on the study skills that you learned in high school. The demands of a college class are probably more rigorous than those you are used to.

You can succeed by knowing what to expect and how to handle it. Think of college as a full-time job, in which you spend 40 hours a week on class, labs, study groups

Being organized and using your time well are essential. Learn more about time management, and use the guidelines below to develop your study skills.

Decide When to Study

Work out about how many you need to study very day. Then make a schedule.

• ·        Figure out what blocks of time you have available throughout the day, in the evenings and on weekends.
• ·        Consider what time of day you are most alert—there are morning people and night owls—and try to schedule your studying accordingly.
• ·        Think about whether you do better studying for a few hours at a time or sitting down for marathon sessions.

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Ten Tips for Student Success

Ten Tips for Student Success

St. Johns University

1.      Attend your classes. Remember in the words of Woody Allen ‘Seventy percent of success in life is showing up’.

2.        Know your faculty. Make sure you know who your teachers are, when their office hours are and how to contact them.

3.         Make sure the faculty knows you. Sit in the front of the classroom. Participate in class discussion. Consult with your teachers during office hours.

4.        Use a daily planner. Note the dates of exams, assignments, term papers, etc.

5.        Be organized. Prioritize your responsibilities. Manage your time. Remember everyone has the same 168 hours a week, only some of us use them better than others.

6.         Know your campus resources. Visit your academic’s Dean Office regularly. Become familiar with the services and programs offered by the counseling Center, The Freshmen Center, the career Center, the Campus Ministry Office and the Student Life Office.

7.            Take care of your health. Get enough sleep. Eat well-balanced meals. Exercise regularly. Make informed and mature decisions about alcohol, sex and drugs. Visit the Health Office as needed.

8.        Work only as necessary. Try not the exceed 20 hours during a school week. If possible, work on campus. Apply for financial aid and loans if you need them. Manage your expenses very carefully.

9.             Get involved in campus activities. It will help you learn valuable skills, expand your social network and enhance your self-confidence. Seek out opportunities to apply what you learn in the classroom.

10.  Keep your eyes on the prize. Clarify your goals. Know why you are in (high school or) college in the first place. Visualize your success on a daily basis.

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High school Graduation

          Summary/ Reflection:  High school Graduation- pleasure OR pain? Have you really thought about the things you are doing that will later on will affect your future. Many students don’t appreciate the opportunity education brings them because some students all they can think of is "I'm too cool for school" like really?  Have you really thought about yourself and what your future might hold for you if you don't graduate from high school? It is really hard to see students that really care about school, i know that someday they will regret it because it is hard to live a good life without graduating from high school and continuing your education. Not only our teachers want to see us graduate but also our parents it’s a pleasure that you give yourself after all the hard work but it can also be a pain if you don't do the require things you are supposed to do during school; it is always good to start doing the right things at the beginning then regretting all the things you could have done at the beginning. We have to take life seriously and start making wise decisions about our future.

     

Successful Students 5-6

Successful Students

5-6

5.  Don’t sit in the back of the room. Successful students minimize classroom distractions that interfere with learning.

Students want the best eat available for their entertainment dollars, but willingly seek the worst seat for their educational dollars. Students who sit in the back cannot possibly be their professor’s teammate (see no. 4). Why do they expose themselves to the temptations of inactive classroom experiences and distractions of all the people between them and their instructor? Of course, we know they chose the back of the classroom because they seek invisibility or anonymity, both of which are arithmetical to efficient and effective learning. If you are trying not to be part of the class, why, then are you wasting your time? Push your hot buttons, is there something else you should be doing with your time?

6. ….take good notes. Successful students take notes that are understandable and organized, and review them often.

Why put something into your notes you don’t understand? Ask the questions now that are necessary to make your notes meaningful at some later time. A short review of your notes while the material is still fresh on your mind helps you to learn more. The more you learn then, the less you’ll have to learn later and the less time it will take because you won’t have to include some deciphering time, also. The whole purpose of taking notes is to use them, and use them often. The more you use them, the more they improve.

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Successful Students 3-4

Successful Students

3-4

3. …ask questions. Successful students ask questions to provide the quickest route between ignorance and knowledge. In addition to securing knowledge you seek, asking questions has at least two other extremely important benefits. The process helps you pay attention to your professor and helps your professor pay attention to you! Think about it. If you want something, go after it. Get the answer now, or fail a question later. There are no foolish questions, only foolish silence. It’s your choice.

4. …learn that a student and a professor make a team. Most instructors want exactly what you want: they would like for you to learn the material in their respective classes and earn a good grade.

Successful students reflect well on the efforts of any teacher; if you have learned your material, the instructor takes some justifiable pride in teaching. Join forces with your instructor, they are not an enemy. You share the same interests, the same goals-in short, your teammates. Get to know your professor. You’re the most valuable players on the same team. Your jobs are to work together for mutual success. Neither wishes to chalk up a losing season. Be a team player!

