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AdvAnce PrAise for The SecreTS of college SucceSS

“IfIhadmyway,I’dgivethisbooktoeverysinglecollegestudent,ofanyage,andmakethemreadit.Abookthatmovesfrom‘HowtoTurnaBintoanA’to‘10SurefireWaystoPissOffYourProfessor,’isbeyondjust‘helpful.’Itis‘theMissingManual’forturningamerely‘okay’collegeexperienceintoadeliciousadventure.Ilaughed,Itooknotes,Ilovedeverypage.AndI’mnotevenincollege.Ifyouare,don’teventhinkaboutnotbuyingthisbook.Itwillbethebestthingyoueverdidforyourself.”

—RichardBolles,authorofWhatColorIsYourParachute?

“Alongwithshowerflip-flopsandaveryloudalarmclock,thisbookshouldbeoneveryfreshman’scollegepackinglist.Theprofessorshaveoutlinedsolutionsforallthemajorfearsthatstudentsfacewhentheystartcollege.”

—MarjorieSavage,parentprogramdirector,UniversityofMinnesotaandauthorofYou’reonYourOwn(ButI’mHereIfYouNeedMe):MentoringYourChildDuringtheCollegeYears

“Psychologicallysoundtipsforthriving,notjustsurviving,incollege.Lynn’sandJeremy’stipswillmakeyourcollegeexperienceaspectacularsuccess.”

—ChuckSnowden,directorofhonorsprogram,UniversityofWisconsin

“Clear,practical,comprehensive—andcaring.Theseauthorswantyoutosucceed.Listen.”

—JudyGenshaft,president,UniversityofSouthFloridaandpastpresident,AmericanCouncilonEducation

“Riddledwithhumorandwittyinpresentation,thislighthearted‘easyread’couldbethemosthelpful,honestresourcefortoday’scollegestudent.”

—ScottH.Reikofski,director,fraternity/sororityaffairs,UniversityofPennsylvania

“TheSecretsofCollegeSuccessneedstoberequiredreadingforanyonestartingcollege,regardlessofage.Agreatsourceofpracticaladvicethatcouldmeanthedifferencebetweensuccessandfailure.”

—EduardoJ.Padrón,president,MiamiDadeCollege

“Thestudentswhoaremostsuccessfulincollegearethosewhoaremostprepared.TheSecretsofCollegeSuccessrevealswhatstudentsneedtoknowfromtheperspectiveoftheprofessorswhoteachthem.Itpaystoknowtherulesofthegamebeforeyouplay.”

—GeorgeR.Boggs,presidentandCEO,AmericanAssociationofCommunityColleges

“Thisvolumeprovidesabanquetoftips.Easytoread,easytolocatewhatyouneed,thisbookwillbehelpfulthroughoutyourundergraduateyears.Ihighlyrecommendit.”

—SharonJ.Hamilton,professorandformerdirector,IndianaUniversityFacultyColloquiumonExcellenceinTeaching

“Accessiblywrittenandlogicallyorganized,there’ssomethinghereforeveryone.Thishandyvolumewillhelpstudentsfocusonwhatittakestobesuccessful.”

—PeterH.Quimby,deputydean,PrincetonUniversity

“Thisbookprovidessoundadviceinagreatformatonhowtogetthemostfromyourcollegeeducation,startingonDay1ofyourfreshmanyear.”

—MarthaO’Connell,executivedirector,CollegesthatChangeLives

“HighschoolsfocusongettingtheirseniorsTOcollegebuttheyrarelyteachthemhowtogetTHROUGHcollege.ProfessorsJacobsandHymanfillthisgapwithaseriesofhighenergy,digestibleandpracti-caltipsthatanystudentcanmasterinonesitting.Thisbookshouldberequiredreadingforeverycollege-boundstudentsothattheywillbeequippedwiththe‘under-the-hood’expertisetheyneedtosucceedinhighereducation.”

—KeithW.Frome,chiefacademicofficer,CollegeSummitInc.

“TheSecretsofCollegeSuccessisaneasy-to-read,highlyinformativebook.Inmyexperience,manystudentscomeintoStanfordunpreparedfortherealitiesofcollegelife.Withbite-sizedanddigestibletips,thisbookpro-videssubstantialadviceapplicabletoanycollegestudent.”

—KamilDada,presidentandeditorinchief,TheStanfordDaily,StanfordUniversity

The secreTs of

college success

Professors’ Guide™

The secreTs of

college success

Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman


Copyright©2010byProfessors’Guide,LLC.Allrightsreserved.Professors’Guidename,themaleandfemaleprofessoricons,andthetradedressaretrademarksofProfessors’Guide,LLC.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataJacobs,LynnF.Thesecretsofcollegesuccess/LynnF.JacobsandJeremyS.Hyman.p.cm.—(Professors’guide;1)Includesindex.ISBN978-0-470-87466-0(pbk.)1.Collegestudentorientation—UnitedStates.2.Collegestudents—UnitedStates—Conductoflife.3.Collegestudents—Timemanagement—UnitedStates.I.Hyman,JeremyS.II.Title.LB2343.32J352010378.1’98—dc222010019247

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

first edition

PBPrinting 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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MeeT The Professors

Dr. Lynn F. Jacobs isprofessorofarthistoryattheUniversityofArkansas.AspecialistinnorthernRenaissanceart,LynnpreviouslytaughtatVan-derbiltUniversity,CaliforniaStateUniversity,Northridge,theUniversityofRedlands,andNYU.ShehasreceivedtheNationalEndowmentfortheHumanitiesFellowshiptwiceandtheUniversityofArkansasPrizefordis-tinguishedacademicadvising.

Jeremy S. Hyman isfounderandchiefarchitectofProfessors’Guide™ con-tentprojects.Anexpertinearlymodernphilosophy,JeremyhastaughtattheUniversityofArkansas,UCLA,MIT,andPrincetonUniversity.HereceivedtheUniversityofCaliforniaRegents’awardfordistinguishedteaching.

LynnandJeremyareco-authorsofthebookProfessors’GuidetoGet-tingGoodGradesinCollege(HarperCollins,2006).TheywriteaweeklycolumnatU.S.News&WorldReport,www.uSnewS.Com/ProFeSSorSguiDe,andtheyblogatReader’sDigest,HuffingtonPost,andFastweb.com.

LynnandJeremyliveinFayetteville,Arkansas,withtheirson,Jonah.TheirWebsiteiswww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Comandyoucanreachthematprofessors@professorsguide.com.We’dlovetohearfromyou.Nokidding.

http://www.usnews.com/professorsguide

http://www.professorsguide.com

mailto:[email protected]

conTenTs

Introduction xiiiTop10ReasonstoReadThisBook xvTheProfessors’Guide™Icons xvii

1 ThiS is college

10ThingsYouNeedtoKnowAboutCollege(butProbablyDon’t) 2

What’sNewatCollege?FunFacts 6

The14HabitsofTopCollegeStudents 8

The11SecretsofGettingGoodGradesinCollege 11

6ThingsYouDidn’tKnowAboutGrading(butReallyShould) 15

12WaystoGetYourMoney’sWorthoutofCollege 18

TheCollegeStudent’sBillofRights 22

2 in The Beginning . . .

7ThingstoDotheSummerBeforeCollege 26

15ThingstoDotheWeekBeforeCollege 30

Do’sandDon’tsforPickingYourCourses 34

NoRoomattheInn?WhattoDoWhenYou’reClosedoutofaCourse 37

10QuestionstoAskYourselftheFirstWeekofClasses 39

Warning!BadProfessorAhead 42

3 skills 3.0

Top10Time-ManagementTips 48

WhyIt’sNeverGoodtoProcrastinate 52

TheHowNottoStudyGuide 55

10SecretsofTakingExcellentLectureNotes 59

15WaystoReadLikeaPro 63

x Contents

15StrategiesforPainlessPresentations 67

RunningScared?HowtoBuildYourConfidence 71

4 forced lABor

10WaystoWhiptheFreshmanCompRequirement 76

10TipsforTamingtheMathRequirement 80

Top10TipsforMasteringtheForeignLanguageRequirement 84

10IdeasforLearningtoLovetheLab 88

10TipsfortheFirst-YearExperienceCourse 92

HowtoTakeCoursesonthe’Net—forFree 95

5 iT’s showTiMe!

12TipsforA+TestPreparation 100

“SoWhat’sGoingtoBeontheTestAnyway?” 105

Top13Test-TakingTips 108

10TipsforWritingthePerfectPaper 113

Top10WaysofMakingtheLeapfromaBtoanA 117

16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor 118

6 PArTnering wiTh The Professor

15WaystoMakeYourProfessorLoveYou 125

The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor 129

EtiquetteforE-mailingYourProfessor 134

10SurefireWaystoPissOffYourProfessor 137

Top10ThingsProfessorsNeverWanttoHear(andWhatTheyThinkWhenTheyDoHearThem) 141

7 eMergency 9-1-1

10ThingstoDoWhenYouCan’tKeepUpwiththeLecture 144

Top10SignsYou’veBeenCuttingTooManyClasses 148

BombedtheMidterm:NowWhat? 149

Contents xi

7BestLast-MinuteStrategiesforSavingYourGrade 152

10SignsYou’reinRealTroubleatCollege 156

What,Then,toDo?The7-StepApproach 159

8 The second hAlf of college

HowNottoPickaMajor 162

13SkillsYou’llNeedforaCareer—andHowtoGetThematCollege 167

Top10MythsAboutStudyAbroad 171

TransferTips—fromCommunityCollegeto4-YearCollege 175

ThinkingAboutGradSchool?The10-StepProgram 178

10TipsforFindingaJob 183

9 The end—And The Beginning

GotaTip?JointheCommunity! 189Acknowledgments 191WebResources 193Index 195

inTroducTion

Y oumightnotknowthis,butyou’regoingtocollegeattheverybesttimeinthelastfivehundredyears.Newmedia,twenty-first-century

technologies,betterprofessors,governmentfundingforcollege—allofthesegotogethertomakethisawonderfultimetobeatcollege.

Thatis—ifyouknowwhattodo.Youmighthavethoughtprofessorsandadviserswouldtellyouallyou

needtoknow.Youwouldn’tberight.Someprofessorsthinkpartofcollegeisfiguringoutonyourownwhat’sexpected.Othersthinkit’sawasteofclasstimetogooverhowtomanageyourtime,study,preparefortests,orwritepapers.Stillothersthinkthatiftheytellyouwhattodo,you’llthinkit’sarecipeforanA,which,ifyoudon’tget,willresultinacolossalgradedispute—somethingnoprofessorwants.

And,atsomecolleges,theboomingenrollmentshavesimplymadeitimpossibleforprofessors,advisers,andstafftogiveyoutheadviceandattentionyouneedanddeserve—nomatterhowmuchthey’dliketo.

