How to Rock at Your Studies

A College Instructor's View on Building Resilience and Better Study Habits in 7 Unique Steps

Cynthia M. Aldridge

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781098042295
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación superior

Discover the 7 Steps to Success in College and How to Rock Your Studies!Have you ever sat down to study but did not know where to start? Do all of your papers seem to get lost in the clutter? Do you have classroom anxiety? Are you afraid you may fail your classes or wonaEUR(tm)t make any friends? In 7 unique steps, How to Rock at Your Studies will help you to build academic confidence and make better grades! It doesnaEUR(tm)t matter if your major is Archeology or Zoology or anything in betweenaEUR"the best learning practices are universal. It is important to know how to study, before you even sit down to study, or you just may be wasting precious time. Consider this book your college blueprint; as it will give you all of the essential tools and techniques that you need.In How to Rock at Your Studies, you will get: aEURC/ Step-by-step examples of proven learning strategies that work in any field of studies aEURC/ Tips on defeating procrastination aEURC/ Time management strategies aEURC/ A guide to building confidence and resilience aEURC/ Plus, advice straight from the mouth of the authoraEUR(tm)s own straight A students And exclusive content that you cannot find anywhere else!

Step 2

Get/Stay Organized

One other thing I have noticed is, students who excel in college seem to be extremely organized. Just so you know; it is virtually impossible to achieve high levels of academic success without putting in the work. There has to be effort and intentionality on your part as a student to reach your goals. You must also be passionate about the learning process; and do the things necessary to make the grades that you want.

When you are passionate about your studies, grades, and your future, you will begin to do things conducive to achieving your goals. Conversely, being unorganized will, without a doubt, work against your plans to be successful. You may know that student, the one whose assignments are always disheveled and I respectfully hope you are not that student. If so, just keep reading. By all means, do not think of school as something you passively make your way through. Think of school as the gateway to your career. If you were able to make it through high school without being organized, believe me, that will all change as you will undoubtedly need organizational skills on the college level.

As complicated as getting organized may sound to you, it is an absolute must in order to free your mind of clutter and develop a working plan. Some people can’t seem to function in clutter, and I am one of those people. I have also found this to be true for my academically advanced students. Every now and then, I will come across a brilliant yet unorganized student, but trust me, that is a rare combination. That being said, there is still hope for you. If you’re not a natural at putting things in place, relax! There are some things that you can do to help you to get and stay organized.

First off, Try to Make Peace with your Imperfections

No one is perfect, so don’t try to be. As a matter of fact, the more ‘perfect’ you try to be, the more disorganized things will get. As you read the following lists, keep in mind…it all takes time! Allow yourself that time to slowly develop new habits and forgive yourself for not always getting it right. That said, let’s get into it!

Hold On to Your Syllabi

More than likely, during the first week of class (usually the first day), you will receive a syllabus from your instructor. It is important that you hold on to this syllabus because it contains everything you need to know about how to be successful in that class. It will also help you to plan organizational strategies as you begin to brainstorm about what supplies you’ll need to buy, as well as, how to manage your time. Think about it, how would you know what is expected of you if you don’t read, hold on to, and consistently refer to your syllabus? The syllabus will put you in the know of all current and future expectation whereas to eliminate any misunderstandings and/or surprises. It somewhat serves as a contract between you and your instructor. That, in essence, says, “I (your instructor) will do all that I can to help guide you through each of the stated tasks/assignments.” However, you (the student) must do said things in order to successfully complete the class. Remember that syllabus is yours, so mark on it, circle dates or whatever else you need to do to make things stick out for you.

Online Students

If you are an online student, more than likely your syllabus will be posted in the online classroom forum. I highly recommend that you print it out. That way you will have easy access to it, without having to jump online every time you need to refer to it. If your syllabus is not within sight, you will not think too much about it. Printing it will allow you to mark on it, highlight it, and add due dates and comments. So by all means, print, print, print!

Buy a Planner, Binder, and Folder for Each Class

Make a list of the things you need for each class. Some instructors have specific requirements for their class, so it will be a good idea to ask your instructor(s) what he or she recommends. That is not to say that you should wait until you speak with your instructor before buying supplies. There are basic essentials for every class, so be sure to buy those items before the first day of class.

Here’s a checklist of some basic supplies you’ll need at some point:

• Big binders—You will always find use of a really good big binder. Binders will allow you to keep folders organized. Say for instance you have an essay due, review questions, definitions, and you have to start a research paper that will be due the last day of class. In this binder, you’ll be able to separate assignments with tabs, making it more organized and easy to access.
• Binder tabs—Binder tabs are very much needed, and depending on the binder you purchase, tabs may be included. Binder tabs will help you organize assignments by title. You may, for instance, name the first tab Communications; the second tab, Biology; the third tab, Managerial Ethics; and so forth. With binder tabs, you have the ability to change the titles without needing to purchase a new binder. So keep that in mind.
• Folders—Folders, folders, and more folders. What can I say? They’re great! You can use them for things like handouts, graded work, notes, printed material or whatever else you need stored and separated. Make sure you have folders for each class so that you can organize papers and handouts immediately. Have a folder just for graded work. Do not throw graded assignments and quizzes away; they may be used to study with later.
• Spiral notebook paper—Much needed for note taking. Just like folders, you should have a spiral notebook for each subject. Please do not try to cram your Geometry notes in your Biology notebook. Keep things separate, so you can actually find them later.
• Hole puncher—From time to time, us instructors will hand out papers that do not have holes in them. A hole puncher will allow you to maintain your newly organized system. Just because...

Table of contents

• Attend Class Regularly
• Get/Stay Organized
• Stop Procrastinating!
• Take Time to Manage Your Time
• Find Study Buddies
• Build Resilience
• Reward Yourself