3. Changes in the days to come!
One of the first changes you may
notice about continuing your
education is that you have to learn to
juggle many things at once. This will
include your course work, finances,
and maybe your family. Learning how
to set priorities is a critical step to
successfully handling the challenge.
You need to keep your goal in sight
at all times and tell yourself you
can do this!

4. * Take control of your own life
* Adopt the idea that you are responsible for you
* Refuse to allow friends and family to tear you down
* Control what you say to yourself
* Take carefully assessed risks often
* Don’t compare yourself to other people
* Develop a victory wall or victory file
* Keep your promises and be loyal to friends, family
and yourself
* Win with grace – lose with class
* Set goals and maintain a high level of motivation

6. * F? What Do You Mean an F?
There will be times when you are disappointed with a grade. What do you
do? Be truthful with yourself and examine the amount of time you spent on
the project. Consider the following:
Did you attend class regularly?
Did you come to class prepared and ready for discussion?
Did you ask questions in class for clarification?
Did you meet with the instructor during office hours?
Did you seek outside assistance in places such as the writing center or
math lab?
Did you ask your peers for assistance or join a peer/study group?

7. You may be surprised , but the way you act in (and out
of) the class can mean as much to your success as what
you know. No one can make you do anything or act in
any way that you do not want to. Consider the
following:
• Bring your materials to class daily
• Come to class prepared: read your texts
and handouts and do the homework
• Turn in projects on time
• Participate In class
• Ask your instructor about the best time
to come for extra help
• Do not sleep in class
• Be respectful to other students
• Turn off your cell phone
• Call ahead if you are going to be late
• Dress for success! Wear the right
clothes particularly for clinicals

8. The age old “scare tactic” for students! Look to your left, look to your right
– one of those people will not graduate with you. The great news is that you
do not have to be that person! Consider the following:
• Make use of every academic service offered by the
university
• Work hard to understand your learning style
• Work hard to develop a sense of community
• Join a club or an organization
• Watch your finances carefully
• Visualize your Goals
• Maintain a sense of self esteem and self respect
• Learn to budget your time
• Attend classes regularly

9. We all procrastinate, then we worry and promise we’ll never do it
again and if we can just get through this day. We say things to
ourselves like, “If I can just live through this test, I will never wait
until the last minute again.

10. Consider the following:
* Face up to the results of procrastination
* Concentrate on the rewards of managing yourself and your time
* Break up big tasks into small ones
* Give yourself a time limit to accomplish a task
* Set a regular time for study and do not vary from it
* Start studying with positive, realistic thoughts
* Establish study habits
* Set reasonable, concrete goals that you can reach in about 20 to 25 minutes
* Face fear; look it right in the face
* Get help from your instructor
* Avoid whining and people who whine and complain
* Allow yourself more time than you think you need to complete an assignment or to
study for a test
* Practice your new study habits for 21 days
* Actually reward yourself when you have accomplished an important body of work
* Start on the difficult, most boring tasks first
* Find a quiet place to study
* Balance your load

11. Is Reading FUNdamental or Just Pure Torture?

12. What are the top two academics problems among students today?
The two greatest problems students face are math and reading!
Here is a six pack that can actually help you: The ingredients for
successful reading: Use these tools to improve your reading
comprehension, analysis and speed!
The material you’re
reading An open mind Pencils
Highlighter A Dictionary A note book

13. SQ3R to the rescue:
An effective way to approach a chapter is to use the SQ3R
method. This method has been successful for millions of
students.
S- Survey – Survey or pre-read
Q-Question – Ask yourself Who?, When, What? Where? and Why?
3-R’s
Read- Read the chapter
Recite – Find a classmate and ask each other questions
Review – Re Read and review your notes
SQ3R can be a life saver when it comes to understanding
material that is overwhelming.

14. Is there one best way to learn? The way on learns
depends on many variables such as learning styles, your
personal intelligences, personality typing, your past
experiences and your attitude.
Discover your talents!
Are you a:
Visual Learner – Thinks in pictures
Auditory Learner – Prefers verbal
instructions
Tactile – Prefers hands on…

15. What can you learn from your personality?
The four major personality categories are:
Extroversion/Introversion – This category deals with the way we interact with others and the world
around us. Extroverts prefer to live in the outside world and introverts draw strength from the
inner world.
Sensing/Intuition – Sensing types gather information from their five senses, whereas intuitive types
are not very well organized but rely on their gut feelings.
Thinking/Feeling – Thinkers are logical people, they do not make decisions based on feelings or
emotion. Feelers make decisions on what they feel is right and just.
Judging/Perceiving – Judgers are very orderly people and they must have structure in their lives.
Perceivers are just the opposite.

16. For students, good listening skills are critical.
Cultivating and improving your active listening
skills will help you to understand the lecture
and clinical material, take accurate notes,
participate in class discussions and
communicate to your peers.
At the core of listening is the ability to hear,
understand, analyze, respect and appropriately
respond to the meaning of another person’s
spoken and non verbal messages.
Listening needs to be personalized and
internalized. Practice listening with the whole
body on the following levels:

17. Listening when English is your second language!
For students whose first language is not English, the
college classroom can present some uniquely challenging
situations. Don’t be afraid to:
Stop the instructor for clarification
Figure out unfamiliar words in context
Enhance your vocabulary
Write down everything
Seek help by practicing the language and maybe start
your own conversation group!

18. The L-Star System
One of the most effective ways to take notes is the L-Star
System:
L Listen –Choose a spot where you can see the instructor clearly. If you see
the instructor’s face become animated or expressive you know you are hearing
important information.
S-Setting it Down – Use a series of symbols/abbreviations to write everything
down. This will save you time, for example; w/ with, <less, etc and so on…
T- –Translate your notes immediately after class. Go to a quiet place and
review your notes.
A-Analyze – When you are translating your notes ask the questions “What does
this mean?” and “Why is this important?”
R-Remember – Try to create a visual picture and speak the notes out loud using
mnemonic devices and find a study partner.

19. *
* Avoid simply re-writing your notes.
* Focus on application-based studying.
* You might study by going over the readings and
notes, and then practice sample questions on
the material.

20. *
* If you are an auditory learner, consider tape-
recording lectures and re-listening to them.
* Consider studying in groups
* Careful: Do not allow study groups to become
solely social gatherings

21. *
* Get in the skills lab or simulation center!
* Find opportunities at work (if applicable) to
practice.
* When studying, re-enact or role play the
information to give it a real feeling.

22. *
* Use different colored highlighters within your
notes.
* Look at diagrams and models while studying.
* Use your textbook or online resources to study.
* Draw pictures in your notes related to content.

23. *
* Make sure you are an active learner in class!
* Participate
* Ask questions
* Identify the “muddiest point” (most confusing
area)
* Take notes, writing down examples given. Draw
pictures.
* Avoid multi-tasking (aka surfing the net,
checking email during lecture).

24. *
* Review your notes immediately after class.
Research has suggested a correlation between this
behavior and improved test performance.
* Study a little bit each day (or night).
* Review your notes on the day of the test but avoid
studying until exhaustion.
* Make sure you are rested and fresh prior to the
test!

25. * If you ever miss a class, make sure you get
notes from a peer and study extra diligently on
the material.
* With time management, hard work, diligence,
and individualized study techniques, you will
SUCCEED!