Andsowe’vewrittenTheSecretsofCollegeSuccess—thefirstbooktoofferquicktips,allwrittenbyprofessors,that’llhelpyouachieveyourfullpotentialatcollege.Whetheryou’reabeginningoradvancedstu-dent;whetheryou’reatafour-yearcollege,communitycollege,ortakingcoursesontheWeb;whetheryou’realreadydoingprettywellatcollegeormaybenotaswellasyou’dlike;evenifyou’reahighschoolstudentjustbeginningtothinkaboutcollege—thisbookisforyou.

Thesecretswerevealandthetipsthatweofferaretheproductofoverthirtyyearsofteachingexperienceateightdifferentcolleges—bigandsmall,privatecollegesandstateuniversities,goodschoolsandnot-all-that-goodschools.Overtenthousandstudentshavetriedthetips—andwecantellyoutheyreallywork.

xiv Introduction

Mostofall,thisbookisfuntoread.You’llfindyourselfnotonlystrategiz-ingaboutcollege—figuringourhowyoucanapplyourtipstoyourowncol-legeexperience—butmakinguptipsofyourownandevenwantingtosharethemwithothers.Andyou’llenjoyyoursuccesswhenyoufindthatthetips—bothyoursandours—havechangedthewayyouapproachcollege.

Congratulations.Thisisawonderfultimetobeatcollege.Makethemostofit.

Top 10 reasons to read This Book

#10. The tips are really good.Writtenwhollybyprofessors,thetipsinthisbookgiveyouhigh-valueinformationaboutwhattodoatcollege—andwhatnottodo.

#9. The information is not available elsewhere.Noprofessor,adviser,orcollegeguidewilltellyoutheinsidersecretswerevealinthisbook.

#8. The information is quick. Top10Lists,Do’sandDon’ts,To-DoLists,How-toGuides—alltheadviceisbite-sizedandeasytodigest.AndourProfessors’Guide™iconswillhelpyounavigateyourwaythroughthebook.

#7. The tips are practical.Noabstracttheorieshere,justconcrete,easy-to-followtipsthatyoucanusetoguaranteeyoursuccessatcollege.

#6. we tell you everything you need to know—and only the things you need to know. Fromthesummerbeforecollegetothecrucialfirstyearofcollege,frompickingamajortofindingajob—allthekeymomentsofcollegearecovered.

#5. The tips are up-to-date.Electronicresources,first-yearexperi-encecourses,FacebookandSkype,e-readersandonlinecourses,doubleandtriplemajors,closedcourses,researchontheWeb,internshipsandstudyabroad—allthenewrealitiesofcollegeareincluded.AndwegiveyoulinkstousefulWebsites,soyoucanfindoutthelatestinformationaboutspecialtopics.

#4. each tip stands on its own.Youcanuseasmany—orasfew—ofthetipsasyouwantandstillgetexcellentresults.Andyoucanfollowthetipsinanyorder.Pickatipthatinterestsyouandthenmoveontoothers,orjustrandomlyfliptoapageandstartreading.

xvi Top10ReasonstoReadThisBook

#3. we tell you what to do.Likeagoodundergraduateadviser(somethingsorelylackingatmanycolleges),wetellyounotjustwhatyoumightdo,butwhatyoushoulddo.Inafriendlyandsup-portivevoice,ofcourse.

#2. The tips are time-tested.Theadviceinthisbookhasworkedforovertenthousandstudents.Anditwillworkforyou.

Andthenumber-onereasonyoushouldreadthisbook:

#1. The tips are fun to read.You’llenjoythinkingaboutdifferentstrategiesforcollegesuccessasyoureadthroughourtips.And,inthebestcase,you’llLOLasyoureadsomeofourattemptsathumor.(Atleastyouwon’tbebored.)

The Professors’ guide™ icons

Herearetheiconsusedinthisbook—andwhattheymean:

ExtraPointEr. Anadditionaltipthatfillsoutanothertiporappliestoaspecialsituation.

5-STar TiP. Areallyhigh-valuesuggestionthatyoushouldbesuretouse.oneofthebesttipsinthebook.

BeST-KePT SeCreT. oneofthethingsthatnoonewantsyoutoknow,butthatwillhelpyoudoreallywellatcollege.

reaLiTy CHeCK. Aninvitationtotakeastepbackandassesswhat’sreallygoingon.

ioHo (in our HumBLe oPinion). Wegetonoursoapboxtobloviate—thatis,giveourexpertopinion—

aboutcontroversialissuesatcollege.Notallprofessorswillagree.

BonuS TiP. forthosewhocan’tgetenough,onemoretip.

FLaSH! Late-breakinginformationworthknowingabout.

xviii TheProfessors’Guide™Icons

ExceptwhereWebsitesareveryfamiliar(suchasGoogle,Amazon,BN,oreBay),we’vegiventheentireWebaddress,forexample,www.oCw.miT.eDu.SomeURLs,forwhoknowswhatreason,omitthe“www.”We’vewrittentheseas,forexample,HTTP://oCw.nD.eDu.

http://www.ocw.mit.edu

http://www.gradeinflation.com

The secreTs of

college success


G oingtocollegeisaveryspecialsortofexperience.It’satimeoftre-mendouspersonalgrowth.Atimewhensomestudentsgettheirfirst

serioustasteofindependence,whileothersfindtheirBFFLs,increasetheirFacebookfriendsexponentially,orevenmeetupwiththeirfuturespouses.Butevenmoreimportant,collegeisalsoatimeofgreatintellectualgrowth.Achancetostudythingsyoudidn’tevenknowexistedortodelveintotopicsyoudoknowaboutatalevelofdetailandsophisticationthatyou’veneverbeforeimagined.

Becausecollegeissospecial,it’simportanttomakethemostofit.Tosqueezeallthejuiceoutofitanddrinkitallup.Especiallywhenitcomestotheacademicsideofthings,wherestudentsoftendon’treapallthebenefitscollegehastooffer.Thischapterwillhelpyouunderstandwhatcollegeisallabout—togetarealpictureofwhatyouareabouttogothroughorarealreadygoingthrough.Anditwillofferbasictipsaboutthethingsthatmattermostatcollege.

Inthischapteryou’lllearn:

10ThingsYouNeedtoKnowAboutCollege(butProbablyDon’t)88

What’sNewatCollege?FunFacts88

The14HabitsofTopCollegeStudents88

The11SecretsofGettingGoodGradesinCollege88

6ThingsYouDidn’tKnowAboutGrading(butReallyShould)88

12WaystoGetYourMoney’sWorthoutofCollege88

TheCollegeStudent’sBillofRights88

1ThiS is college

2 CHaPTer 1: ThisisCollege

10 Things you need to know About college (but Probably don’t)

1. you’re in charge of this thing.Formanystudents,themoststrikingthingaboutcollegeisthatthere’snoonetheretoholdyourhand.Pickingcourses,gettingtoclass,doingthereading,andfiguringoutwhat’sgoingtobeonthetestandwhat’sexpectedonthepapers—allofthesearethingsyou’regoingtohavetodoprettymuchonyourown.Sure,thereareprofs(and,insomeschools,TAs)who’llgiveinstructionsandoffersuggestionsfromtimetotime.Butyou’retheonewho’llhavetotakeresponsibilityforhaulingyourbuttoutofbedwhenit’stendegreesbelowzero—oronehundredandfive,depend-ingonwhatschoolyou’reat—anddoingwhatyouneedtodo.

2. your parents may not be much help.SomestudentsareontheiriPhonefivetimesadaylookingforadvicefromMomorDad.Buteventhebest-intentionedparentscanleadyouastray.Collegesaredifferent—and,inmanycases,muchimproved—fromwhattheyweretwenty-fiveyearsago,andprofessors’expectationshavechangedaccordingly.Suggestion:tunedown(or,insomecases,tuneout)theparentsuntilyouhaveafirmhandleonwhat’sexpectedatyourcollege—today.

3. attendance isn’t required—but is expected.Oneofthefirstthingsmanystudentsdiscoveristhatcollegeclassescanbehuge:100,200,and,atsomestateschools,even700studentsinalecture.Insuchananonymousenvironment,it’stheeasiestthingintheworldtotellyourselfthere’snogoodreasontobothergoingtoclass.(Evenifyourschoolhassmallclasses,attendancetypicallycountsforonlyatinypercentageofthegrade,ifatall.)Butprofessorsassumeyou’vemadealltheclasses,andtheyhavenohesitationaboutaskingamidtermorfinalquestionthatfocusesonthecontentsofasinglelecture.Kindamakesyouwanttogo,doesn’tit?


4. Content is doled out in large units.Youmaybeusedtogettingyourcontentinshort,entertainingblasts:theone-tothree-minuteYou-Tubevideo,theabbreviation-filledIM,the140-charactertweet.Buttheprofessoristhinkingintermsofthefifty-minutelecture,dividedintoonlytwoorthreemainsegments;andtheauthorofthejournalarticleisthinkingintermsoftwenty-fivepagesofdenselywrittenargument,dividedintoperhapsthreeorfourmainsections.Bottomline?You’vegottoadjustyourfocusfromquickburstsofcontenttosustainedargument.Andretrainyourattentionspantoprocesslong—verylong,it’llseem—unitsofcontent.

5. up to two-thirds of the work is done outside of class.Contrarytowhatyoumighthaveheard,thelectureportionofthecourseistheleasttime-consumingactivity.That’sbecause(withtheexceptionofafewverybasic,introductorycourses)theprofessorisexpectingthebulkoftheworktobedonebyyou,onyourown.Doingthereadingandhomework;preparingforthequizzes,tests,andpresentations;doingresearchandwritingpapers—alloftheseareactivitiesthatcaneasilyeatupmorethanhalfthetimeyouputintoanygivencourse.

6. a C is a really bad grade.Manyfirst-yearcollegestudents—andevensomestudentswho’vebeenatcollegeforawhile—thinkthatiftheygetC’sinalltheirclassesthey’redoingjustfine—or,atleast,adequately.Butwhatthesefolksneedtoknowisthatinsomecol-legecoursesthegradedistributionis20to30percentA’s,30to60percentB’s,andonly15to30percentC’s.Setyoursightsaccordingly.

7. not everyone who teaches is a prof.Atmanystateuniversities—especiallythosewherethestudent-facultyratiois15to1orgreater—muchoftheteachingisdonebygraduatestudents.Atsomeofthebetterstateschools(theUniversityofCaliforniaandtheUniversityofTexas,forinstance),onlyveryadvancedgraduatestudentsareallowedtoteachtheirowncourses.Butatotherschools(wewon’tmentionnamesbecausewewanttokeepourjobs),thelecturercanbeafirst-yeargraduatestudent,whomightnotevenhavemajoredinthefieldincollege.Moral?Wheneverpossible,takecourseswithregularfaculty,who’llbemoreexperiencedand,inthebestcases,willactuallyhavedoneresearchinthesubjectthey’reteaching.


BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. collegesdon’talwayslistthenameoftheinstructorinthecoursedescriptionorattheonlineregis-trationsite.sometimesit’sbecausethey’vemadelast-minuteappointments,hiringsomeadjunctorTAafewweeksbeforethesemesterstarts.Butsometimesit’sbecausetheydon’twanttohighlighthowfewofthecoursesaretaughtbytheregularfaculty.gotothedepartmentofficetheweekbeforeclassesstartandaskwho’sscheduledtoteachthecoursesyou’reinterestedin—andwhathisorherstatusis.

ioHo. graduatestudentsatuniversitiesareoftencomparedtoresidentsatteachinghospitals.Buttheanalogyismislead-ing.residentsarefull-fledgeddoctorswhohavecompletedtheirmedicaldegrees;graduatestudentsarenotprofessorsandhavenotcompletedtheirterminaldegrees(inmostfields,thephd).

8. it’s the product that counts.Manystudentsthinkthateffortcounts.That’swhy,whenpapersarereturned,there’salwaysalineofstu-dentswaitingtoarguehowmanyhourstheyworked,howmanyarticlestheyread,andhowhardthey’vebeentryinginthecourse.Thethingis,incollegewhatcountsmostistheproduct:thepaper(nothowitwasproduced),thetest(nothowmuchyoustudiedforit),andtheoralpresentation(nothowmuchyouknewaboutthesubject,butcouldn’tquitegetout).

9. understanding is more than just memorizing.Whilesomeintrocoursesrequiresomememorizing(vocabularyinforeignlanguages,theoremsinmath,namesanddatesinhistory),otherbeginningcourseswillincludeessaysontheexams.Andinvirtuallyeveryadvancedorupper-divisioncourse,you’llbeaskednotjusttoregur-gitatewhatyou’vememorizedfromthelectureortextbook,buttodosomeanalysis,applytheconceptstosomenewcases,ororganizethematerialordatainsomeneworinterestingway.Prettydifferentfromwhatyoumightbeusedto.


10. The prof’s on your side—and wants to help.Manystudentsseetheprofessorasanenemytobedefeated—thepersonwho’lltrickyouwithallsortsofgotchaquestionsonthetestandwho’sverystingycomegradetime.Butreallytheprofessoriseagertoteachyouand(believeitornot)wouldliketoseeyoudowell.That’sbecause,inmanycases,heorshehasforgoneamuchmorelucrativecareerinbusinessorindustryforthesolepurposeofeducatingcollegestudents—likeyourself.Sowhentheprofinvitesyoutocometoanofficehour,gotoareviewsession,orjustcommunicatebye-mail,Skype,orFacebook,considerthepossibilitythattheprofessorreallymeansit.Becauseheorsheprobablydoes.


what’s new at college? fun facts

Therearealmost20millionstudentsenrolledinU.S.colleges—a8numbergrowingat4.5percentayear.

Almost60percentofcollegestudentsarewomen,and40per-8centofcollegestudentsareovertheageoftwenty-five.

Communitycollegesarebooming:overone-thirdofcollegestu-8dentsgotoone.

The8 averagelistpricefortuitionataprivatecollegeis$27,000,atastateuniversity$7,000(forthosewholiveinthatstate),andatacommunitycollege$2,500—ayear.(Atsomeschools,thepricesareconsiderablyhigher.)

Collegetuitionwentupbyanaverageof6percentlastyear—and8everyotheryearforthelastten.

About75percentoffull-timecollegestudentsreceivefinancial8aid.Andtherearenumeroustaxbenefitsforallstudents.

Arecentstudypeggedthelifetimeincreasedearningspotentialof8someonewithacollegedegreeat$279,893(notamilliondollars,aspreviouslythought).

Over90percentofcollegestudentsareonFacebook(MySpace,8Hi5,andFriendsterareconsidereduncool).Theaveragecollegestudentspendsabouthalfanhouradayonsocialnetworking.

Onlyabout10percentofcollegestudentsbelongtoafraternityor8sorority.

FouroftheeightIvyLeaguepresidentsarewomen.8

What’sNewatCollege?FunFacts 7

Manycollegeshavenewfirst-yearexperiencecoursesor8freshmanseminarstohelpstudentsfindtheirplaceinthecollegecommunity.

Manystudentstodayfulfilltheirlanguagerequirementwith8MandarinChinese,Arabic,orJapanese—notSpanish,French,orGerman.

Themostpopularmajorsarebusiness,psychology,nursing,his-8toryandsocialsciences,biology,education,andcommunications.(Classics,astronomy,filmstudies,aviation,andchemicalengi-neeringhavethefewesttakers.)

Themostlucrativemajorsarepetroleumengineeringandcivil8engineering.(Thejobprospectsaren’tsogoodinEnglish,classics,philosophy,andarthistory.)

E-textbooksande-resourcesarerapidlyreplacingprintbooksand8brick-and-mortarlibraries.Manystudentsreadtheirtextbooksone-readers,andsomestudentsevenrenttheirbooks.

“Smart”classroomsallowprofessorstoincorporatePowerPoint8presentations,videos,andothercontentintotheirlectures.Someprofessorsuse“clickers”thatallowstudentstoofferinstantinputonhowwellthey’veunderstoodthelecture.

Somecollegecoursesareconductedonline,eitherattheuniversi-8ty’sownWebsite,throughiTunesU,theOpenCourseWareinitia-tive,orAcademicEarth.(Somestudentswonderwhytheyshouldgotoclassatall.)

Manycollegesofferservicelearningprograms:yougetcollege8creditforvolunteeringtodocommunityservice.

Someschoolsrequireayearofstudyabroad:globalizationcomes8tocollege.

ThegraduationrateatU.S.collegesisonlyslightlymorethan508percent—somethingwehopetochangewiththisbook.


The 14 habits of Top college students

Whatmakessomecollegestudentssuccessfulwhileothers—well,lessso?Sometimesit’saquestionofintelligenceorinsight.Andsometimesit’ssheergoodluck.Butalotofthetimeit’saquestionofgoodhabits:thingsyoudoonaregularbasisthatsetyouasidefromthehordesofother,morescattered,students.Inthehopesofseparatingthesheepfromthegoats,wepresentthefollowingfourteenhabitsoftop-notchcollegestudents.You’llfindthatthesefolk:

1. Have a schedule.Notonlydotheyknowwhenthetestsandpapersfallinthesemester,buttheyhaveagoodsenseofwhatworkneedstobedoneeachweekasthesemesterprogresses.Niceandbal-anced:everythingingearandnoworriescomeexamtime.

2. Divide up the tasks.Readingsgetbrokenupintomanageablechunks(nottwohundredpagesinonesitting).Quizzesandtestsarestudiedforoverthecourseofaweek(notat3a.m.thenightbefore).Andpaperideasstartgestatingwhentheassignmentishandedout(notthedaybeforeit’sdue,whenyoucanbarelyformulateanidea,muchlessthinkthroughanissue).

3. are organized.It’simpossibletodoanyrealworkwhenyoudon’thavethetoolsforthejob:aworkingcomputerwiththerightsoftware,afastInternetconnection,agoodprinter,and,forsomecourses,athoroughknowledgeofhowtonavigatethecourseWebpageandtheuniversityandlibraryportals.Nottomentionthebasicmaterialsofthecourse:afullsetoflecturenotes,thetextbooksandarticles,and,ofcourse,allthecoursehandoutsandassignments.

4. Hang out with smart friends.Successfulstudentsknowthatspend-inglotsoftimewithfriendswhodon’tevenknowwhatcoursesthey’retaking—orwhythey’reincollegeatall—cancreateanatmo-spheresotoxicthatanyattemptstodowellimmediatelywitheranddie.Pickyourcohortsascarefullyasyoupickyourcourses.

The14HabitsofTopCollegeStudents 9

5. Don’t kid themselves. Forinstance, whenyouthinkyou’restudy-ing,butyou’rereallytweetingabouthowyoubarelysurvivedyourbonfire-jumpinglastnight.Orwhenyou’realternatingbetweenread-ingthee-articleandcheckingoutyourfriend’sFacebookpageeveryeightsecondsorso.You’retheeasiestpersonyouknowtodeceive.Don’t.

6. manage their feelings.It’sdifficulttoexcelinacourseifyou’refeelinginadequate,bummedout,ordoomedtofail.Studentswhoknowhowtofocusontheirownpositiveachievements—ratherthanonwhattheygotonthequizthatcountsforabout2percentofthecoursegrade—havealegupontherest.

7. Challenge themselves.Goodstudentsareintellectuallyener-getic.Whentheyread,theythinkactivelyaboutwhatthey’reread-ing.Whentheygotoclass,theydon’tjustvegoutortext.Ontests,theypounceonthequestionsandanswerthemdirectlyandfully(thisdistinguishestheirworkfromtheircolleaguestryingtoBStheirwaythroughthequestion).Andonpaperstheylookfordeeperlevelsofmeaningandmorenuancedpoints—alwaysahitwiththeprofessor.

8. are consistent—and persistent.

Tiredorhungover?“I’mstillgoingtomakeittothat9a.m.lecture.”

Late-nightreviewsession?“Liketheowl,Idomybestworkatnight.”

Difficultproblemset?“I’llgettheserightifitkillsme.”

Three-hourfinal?“I’llstaytothebitterend.MaybeIcantouchupmyessayandcollectafewextrapoints.”

9. are open to feedback.Whileit’seasyandmorefuntotossawayyourgradedpapersandexams,orconvenientlyforgettopickthemup,thebeststudentscarefullystudythecommentsandgooveranymistakesthey’vemade.Andwhenthenextpieceofworkrollsaround,theytakeanotherlookattheprevioussetofcommentstoseeifthereareanymistakesthattheycancorrectonthenewpieceofwork.Allwithoutfeelingwoundedordefensive.


10. ask when they don’t understand.Look,you’vegotamouth.Sowhenyoudon’tgetsomethinginthereading,inthelecture,orinthehomework,asksomeonewhomightknow.LiketheproforTA,forexample.

11. aren’t too shy.Sure,everyonefeelsintimidatedabouthavingtoseekouttheprofessor(oreventheTA)totalkabouttheirownwork.Butkeepinmindthatmostprofessorsenjoytalkingwithstudentsand,ifasked,willofferloadsofhelponpapers,preparingfortests,andevenfindingtopicsforfuturework—say,ajuniorproject,seniorthesis,orinternshiporcollaboration.(See“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor”onpp.129–133forourverybesttipsonhowtoapproachtheMan[orWoman].)

12. Look out for number one.Whilesomestudentsarewillingtoblowoffaweekofschooltosatisfytheneedsofothers—forexample,ademandingbossduringbusyseasonoranUncleFredwhoscheduleshisthirdweddingtwodaysbeforefinals—goodstudentsknowthatcollegeistheirjobandmakedoingwelltheirhighestpriority.Espe-ciallyduringthecollegebusyseason—thelastmonthofthesemes-ter,whenthosebig-ticketitemslikethetermpaperandthefinalexamrollaround,andtwo-thirdsofthegradeiswonorlost.