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Successful Students 1-2

Successful Students

1-2

Successful students exhibit a combination of successful attitudes and behaviors as well as intellectual capacity. Successful students…

1…. Are responsible and active. Successful students get involved in their studies, accept responsibility for their own education, and are active participants in it!  Responsibility means control. It’s the difference between leading and being led. Your own efforts control your grade. you earn the glory or deserve the blame, you make the choice. Active classroom participation improves grades without increasing study time. You can actively listen, think, question, and take notes like someone in charge of their learning experience. Either option costs one class period. However, the former method will require a large degree of additional work outside of class to achieve the same degree of learning the latter provides at one sitting. The choice is yours.

2. …have educational goals. Successful students have legitimate goals and are motivated by what they represent in terms of career aspirations and life’s desires.

Ask yourself these questions: What am I doing here/ why have I chosen to be sitting here now? Is there some better place I could be? What does my presence here mean to me? Answers to these questions represent your “Hot Buttons” and are, without a doubt, the most important factors in your success as a college student. If your educational goals are truly yours, not someone else’s, they will motivate a vital and positive academic attitude. If you are familiar with what these hot buttons represent and refer to then often, especially when you tire of being a student, nothing can stop you; if you aren’t and don’t, everything can, and will!

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Study for Multiple exams Part 3

Study for Multiple

Exams

Part 3

English, math, foreign language tips: Practice—especially foreign language. It is hard to succeed in a foreign language class if you are just showing and doing the work. But if you are in your room and look at objects and try to say them in the language you are learning it actually helps. Or if you send a simple text to a friend think about it, can you translate that to German or Spanish? These are the little things that will help.

Here are my final words of wisdom for students who want to get better grades in college: Time management and organization are better grades in college: Time management and organization are critical key factors to success in college. And never be afraid to go ask your teacher for help. They have office hours for a reason-use them!

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Study for Multiple Exams Part 2

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 2

My strategies for written assignments: everyone has their own writing styles. I generally come up with an idea and do massive amounts of research before I ever think about writing. I then organize my research then sometimes prepare an outline before actually writing. I always print out the paper and come back to it the next day and reread it. This is the easiest way for me to catch my own mistakes. I have to give my eyes a break from it, and if I just wrote it I think it looks perfect. But if I look at it a day later I almost always find grammatical errors or phrases and sentences I just want to reword.

How I succeed in team projects: never assume someone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Have regular meetings and have each member show their work, not just give you or the group their word for it.

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Study for Multiple Exams Part 1

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 1

How I study for multiple exams, deal with multiple projects: Really it is my time management that I explained above. If I see I have multiple things due or study for all at the same time I spread out my time beforehand. For example, if I have a test Monday, and 2 tests Tuesday then I will study for my Monday test Thursday and part of Friday. Start studying for my next test on the second Tuesday test on Saturday as well and part of Sunday. Then Sunday night I can review for my Monday test because I already studies for it. When that test is over I can begin reviewing for the other tests. My overall study method: I try to break it up over several days or at least two. I get bogged down if I try to pull an all nighter.

How I’ve overcome an initial bad grade: if I received a low grade I probably knew it was coming because I didn’t prepare properly or I didn’t use the right study habit for that class. I usually try to go over what I did wrong and sometime discuss with the teacher what I can do differently on the exam or what they suggest I do for studying for the next exam.

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Student Success Statement

Student Success Statement

“Seek to do good and you will find that happiness will run after you.”

James Freeman Clarke

This statement means that if you always choose and do the right things opportunities will come to you. For example if you always do well in school and you are a great student, universities will want you to go to their school why? Because you did the right things while you were in high school. Rather than not doing well in high school of course universities will not accept you because you didn’t choose the right things while you had the opportunity to do so. Another example will be throughout your entire life if you always did the right things you will have an amazing life because you did the right things. People say life is not easy but you can make your life easy by always choosing and doing the right things. Every time you feel like giving up on your dreams just remember that at the end of the tunnel you’ll see the light, which means when you accomplish something there will always be a reward at the end.

Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 2

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 2

My test study method: I have different strategies for different types of tests or subjects. For me, any type of math is exceptionally difficult so I had to spend extra time on that. I would go back through the homework problems focusing on the problems that I had extra difficulty on. Many times I would ask the teacher for any additional study materials they could provide. If it was a class that required memorization or applying concepts I would create a sort of study guide for myself many times focusing on what were key focal points in the class. If I knew there were going to be essays I would try to take the terms and apply them to an example or create different questions on the concepts focused on throughout the semester.

My time management secret: I always always always carry a planner with me. I even use different color highlighters to show what each event on my calendar is for. For example, pink is personal, yellow is school, orange is work, blue is for appointments, and green is for my sorority. Although I use white-out frequently, I can see in bright yellow that if I have always been amazed at how early I get things accomplished but that is really all I do.

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