13. Keep themselves in tip-top shape.It’sdifficulttodowellifyou’resickasadog,haven’tsleptinaweek,orareloadeduponsomesub-stance.Successfulstudentsmanagetheirphysicalandemotionalneedsascarefullyastheydotheiracademicneeds.

14. Have a goal—and a plan.Thebeststudentsknowwhythey’reincollegeandwhattheyneedtodotoachievetheirgoals.Youcan’tdowellifyoudon’tknowwhatyou’redoing—andwhy.


The 11 secrets of getting good grades in college

Gradesarethemeasureofcollegesuccess.Likethesalaryatajob,abat-tingaverageinbaseball,orthepriceofastock,yourGPAisanobjectiveindicatorofhowyou’redoing.Andyet,there’ssurprisinglylittlegoodinformation—leastofallfromprofessors—aboutjustwhatyoushoulddotogetgoodgrades.Wegowhereothersfeartotread.Andso,herearetheelevensecretsofgettingreallygoodgradesincollege(A’s,wemean):

1. Take control of your destiny.Yourgradedestiny,thatis.There’snoteacherorparenttoremindyoueverydaywhatyouneedtodo,ortomakesureyou’vestudiedforexams.It’sallinyourhands.Sostepuptotheplateandtakeresponsibility.Thegradesyougetwilldependonwhatyouyourselfdo.

2. Don’t overload.Somestudentsthinkit’samarkofpridetotakeasmanycoursehoursasthecollegeallows.Itisn’t.Takefouror,atthemost,fivecourseseachsemester.Thatwayyou’llbeabletodevoteallyourenergiestoamanageablenumberofsubjects,andyouwon’thavetosacrificequalityforquantity.(Forourbesttipsonwhichcoursestotake,see“Do’sandDon’tsforPickingYourCourses”onpp.34–36.)

3. get your a** to class. Moststudentshaveacuttingbudget:thenumberoflecturestheythinktheycanmissineachcourseandstilldowell.Butiftherearethirty-fiveclassmeetings,eachclasscon-tains3percentofthecontent:misssevenclasses,andyou’vemissed20percentofthematerial.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. somenot-so-niceprofessorswanttopenalizestudentswhoblowofftheclassrightbeforeThanksgiv-ingorspringBreak.sotheypickanessayquestionforthefinalexamfromthatverylecture.endresult?YoucandoreallymajordamagetoyourgpAforthepriceofjustoneclass.


4. Take really good notes.Inmanyintrocourses,theprofessor’slec-turesformthemajorpartofthematerialtestedonthemidtermandfinal.Soasyou’retakingnotes,you’rereallywritingthetextbookforthecourse—whichinmanycasesismoreimportantthantheofficialtextbook.Besuretogetdowneverythingtheprofessorsaysandtomaintainyournotesinanorganizedandreadableform.Afterall,thesearethenotesyou’llhavetostudyanumberoftimeslaterinthecourse.(Forprimonote-takingtips,see“10SecretsofTakingExcel-lentLectureNotes,”pp.59–62.)

5. Study like you mean it.There’sadifferencebetweenstudyingand“studying”—andyouknowwhatitis.Whenyou’rereallystudying,you’re100percentfocusedonandengagedwiththematerial:atotalimmersioninwhatyou’redoingandastrongdesiretogetitright.Whenyou’reonlyhalf-heartedlystudying,you’rereallyonly35per-centinvolved,withtheother65percentofyourattentiondividedamongtweetingyourfriendabouthowmuchyou’restudying,scop-ingoutthesurroundingtablestoseewhoelsemightbearound(andhowattractivetheyare),anddaydreamingaboutallthefunthingsyou’lldowhenyoufinishthisawfulstudying.Look,weknowstudy-ingcanbepainful,butallstudentswhogetA’sdoit—nomatterwhattheytellyou.(Forourbeststudytips,seethe“How-Not-to-StudyGuide”onpp.55–58.)

6. Do all the homework.Youmightthinkthehomeworkandproblemsets—eachofwhichisworthmaybe0.1percentofthegrade—arejustbusywork:somethingtheprofessorassignstomakesureyou’redoingsomethinginthecourseeachweek.Butreally,thehomeworkprovidesapplicationsoftheconcepts,principles,andmethodsofthefieldtoactualexamples—thesamesortofexamplesthatwillcomeuponthebiggertests.Ifyoudowellonthehomework—thatis,gettenoutoftenontheproblemsetsoracheck-plusonthelittlewrit-ingexercises—you’reputtingyourselfinagoodpositiontogeta100whenitreallycounts—onthemidtermorfinal.

7. Take each test three times.Whendoneright,takingatestisreallythreeactivities:preparingforthetest,takingtheactualexam,thengoingoverthecommentstoseewhatmistakesyoumade.Eachactiv-ityfurnishesimportant—andgrade-improving—information:the


studyinggivesyoupracticeinquestionsverysimilartothethosethatwillbeonthetest;theactualtestiswheretheAisearned(atleastinthebestcase);andthereviewofthecomments(oftenaccompaniedbyavisittotheprofessor’sofficehourtoclearupanythingunclear)isaninvestmentinanAonthenexttest.(Forourbestadviceabouttests,see“12TipsforA+TestPreparation”onpp.100–104,“SoWhat’sGoingtoBeontheTestAnyway?”onpp.105–107,and“Top13Test-TakingTips”onpp.108–112.)

8. always answer the question asked.Morepointsarelostontestsandpapersbynotansweringthequestionaskedthanbygivingthewronganswer.That’sbecausestudentsoftenhavestrong—andwrong—preconceptionsaboutwhattheprofessorshouldbeask-ing.“Howcanthequestionbesospecific?”theywonder.“Howcantheprofessornotbeaskingaquestionaboutlastweek’sclasses,especiallysincehe(orshe)seemedsointerestedinthattopic?”“Cantheprofessorreallybeaskingaboutthatjournalarticleweweresupposedtoread,oraboutthediscussioninsection?”Don’ttrytopsychouttheprofessorordistrustwhatyouseebeforeyourveryeyes.Answerthequestion,asasked,head-on.(Ifyou’renotsurewhat’smeant,alwaysask—andrescueyourgrade.)

9. Play all four quarters.Manycollegecoursesare“back-loaded.”Morethanhalfthegradeislefttoassignmentsduethelastmonthofthesemester:athirdtest,15percent;theterm(orresearch)paper,25percent;thecumulativefinal,30percent.Yougettheidea.Paceyourselfanddon’trunoutofgasjustasyou’recomingintothehomestretch.

10. Do all the “extras.”Insomecourses,therearespecialend-of-the-semesteractivitiesthatcanimproveyourgrade.Reviewsessions,extraofficehours,rewritesofpapers,extra-creditwork—allofthesecanbegrade-boosters.Especiallyinschoolswheretherearenoplusesandminuses,evenafewextrapointscanpushyourborder-linegradeoverthehump(from,say,aB-plustoanA-minus—thatis,anA).

11. Join a community. Manystudentsimprovetheirgradesbywork-ingwithstudybuddiesorstudygroups.Trytomeetatleastoncea


week—especiallyincoursesinwhichthereareweeklyproblemsetsorquizzes.Andifyourschooloffers“freshmanclusters”inwhichagroupofstudentsalltakethesamesectionofsomerequiredcourses,signupforthem,too.Studentscanimprovetheirgradesonelevelormorewhentheycommittoworkinginanorganizedwaywithotherstudents.

5-startiP. resolvetogetatleastoneAeachsemester.get-tingevenasingleAwillchangethewayyouthinkaboutyourself:you’llbemoreconfidentaboutyourabilitiesandmoreenergizedforfuturesemesters.ifyou’reatallcloseinevenonecourse,workreallyhardtodoit.itwillchangethingsforever.


6 Things you didn’t know About grading (but really should)

Givenhowconcernedmoststudentsareaboutgrades,it’samazinghowlittletheyknowabouthowgradingisdone.Ormaybeit’snotsoamazing.Universitiesgotogreatlengthstohide—or,atleast,nottodisclose—factsaboutgradingthatanyonewho’staughtatauniversityformorethanayearisfullyawareof.Afterall,knowledgeispower,andnouniversitywantsstudentstohavethatmuchpower.Luckilyforyou,wehavethesixsecretsofgradingthatnoonewantsyoutoknow.Intrigued?Takeapeek.

1. it’s ten minutes—then on to the next.Youmightthinkthatyourgraderwillspendhalfanhourtoanhourgradingeachstudent’spieceofwork.Notlikely.Unfortunately,giventhataninstructormighthaveastackofthirty,forty,orevenseventypapersorteststograde,heorshehasonlytenminutestodevotetoeachpieceofwork—fifteenminutes,tops.Thisiswhyyoushouldgetrighttothepoint,makeyourclaimsclearlyandforcefully,avoidanyirrelevantorunnecessarymaterial,andtakethetroubletoreallyexplainyourpoints.(Formoreonthis,see“10TipsforWritingthePerfectPaper”onpp.113–116.)

2. The grading is often outsourced.Inlargeclassesatbigcolleges,theprofessorgivingthelectureisrarelythepersonwhodoesthegrad-ing.Insteadthereisusuallyacadreoflow-paidgradstudentswhodothegrading(atsomeschools,evenadvancedundergraduatescanbegraders).YoumightknowthegradstudentastheTArunningyourdiscussionsection,butyourgradermightalsobeanunseenandunnamedpersonwhohasbeenhiredonlytogradethewrittenwork.Someprofessorsactivelymanagethegradstudentorgrader,goingoversamplepapersandsettingagradingscale.Butotherprofessorsarehappytodelegatethewholejobtotheunderlingandneverseteyesonstudentwork(kindofamazingwhenyouthinkaboutit).


3. it’s not as subjective as you think.Whileit’sprettyeasytoseehowgradesareassignedon“objective”tests(likemultiple-choiceorshort-answertests),it’stemptingtothinkthatthegradingofessaysorpapersisjustamatterofopinion.Butifyouweretoactuallyreadasetoffiftyessaysonthesametopic,you—andanyonewhoknewthematerial—couldseerightawaythatthereisawiderangeoflev-elsofqualityintheanswers.Forprofessorswhohavebeenteachingthematerial,it’sextremelyeasytosorttheessaysintothosethatshowanexcellentunderstandingoftheissue,thosethatsortagetthepoint(butnotreally),and,finally,thosethatreallyhavenoideawhatthey’retalkingabout.That’showA’s,B’s,andC’sarecreated.

4. a’s are often in short supply.Despitewhatyoumighthaveheardaboutgradeinflation,itcanbequitehardtogetanA.Atmostcol-leges,professorsgiveabout10to25percentA’sinintroductoryclassesandperhaps30to40percentA’sinmoreadvancedcourses(wherestudentsoftenaremajorsandfurtheralongintheircollegecareers).(FortipsonmovinguptotheArange,see“TopTenWaysofMakingtheLeapfromaBtoanA”onp.117.)

rEalitychEcK. Youmighthavethoughtit’sprettyeasytogetgoodgradesatcollege,givenrampantgradeinflation.Buttoseewhattherealstoryis,checkoutprofessorstuartrojstaczer’swww.graDeinFLaTion.Com.Aninterestingandcomprehensivesiteverymuchrecommended.

5. grading usually is not a zero-sum game.Inclassesthatarecurved,yourgradeisinfactdeterminedbyyourpositionrelativetootherstudentsintheclass.Butcurvesarenotusedinallthatmanyclasses(liberalartsstudentsdon’tseethemallthatoften),andevenwhencurvesareused,professorssometimesmakeadjustmentstoachievesomeabsolutelevelforeachofthemajorgradedivisions.Sorelax—thereasonyoudidn’tgetanAisnotbecauseyourfriendstolethelastavailableA.It’sbecausethelevelofyourworkdidn’tmeritone.



6. There’s no real court of appeals.Sure,mostcollegeshaveofficialproceduresfordisputingagrade,butgradesactuallygetchangedvery,veryrarely—andonlyifthereissomeseriousproceduralirregu-larity(suchasthegrader’sincorrectlyaddingupthepoints,failingtoreadapageoftheanswer,ornotfollowingpoliciesonthesyllabusorcollegerules).Argumentsthatneverworkinclude“Myfriendwrotethesamepaper,butdidbetterthanI,”“AnotherTAgradeseasier,”and“Theassignmentwasn’tfair.”Ifyouhaven’tgottenthegradeyouwanted,it’sbestjusttosuckitin,thenasktheprofessororTAhowyoucandobetternexttime.


12 ways to get your Money’s worth out of college

Forsome,itcostsaboutasmuchasaLexusES.Everyyear.Forothers,aboutasmuchasaHondaFit.Andsomewillgetchangefroma$5,000bill.It’scollege,and,whateverwayyousliceit,it’sveryexpensive.Butcheerup.We’vegotadozentipstohelpyougetyourmoney’sworthoutofcollege.Evenifyou’relayingoutbigbucks,atleastyou’llgetmorebangforyourbuck.Here’show:

1. Take the choice courses, not the leftovers.Alwaysregisterforclassesattheearliestpossibledatesoyoucanselectthecoursesyouwant,notgetstuckwiththedregsaftereveryoneelsehasregis-tered.Forfirst-yearstudents,thismeansgettingtotheearliestorien-tationsessions,oftenheldin(gasp!)June.Butevenlateron,primocoursesareavailable,providedyoupickoff-peaktimes.(Foradviceonhow—andhownot—toselectclasses,see“Do’sandDon’tsforPickingYourCourses”onpp.34–36and“NoRoomattheInn?WhattoDoWhenYou’reClosedOutofaCourse”onpp.37–38.)

2. get out of the herd.Unlikethewildebeest,yoursafetyisnotinnumbers.Thebestlearningdoesnottakeplaceinlargelecturecourses,butinsmallerclasses,whichcanbefoundevenatmega-universities—ifyoulookcarefullyenough.Wheneveryouhaveachoice,sizedown.Andwhenthere’sachoiceofaprofessororTA—well,wouldn’titbebettertopicksomeonewhohasthoughtaboutthematerialformanyyears?

5-startiP. Whengivenachoicebetweenanonlinecourseandaregularlecture,you’llusuallydobetterwiththein-personcourse.Thecommunicationisgenerallybetterwithalivelecturer,and,formoststudents,it’seasiertoconcentrateinaclassroomenviron-mentthanlyinginbedtalkingtoyourroommate.


3. make it to all your classes.Somestudentsthinkabouttheirclasseslikefatcatswithseasontickets.They’llgettoafewbiggames,butmissthesnoozefests.Butsupposewetoldyouthatyouwerepayingbytheclass—say$100or$200athrow.Wouldyoubesoquicktocut?Youdothemath.Youmaybeastonishedathowmuchyou’veprepaidforeachlecture—moneythatgoesdownthetubewhenyoudecidenottoshow.

4. use the facilities. No,notthosefacilities.We’rethinkingabouttherecreationalandacademicservicesyoupaidforaspartofyourstu-dentfees:Olympic-sizeswimmingpools,Apple-endowedcomputerlabs—nottomentionthefreetutoringservice,writingcenter,andmathlab.Andifyou’renotfeelinguptopar,orcollegeisn’tturningouttobequiteashappyasyouexpected,besuretocheckouttheuniversityhealthserviceorcounselingcenter.You’vealreadypaidforthem,too.

5. Think about flying the coop.Atmanyschools,first-yearstudentsarerequiredtoliveinthedorms.Butafterthat,you’reonyourown.Considerlivingoff-campusinanapartmentoracooperativelivingarrangement.Youcanoftensavebundlesonfood(atmanycollegesthefoodserviceisoverpricedandisusedtosubsidizeothercampusprograms).Andhey,youmightenjoyplayingRachaelRay,nottomentiondoingdishesonceamonth.

6. Learn a skill for life.Onceyouknowyourmajor,beonthelookoutforcoursesthatwillgiveyoutheskillstogetaheadinyourchosencareer(evenifsuchcoursesarenotrequiredforthemajor).TheabilitytospeakChineseorArabiccouldbeabigsellingpointforabusinessmajorwantingtoworkforWalmartorProcter&Gamble—ortheCIAorHomelandSecurity.Acourseincriticalreasoningorlogiccouldpayoffforawannabelawyer—oracourseinstatisticsforsomeonegoingintothehealthcareprofession.(Formoreonthis,see“13SkillsYou’llNeedforaCareer—andHowtoGetTheminCol-lege”onpp.167–170.)

7. Keep entering the lottery. Manystudents(andparents)thinkthatthefinancialaidpackageyougetwhenyouentercollegeistheendofthestory.Butonceyou’reatcollege,theremaybeanumberof


opportunitiestocompeteforandgetvarioushiddenscholarships.Manydonorsgivepilesofmoneytospecificdepartmentsforthesupportoftheirmajors.Oftenthesescholarshipsarehandedoutonthebasisofmerit,soifyou’redoingwell,takefulladvantageofthem.

8. Hit up your uncle.UncleSam,thatis.Tosomedegree,thepainofout-of-controltuitionincreaseshasbeenlessenedbyaslewoftaxadvantagesincludingtheAmericanOpportunityCredit,theHopeCredit,andtheLifetimeLearningCredit—aswellastheTuitionandFeesDeductionandtheStudentLoanInterestDeduction.Besuretoeducateyourselfaboutallofthese,thencalculateyourcreditordeductionforeachtoseewhichonegivesyouthemaximumben-efit(manytaxpreparationsoftwarepackageswilldothisforyouautomatically).

ExtraPointEr. Veryhelpfulinformationabouttaxcreditsanddeductions(includingfamily-incomecapsandotherrequirements)isavailableatsalliemae’sWebpagewww.CoLLegeanSwer.Com/Paying/ConTenT/Pay_Tax_BeneFiTS.JSPandattheirs’sownTaxBreaksforeducationinformationcenteratwww.irS.gov/newSroom/arTiCLe/0,,iD=213044,00.HTmL.gluttonsforpunishmentcanreadtheentireninety-nine-pageirspublicationatwww.irS.gov/PuB/irS-PDF/P970.PDF.

9. Collaborate with a professor.Inmanyfields,therearerealpos-sibilitiesforworkintandemwithaprofessor—coauthoringschol-arlypapers,presentingjointpapers(orposters)atconferences,orinterning.Manycollegesarenowputtingbigbucksintosupportingtheseactivities,whichmeansyoucouldendupwithastipendforresearchcostsandtravel.And,intheverybestcase,you’lljointheprofessor’snetworkofprofessionalcontacts,givingyouabiglegupcomelooking-for-jobstime.Sweet.

10. Travel on their dime.Wanttoseetheworld?Considerthestudyabroadprogram.Manycollegeshavespecialscholarshipsorstipends

http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_tax_benefits.jsp

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/articl e/0,,id=213044,00.ht ml.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf /p970.pdf


toenablestudentstodoresearchabroadortotakecoursesat“sister”universities.Thiscanbeawonderfulopportunitytoimproveyourlanguageskills,todoresearchincountrieswhereyoucanstudytheobjectsfirst-hand,andtotakecoursesatcollegeswheretheyspe-cializeinwhatyou’reinterestedin.(See“Top10MythsAboutStudyAbroad”onpp.171–174forsometips.)

5-startiP. makesureyouhaveavalidacademicreasonforstudyingabroad.Hopingtofindanestonianbrideoraparisiangroomwon’tcutthemustardatmostcolleges.

11. Join the workforce.Atmanycollegestherearespecialwork-studyjobstobehad.Someofthese—likebeingamuseumguardorthecheckoutpersonatthecollegelibrary—havelongperiodsofdown-timewhenyoucancatchuponyourhomeworkatthecollege’sexpense.Andyou’llmakefriendswithotherstudent-workers,nottomentiongettingingoodwithyourparents(who’llbehappythatyou’rebringinginafewbucks).

12. Plan to finish on time.Theaveragestudentataso-calledfour-yearcollegenowtakesfiveorsixyearstofinish.Andmanycommunitycollegestudentstakemorethantwoyearstocompletetheirdegrees.Inmostcases,itisfinanciallyadvantageoustofinishyourdegreeintheallottedtime.You’llsurelysavemoneyifyourschoolchargesbythesemester(ratherthanbythecredithour).Andsomefour-yearcollegesevenofferspecialdiscountrates,andpromisenevertoraisetherates,ifyousignontoafour-year-to-degreeplan(sometimescalledtheeight-semesterplan).

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. ifyou’reshortoneortwocourses,youcan“buy”thematsummerschool,atanearbycommunitycollege,or,insomecases,atanonlineuniversity.it’llbemuchcheaperandyouwon’thavetosignupforawholenewsemester.


The college student’s Bill of rights

Asacollegestudentyoudon’tjusthaveresponsibilities,youhaverights.Butfiguringoutwhattheserightsare—andwhattheydoanddon’tinclude—isoftennosimplematter.Here’sour(semi-)humoroustakeonwhatyouare—andaren’t—entitledtoatcollege:

article 1. YouhavetherighttoannualtuitionthatislessthanthepriceofaLexusISCconvertible—atleasttheonethatdoesn’tcomewiththeHDDnavigationsystem.

article 2. Youhavetherighttocomprehensible,easy-to-fill-outFAFSAandProfile®forms—oratleastonesthatdon’trequireaPhDfromWhar-tonorSloanSchooltogetpastpagetwo.

article 3. Youhavetherighttoaffordabletextbooks—thatis,ifyouthink$600asemesteris“affordable.”

article 4. Youhavetherighttoprofessorswhoarebasicallyknowl-edgeableaboutthematerial—justnotoneswhocanholdtheirownagainstAdderallinkeepingyouawake.

article 5. Youhavetherighttoprofessorswhosometimesofferupsomethingfunny—justnotonesmakingregularappearancesatwww.CoLLegeHumor.Com.

article 6. Youhavetherighttoaprofessorwhodressesneatlyandprofessionally—justnotonewhoneverwears“mom-jeans.”

article 7. Youhavetherighttoprofessorswhodon’thitonstudents—justnotoneswhorankachilipepperatwww.raTemyProFeSSorS.Com.

article 8. YouhavetherighttoadjunctinstructorsorTAswhoarecourteous,friendly,andnice—oratleastwouldbeiftheyweremakingenoughtoliveindoors.

http://www.ratemyprofessor.com

http://www.ratemyprofessor.com

TheCollegeStudent’sBillofRights 23

article 9. Youhavetherighttoa“smart”classroomthatisequippedwithtwenty-first-centurytechnology—justnotaprofwhohasanyideahowtousethestuff.

article 10. Youhavetherighttonodoff,zoneout,orIMonceinawhileduringlecture—butnottherighttoplayPocketRocketsonyouriPhonerightunderyourprof’snose.

article 11. Youhavetherighttoexpressyourviewsindiscussionsection—justnottoholdcourtinyourastronomycourseonwhythemoonlandingwasahoax.

article 12. Youhavetherighttoanexamwithquestionsreasonablyrelatedtowhatwastalkedaboutinclass—justnotonethatcoversonlytheclassesyoubotheredtoshowupfor.

article 13. Youhavetherighttodisputeyourpapergradeandgetaclearexplanationofwhyyougotthegradeyoudid—justnottohaveyourgraderaisedsimplybecause“youpaidgoodmoneyforthisstinkin’course.”(We’veheardthisargumentmoretimesthanwecaretoremember.)

article 14. Youhavetherighttogetanextensiononyourpaperifyouhaveaseriousmedicalemergency,adeathinthefamily,oryouwindupinjail(nokidding,itreallyhappens)—butnotifyourInternetconnectionfailedjustasyouweredownloadingpagesixfromwww.CoLLegePaPermiLL.Com(notarealsite,sodon’tbother).

article 15. Youhavetherighttotalktoaprofessoraboutthetermpaperduringhisorherofficehours—justnotat5:45p.m.onthethirdThursdayofthemonth(theonetimeyoucanmakegivenyourjam-packedscheduleofwork,intramuralsports,andhookingup).

article 16. Youhavetherighttoacomfortableworkingenvironmentinwhichtotakeyourfinalexam—oratleastenoughspacesothatyourclassmatesittingnexttoyou(whohasn’tshoweredinthreedays)isn’tpouringsweatontoyourpaper.

article 17. Youhavetherighttospacesincoursesyouneedforyourmajor—atleastsometimeinthenextsevenyears.

http://www.collegepapermill.com


article 18. Youhavetherighttoaseamlesstransferofcreditsfromacommunitycollegetoafour-yearcollege—inyourdreams.(Getreadyforhoursofpitchedbattlewhenyoutrytotransferthatgraphicdesign101courseyoutookbackin1994.)

article 19. Youhavetherighttoprofessorswhodon’tattempttotelllamejokes—arightyoucanpromptlyexercisebyturningthepage.

T here’salwaysahugeamounttodowhenyou’regettingreadyforthecollegeyear.Luckily,yourto-dolistneedn’tincluderecreatingthe

heavensandtheearth.Nevertheless,itcanbequitelong.Gettingsuppliesforcollege,meetingyourroommate,orplanningyourcommute,pickingyourcoursesandgettingusedtothem—allofthesearepartoftheback-to-collegegrind.There’snoneed,however,torunaroundlikeachickenwithoutahead.Ortogetsofreakedoutbywhat’stocomethatyouendupparalyzed,unabletoevenstartonwhatthereistodo.Ourtipswillhelpyoufocusonwhat’smostimportantatthistimeandguideyouthroughthekeydecisionsyou’llneedtomake.


7ThingstoDotheSummerBeforeCollege88

15ThingstoDotheWeekBeforeCollege88

Do’sandDon’tsforPickingYourCourses88

WhattoDoWhenYou’reClosedoutofaCourse88

10QuestionstoAskYourselftheFirstWeekofClasses88

The13WarningSignsofaBadProfessor88

2in The Beginning…

26 CHaPTer 2: IntheBeginning…

7 Things to do the summer Before college

Somestudents—andtheirparents—can’tstartoncollegesoonenough.Andit’sagoodthing.Themoreyoudothesummerbeforecollege,thelessyouhavetodocomecrunchtime,theweek-before-collegerush.Tohelpallyouearlybirds(andjustabouteveryoneelsecollege-bound),hereareoursevenbestthingstodothesummerbeforecollege:

1. get to orientation—early.Almostallcollegesoffersummerorienta-tionprograms—typicallyday-longaffairs,someasearlyasJune,inwhichstudentsandtheirparentscantourthecampus,visitwithafewfacultymembersandacademicadvisers,and,mostimportant,picktheircourses(hopefullyit’sthestudentsdoingthepicking,nottheparents).Manycollegesfollowtheairlinemodel:onlyalimitednumberofspaces,especiallyinlarge,requiredfirst-yearcoursesthat,whenfilled,aregone.Tip:gototheveryfirstorientationses-sionyoucanmake,foryourbestshotatthecoursesyouwant.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. ifyougetintoanhonorsprogram,ordeclareyourmajor,or(atsomecolleges)signupforafour-yeartime-to-degree,youmightqualifyforspecialplacesreservedforthese“privileged”classesofstudents.findoutifyou’reeligible.

2. get some hardware.Ifyoudon’talreadyhaveacomputer,pref-erablyanotebook,netbook,ortablet,now’sthetimetogetone.WhetheryouchooseaPCorMac,wethinkyourcomputershouldweighnomorethanthreeorfourpounds,haveatleastasix-hourbatterylife(amustfortakingnotesinlecturesthroughouttheday),havewirelesscapability,andhaveafull-size(oratleast92percentoffull-size)keyboard.(Forourmostcurrentrecommendations,includ-ingpricesandwheretobuy,checkoutwww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/

TeCHreCS.)

http://www.profess

http://www.professorsguide.com/tehcrecs


ioho. ifyou’rethinkingofbuyingane-reader,makesureithashighlighting,note-taking,andinternetcapabilities.Thosearefeaturesyou’resuretowantatcollege.(Acolorscreenwouldbeanicety.)

3. get some software.You’llalsowanttogetsomegoodwordprocess-ingsoftware.MicrosoftWord2007isthecollegestandard,thoughmanystudentslikethefreeOpenOfficealternative.(Wewon’tbebuyingWord2010‘tilithasbeenaroundawhile;newreleasesfre-quentlyhavebugs.)Ifyou’rebuyingmoretask-specificsoftware—say,foryourbusiness,graphicdesign,orurbanplanningcourse—westronglyrecommendthatyouholdoffuntilyourcoursehasstartedandyourinstructortellsyouwhattobuy.It’dbeashametospend$329onthewrongprogram,onlytofindthatit’snonreturnable.

4. Surf the college web site.Sure,you’vehadapeekandwatchedtheglossypropagandavideoswhenyouwerechoosingacollege.Butnowhavealookattheacademicsideofthings.Gotothecollegeportaloftheuniversityyou’llbeattending;lookfortheacademicsorforcurrentstudentstabs;thensearchforthecollegerequirements,thelistofmajorsandminors,theindividualdepartmentalhomepages(whereyoumightevenfindsyllabusesforthecoursesoffered),andthecourseschedule(theactuallistofcoursestobeofferedinthefall—nottobeconfusedwiththecoursecatalogue,whichisthelistofeverycourseeveroffered).Themoreyouknowaboutthestructureoftheschool,theeasierit’llbetonavigateonceyougetthere.

5-startiP. mastertheacademiccalendar.it’sworthcheckingoutwhenclassesstartandend,whenfinalsareheld,thedatesofthoseall-importantfallandspringbreaks,andwhetheryourschoolcelebratesmartinLutherKingday,roberte.Leeday,orTuB’shevat.Now’sthetimetomakesureyourparentsdon’tscheduletheirtwenty-fifthweddinganniversary,thefamilyskitriptosteamboatsprings,ortheadoptionofyournewbabybrothersmackinthemiddleoffinalexamweek.


5. Dust off your language skills.Mosteverycollegehasaforeignlan-guagerequirement,usuallyafour-semestersequenceinalanguageofyourchoice.Nowwouldbeagoodtimetobrushuponalanguageyoulearnedinhighschoolorspeakaroundthehouse.Ifyoursum-merplansincludetravelabroad,resolvetospeakonlythelanguageofthecountryfromtouchdowntoreturnhome.Betterlanguageproficiencywillnotonlysaveyousomeofthedistributionrequire-ments,it’llactuallybeaboonifyoumajorinoneofthosefieldsthatuseforeign-languageresources—EuropeanorAsianhistory,inter-nationalmarketing,Slavicliterature,orpremedorotherhealthcareprofessions.

ExtraPointEr. ifyourschoolassignssummerreadingforthefirst-yearexperiencecourseorthefreshmanseminar,plantogetitdone.Youdon’twanttobebehindbeforetheracehasevenstarted.

6. reach out to your roommate.It’salwaysagoodideatofindoutwhomyou’regoingtobesharingyourdigswithforthenextninemonths.Ifyou'replanningtoliveoncampus,yourcollegemightbesendingyouallsortsofinformationaboutyourassignedroommate;buteveniftheydon’t,youcancheckhimorheroutonyourown.Youdon’thavetoscourwww.BaCKgrounDCHeCKS.Comorwww.BeenveriFieD.Com,sinceasimpleGooglesearchorglanceathisorherFacebookpageshouldgiveyoumoredirt—er,information—thanyouneed.Onceyougettoknowyournewroommatealittle—orifyou’reroomingwithagoodfriendfromhighschoolorfrompreviousyearsatcollege—itwouldn’tbeahalf-badtimetomakesome“roomrules”:Whendolightsgoonandoff?Whatwillthe“donotenter(youwouldn’twanttoseewhat’sgoingoninhere)”signalbe?Andhowmuchnoiseandpartyingistoomuch(ornotenough)?

7. Pursue your passion.Thesummerbeforecollegeisoneofthelasttimesyou’llbeabletodowhatyoumostenjoydoing,for100per-centofthetime.ForLynn,ageseventeen,itwasreadingRussiannovels.ForJeremy,ageeighteen,itwasworkinginacamerastore.

http://www.backgroundchecks.com

http://www.beenverified.com


AndforoursonJonah,agetwelve,it’sdesigningbridgesandreen-gineeringtheNewYorkCitysubwaysystemforgreaterefficiency.Gettingintouchwithyourtruepassion—andcultivatingitwithoutthedemandsofschool—willputyouinareallygood,andmotivated,moodforcollegeinthefall.And,withanyluck,it’llnetanelectivecourseinTolstoy,marketing,orcivilengineeringthatyou’llactuallylookforwardtogoingto.

5-startiP. Thesecretofcollegesuccessisintegration—liningupwhatyouwanttodowithwhatyouhavetodo.ifyousucceedatthis,youwillsucceedatcollege.


15 Things to do the week Before college

Thesemester’sjustabouttostart.Andyou’reallgearedupforfifteenweeksofgreatcourses.Ormaybeyou’restillinvacationmodeandhaven’tevenhadathoughtaboutthesemesterthat,nowthatyouthinkofit,beginsnextweek.Eitherway,you’reguaranteedthebestsemestereverifyoufollowourfifteenmust-do’sfortheweekbeforecollege:

1. Figure out where you’re going and how you’re going to get there.NothingatcollegeisworsethandiscoveringonthefirstdaythattherearenospacesleftinLot32orthatthebusdoesn’tstopatLincolnandNebraska.AlwayshaveaPlanB.Andwhileyou’reatit,figureoutwhereyourclassesaregoingtomeet.Youwouldn’twanttoshowupat411OldMain,onlytofindtheclassisat411NewMain.

2. Figure out where you’re going to eat.Areyougoingtobetakinglunchtoclassesorgoingbacktoyourdormorapartmenttoeat?AndwhataboutSundaynights,when(forwhoknowswhatreason)thefoodserviceinthedormsisclosed?Hey,youcan’tdothiscol-legethingwithoutpropernourishment.

3. Plan an exercise routine.Collegesinvestgazillionsofdollarsinworld-classexercisefacilities.Goovertooneofthem,pickupabar-bell,andimagineyourselfdoingthisthreetimesaweek.(Atleastyou’llhaveasoundbodyinwhichtoputyour,hopefully,soundmind.)

4. get some proper beverage equipment.Everylectureordiscussionsectionwillgobetterwithapipinghotcaffeinateddrink.Sohoofonovertothelocalsuperstoreorcoffeebistroandbuythebiggestspillproofstainlesssteelthermosyoucanfind.Evenifthelecturesarenotsohot,atleastyou’llbeawakeandnotspillingcoffeeonthelegsofyourpants(orworse).(Non-coffee-drinkersshouldconsidervita-minwaterandfive-hourenergydrinks).

5. Buy the tomes.Checkoutthetextbooksandotherrequiredbooksatyourcampusbookstore(aswellasotherbookstoresnear


thecampus).Alsoconsideronlinesites(amazon.Com, Bn.Com,eFoLLeTT.Com, HaLF.Com);bookrentalsites—bythemonthorsemes-ter(CHegg.Com,CamPuSBooKrenTaLS.Com, BooKrenTer.Com);andevengeneralmerchandisesites(CraigSLiST.Com,eBay.Com,andyourcollegeonlinenewspaper).

ExtraPointEr. ifyou’rethinkingofbuyingonline,youmightwanttousemetasites—Websitesthatcomparepricesatmanyonlinebooksellers.someofthebestareBigworDS.Com,BeSTBooKBuyS.Com,andCHeaPeSTTexTBooKS.Com(someoftheseyoucanevengetonyourmobilephone).ifyouownaKindle,sonyreader,ipad,entourageedge,orothere-reader,besuretoconsidere-textbooks.Theycanbecheaperand,nomatterwhat,willbeeasieronyourback.(forourlateste-booksiteande-readerrecommendations,includingpricesandwheretobuy,checkoutwww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/BooKreCS.)

6. Start calendaring.Getagoodelectronicorprintcalendarandstartenteringyourtimecommitmentsrightaway:whenyourclassesmeet,whenyouplantostudy,whattheassignmentsare,andwhenthey’redue(oftenthesecanbefoundinadvanceonthecourseWebpage).Someofthee-calendarswelikeincludeGoogleCalendar,iStudiez,AirSet,30Boxes,andiCal(forMac).Ofcourse,ifyouhaveaniPadoriPhone,doyourcalendaringthere.

7. Learn to Skype.Ifyou’venevertriedreal-timevideoconferencing,tryoutthefreeprogramatwww.SKyPe.Com.You’llbeabletotalkto—andsee—highschoolfriendsatothercampuses,professorsholdingvirtualofficehoursandindividualconferences,andevenyourparentsandsiblingsbackhome,ifyou’resoinclined.(Ifyourcomputerdoesn’thaveabuilt-inWebcamandmic,you’llneedtobuyoneforabout$30atyourcampuscomputerstore.)

8. get the word. You’llneedapasswordtoaccesstheuniversityportal(whichiswhereyou’llfindcourseWebpages,librarye-resources,yourenrollmentstatusandgrades,andonlineregistrationin

http://www.professorsguide/bookrecs

http://www.skype.com

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.bn.com

http://www/efollet.com

http://www.half.com

http://www.chegg.com

http://www.campusbookrentals.com

http://www.bookrenter.com

http://www.craigslist.com

http://www.ebay.com

http://www.bigwords.com

http://www.bestbookbuys.com

http://www.professorsguide/bookrecs


semesterstocome).Getitnow.Alsotakeadvantageofyourfreeuniversitye-mailaccount:professorswillbehappiergettingpapersfromjeremy.hyman@[email protected].

9. visit the books—including the electronic ones.Makeyourwayovertothelibraryandseewherethebooksandjournalsareshelved.Andwhileyou’reatit,lookattheelectronicresourcesatyourlibrary’shomepage:seehowthedatabasesande-resourcesareorganizedandimagineyourselfactuallyusingthem.Withanyluck,youwill.(You’llfindmoredetailsaboutthisin“16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor”onpp.118–122.)

10. Scout out the services.Whenyouhavesomeextratime,makeacampustourandcheckoutthevarious“offices”:advisingcenter;writingcenter;mathandcomputerlabs;tutoringcenter;andcentersfornontraditionalstudents,first-generationstudents,internationalstudents,singleparents,andveterans.Hey,you’veprepaidforalltheseoffices;whoknows,youmightactuallywanttouseonesomeday.

11. Find yourself a cave. Youwon’twanttospendmuchtimeduringthesemestertrying,thenretrying,allkindsofstudyplaces.Figureoutwhereyouthinkyou’llstudybest,thenchristenthisplaceasyourstudyspot.

12. rein in the folks.Setsomelimitsonyourparents,especiallyifyourdad—ormom—isthetypewho’llbetextingyouthetwohoursadaythatheorsheisn’tcallingyou.AndprotectyourFacebookpageifyourparentsaretheintrusivetype—orifyouthinkyou’llhavestuffgoingonthatyoudon’twanttobecomeafamilyaffair.Youmightprohibitthemfrompostingmessagesonyourwallortaggingyouinfamilyphotos—orrefuseto“friend”themaltogether.(Ofcourse,ifthey’repayingforyourcollegeandtheyknowtheinsandoutsaboutFacebook,yourfolksmightnotbeallthathappyaboutyourbanningthemfromyourpage.)

13. meet the prof.Forthereallybold—especiallyatsmaller,friendliercolleges—there’sthevisittotheprofessor’sofficetofindoutalittlemoreaboutthecourseanddistinguishyourselffromthenameless

mailto:[email protected]


masses.Don’tbeputoff,though,iftheprofessoristoobusytovisitwithyou(heorshemightberushingtopolishoffthesyllabusorfig-ureoutwhattosayinthefirstweekoflectures).

14. go clubbing.Whileyoustillhavesomefreetime,it’snicetoseewhatkindsofstudentclubsandteamsyourcollegehastooffer.YoumightjustbedyingtojointheJewsforJesusortheWiccans,theYoungGreenRepublicansortheDemocratsforSarahPalin,theRock-Paper-ScissorsClubortheDeathCabforCutiefanclub.Andevenifyoudon’twanttojoininonthefun,thelook-overwillgiveyouabetterfeelforwhat’sgoingonattheschoolandwhatthestudentsarelike.

15. Take a breath.Fifteenweeksisalonghaul.Don’tgetwounduptooquickly.There’llbeplentyoftimeforpaniconcethesemestersetsin.


do’s and don’ts for Picking your courses

Oneofthefirstordersofbusinessinanynewsemesterispicking—andgettingsettledinto—yourcourses.Thejobcanbebothincrediblyexcitingand,especiallyifit’syourfirsttime(orevenifitisn’t),incrediblyintimi-dating.Itcanseemliketherearemorechoicesthanstarsintheuniverse.Andwhoreallyknowswhattheydoinanthropology,linguistics,orcom-municationstudies—nottomentionapplieddevelopmentalpsychology,geospatialinformationsystems,andichthyology(thestudyoffish,forthecurious)?Buthavenofear.Followourdo’sanddon’ts,andyou’resuretolandtheverybestcoursesyourcollegehastooffer:

Do scourthecollegeonlinecatalogue—andthecoursepage(whenavailable)—forasmuchinformationaspossibleaboutwhatthecourseinvolves.Inthebestcase,you’llfindnotonlyadetailedcoursedescrip-tion,butalistofthebookstoread,theassignmentsrequired,andevenacoursesyllabus.

Don’t justlimityourselftocoursesyouknow,likeAmericanhistory,Englishliterature,orSpanish—orthosecoursesrecommendedbyanadviserasthe“standardfirst-yearprogram.”Oneofthemainpointsofgoingtocollegeistofindoutaboutthings—evenwholefieldsofknowl-edge—thatyou’veneverevenheardaboutorthataren’trequired.Besides,you’reprobablytiredofthoseoldsubjects,anyway,andyou’llquicklygettiredofallthoserequirements,too.

Do haulonovertoregistration(or,ifyou’rejuststartingcollege,orienta-tion)attheveryfirstavailabletime.Thoughweknowyou’dratherdojustaboutanythingelsebutfaceuptonewclasses,you’llguaranteeyourselfthebestchoiceofclassesandtimesifyou’reattheheadoftheline.Manypopular,andsomerequired,coursesdon’thaveenoughplacesatsomecolleges,and,hey,it’safirst-come,first-servedworld,especiallyinatimeofovercrowdingandcutbacks.

Do’sandDon’tsforPickingYourCourses 35

Do takethenormalcourseload,perhapsevenonethat’sabitlighterthannormal,ifyoucan.

Don’t loadupwithabasketofcoursesthatwouldoverwhelmevenHer-mioneandherTime-Turner.Therearenoprizesfortakingoverloads,andwhileyoumightimpressyourdormmateswiththebiggestcourseloadever,theiradmirationmightfadeasyoustarttofadebymidterms.

Do carefullyconsiderwhichforeignlanguagetotake—andatwhatlevel.Somelanguagesaremuchharderthanothers—amongthehardestareArabic,Chinese,Japanese,andRussian(thoughthesedoofferbetterjobpotential).Onceyou’vepicked,inmanyschoolsyou’restuckwithfoursemestersofthestuff(morethanvirtuallyanyothercollegesequence).Quellehorreur!

Don’t overestimate—orunderestimate—yourlevelofknowledgeinthelanguageyoutookbackinhighschool.Ifyouhaveagoodmasteryofalanguage,don’tgobacktobabytalk—theveryfirstcourseswillboreyoutotears.Butifthebestyoucandointheforeignlanguageiscounttofive—andyou’renotallthatsureaboutfour,cometothinkofit—youprob-ablydowanttosignupforwhatever-language-it-is101.

Do makesuretoselectthecorrectlevelmathcourseforyourback-groundandability.Inourexperience,moremistakesaremadeinsigningupformathclassesthaninpickinganyothercourses.

Don’t assumethatjustbecauseyougota4or5ontheAPtestthatyou’rereadytotakeMathforBrainiacs.Collegecourses—especiallycal-culus—canhavetheory,whichisgooddealharderthanfiguringoutareasundercurves.

Do beawarethatsomedepartments,especiallysciencedepartments,offerintroductorycoursesdesignedspecificallyformajorsinthefield,andothers(so-called“servicecourses”)forstudentswho’d“justliketolearnalittlesomething”(translation:passtherequirement)inthatscience.Ifyouhaveaseriousinterestinafieldorarethinkingyoumightmajorinit,byallmeanstaketheintroformajors,notthesublevelservicecoursethatnotonlywillboreyoutotears,butwon'tcountforthemajorwhenyougetintoit.(Youwouldn'twanttotaketwointros,wouldyou?)


Don’t takephysicsformajorsifyoureallyneedtobeinphysicsforpoets—ordrawingforartmajorsifpaint-by-numbersisalltheartyou’veeverdone.The“majors”coursesarenotonlygoingtobetoohard,they’regoingtofocusonalltheboring,technicalstuffyou’dneedtomajorinthatfield.

Do balanceyourprogram,choosingsomecoursesthatareeasier,someharder,somethatinterestyou,andsomethatfulfillrequirements.

Don’t listentoyourparentsorotherstellingyouto“getalltherequire-mentsoutofthewayfirst.”You’llsuckthejoyoutofcollegeandmissoutonchancestotakecoursesyoumightactuallyenjoy.

Do checkoutthefirst-yearexperience(FYE)courseorfreshmansemi-nars(FSs).They’reagreatplacetofindoutmoreaboutyourcollege,pol-ishupyourskills,orreadabookaboutglobalizationandthedeclineofAmericanculture.Andinmanycasesyou’llgetareal,breathingfacultymember,notsomeTAoradjunctfacultypersonyourcollegehiredyester-day.(See“10TipsfortheFirst-YearExperienceCourse”onpp.92–94formoreonFYEandFScourses.)

Bonus Do. Ifyou’reanupper-classstudent(ajunior,senior,orsixth-yearsenior),besuretoconsultwiththeundergraduateadviserinyourdepartment(ratherthanageneralcollegeadviser).Notonlywillheorshehelpyoupickcoursesthat’llbestsuityourprogramorinterestswithinthefield,heorshemightofferyoudirtaboutwhichprofswillboreyoutotears,whichprofsbarelyknowtheirstuff,andwhichprofsareteachingsomecourseonlybecausethechairofthedepartmentdumpeditonthematthelastmoment.Yourdepartmentaladvisercanbeyourbestallyinpickingcourses.

NoRoomattheInn?WhattoDoWhenYou’reClosedoutofaCourse 37

no room at the inn? what to do when you’re closed out of a course

Thecrisisisnationwide.Publicuniversitiesineconomicallydistressedstates(suchasCalifornia,Arizona,Florida,Michigan,andOhio)simplydon’thaveenoughspacetoaccommodatealltheirstudentsinalltheclassestheywant.Andwithrecordenrollments,evensomeprivatecol-legesarefeelingthesqueeze.What’sastudenttodo?Herearesomethingsyoumighttryifyou’rehavingtroublegettingintotheclassyoureallywant:

Pick an off-peak time.8 Considertakingthesectionsthatmeetattimesstudentsfindmostundesirable.Think7a.m.,lateafter-noonsandevenings,andFridays.

wait it out.8 Virtuallyallschoolshavewaitlists,andmanycoursesexperiencesurprisingdropratesinthefirstweekortwo—espe-ciallyiftheprofessorisbadorannouncesthatthecoursewillbecurvedorgradedreallyhard.Evenifyou’refiftiethonthelist,youcansometimesgetin.

Come up with a really good reason you need the course. 8 Goovertotheprofessor’soffice—duringpostedofficehours(you’llfindtheseonthesyllabus,thecourseWebpage[ifany],andthecardinfrontoftheprof’soffice)—andexplain,simplyandwithoutapology,yourreasonsforneedingthiscourse.Focusonacademicreasons:you’reagraduatingsenior,thecourseisaprerequisiteforsomethingyouwanttotakenextsemester,yourtransferfromcommunitycollegetostateuniversitywouldbeheldupwithoutthiscourse,oryourseniorthesiswouldbenefitimmeasurablyfromthiscourse.

wait ‘til summer.8 Manyoftheverysamecourses,oftentaughtinsmallersections,areofferedduringsummersession(s).Check


outtheuniversityWebsitetoseeifthecourseyoucan’tgetintoisoneofthem.

Try a nearby school.8 Ifyourcourseisfullatthatfour-yearstateuniversityorprivatecollege,considertakinganequivalentcourseatanearbycommunityorcitycollege.Justbesurethecourseissubstantiallysimilarincontentand,moreimportant,thatthecreditswilltransfertoyourhomeinstitution.

Look for an online substitution. 8 Somehigh-techandotherover-loadedschoolsofferonlineversions—withapotentiallyunlimitednumberofplaces—ofpopularcourses(especiallymathcourses).Seeifyourcollegehasanyofthese.

Find another course to satisfy the requirement.8 Atmanyschools,distributionrequirementsaredisjunctive—theycanbesatisfiedbyanyoneofanumberofcourses.Lookforsomethingalmostasgood(orbetter,becauseithasopenspaces).

appeal with a higher level course.8 Someschoolsallowyoutosubstituteahigherlevelcourseforanintroductoryorgeneraleducationrequirement.Talktoadepartmentaladvisertoseeifyoucanreplacetheclosed-outcoursewithsomethingmoreadvanced—forinstance,Americainthe1960sforAmericanHistory1877ThroughthePresent.Intimesofstressadvisersoftenhavespecialpermissiontomakesubstitutions.

Look in your vault.8 Sometimesyou’vealreadytakenacoursesomewherethatcouldsatisfyarequirement.MaybeanAPcourse,acourseatsomeothercollegeyouonceattended,orsome“lifeexperience”thatcouldtranslateintosomecredit.Hey,anaceintheholeisanaceinthehole.

Beg (or at least cajole). 8 Collegeprofessorsanddepartmen-taladviserssometimeshaveconsiderablediscretioningiving“overrides”todeserving—orsometimesjustplainnice—students.Thinkaboutwhatyou’dliketohearfromastudentwantingtogetintoyourclass.Thengolaythosethingsontheprof—onlyaboutthreetimesasthick.


10 Questions to Ask yourself the first week of classes

Youmighthavethoughtthatonceyou’vepickedyourclasses,you’reoveranddonewithit.Thedieiscast,nowjustsettleinandenjoyyoursemes-ter.Butafarbetterideaistosizeuptheprofessoryourself,byattendingthefirstfewlecturesandmakingyourownjudgment.Aftertheveryfirstclass(orfirstcoupleofclasses,ifthefirstclassisjustanintro),askyour-selfthesetenquestionsaboutwhatyou’vejustwitnessed:

1. is the teacher good? Evenafterthefirstclassortwo,youshouldbeabletotelliftheprofknowshisorherstuffandcanpresentthematerialinaclear,organized,andcoherentmanner—andwhetherthelecturehasapoint.Agoodteacherwillconstructeachclassaroundoneortwomainissuesandmakelogicalandcleartransitionsfrompointtopoint.

2. is the teacher interesting?Look,collegeisn’tSecondCity,sodon’texpectyourmolecularbiologyprofessortohaveyourollingintheaisleswithlaughter.Still,yourteachershouldruntheclassinawaythatholdsyourattention(atleastmostofthetime);thatmakesthematerialreal(oratleastsortofrelevant);andthatdisplayssomeenthusiasm(oratleastafewsignsoflife).Bonusesherecouldbeaninterestinguseofmediaintheclass,stimulatingreadingsandassignments,andprovocativediscussionsessions.

3. Does the teacher care that the students learn?Signsthatthepro-fessorcaresinclude:awillingnesstotakequestions,anawarenessofhowthestudentsarereceivingthematerial,andprofessor'sshowingrespectwhenaddressingstudents.

4. is the course too hard (or too easy)? Sure,mostcollegecourses,especiallyfirst-yearcourses,aredesignedtointroducestudentstonewsubjectsanddifferentwaysofthinking.Butifyoucan’tunder-standanythingthat’sgoingoninthefirstfewclasses,thisisasign


thatyouareinoveryourhead—somethingthat’sonlygoingtogetworseastheclassgetsdeeperintothematerial.(Ontheotherhand,ifyou’vealreadyhadthematerialinsomeotherclass—orifthecourseissuchajokethatevenBozowouldbeattheheadoftheclass—well,whywasteyourtime?)

5. Does the course presuppose stuff you don’t know? Paycloseattentioniftheprofessororthecoursesyllabusannouncesthatyoumusthaveaparticularskill(suchasknowingdifferentialcalculusorbeingabletouseAutoCAD)orhavetakensomeprerequisite(forexample,twosemestersofuniversitychemistry)beforetakingthiscourse.Studentswholacktheskillsorhaven’ttakentheprereqsarelikelytofindthemselvesplayingcatch-upfromDay1,withouteverreallysucceeding.

6. Does the course have too much work?Thecoursesyllabusshouldgiveyouaprettyclearsenseofhowmuchreading,writing,andtest-ingthecourserequires.There’snothingwrongwithcoursesthatarechallenging;andlearningtowritewellisoneofthemostimportantthingsyoucanaccomplishincollege.Butyouneedtobalancetherequirementsofthiscoursewithallyourothercommitments.Ifonecourseissoexcessiveiteatsupallyourwakinghours,then,unlessthatcourseisultraimportantforyourmajororyourlifelongdream,youshoulddropitandlookelsewhere.

7. would another course be a better choice for this requirement—or this major?Collegesoftengiveawidevarietyofchoicesforthegenedrequirement.Don’tfeelobligatedtotakethemostpopularchoicesoronlythecoursesyou’veheardof.Sotoofortherequire-mentsforyourmajor.Oftenthereisadifferent—andbetter—pro-fessorteachingthesamerequiredcoursethatsamesemesteroratleastinthenextsemester.

8. Do you really want to be learning this stuff at all? Sometimesafterlookingoverthesyllabusandhearingtheprofessordescribewhatheorsheplanstodointhecourse,it’sprettyclearthatthisisn’twhatyoubargainedforwhenyousignedup.Likethestudentwhosignedupforcriticalreasoning,thinkingshe’dfinallystopfallingforher


boyfriend’slinesandfoundherselfdoingtruthtablesandworkingtomastermodustolendoponensallsemesterlong.

9. Do you feel you can learn from this professor? Everyprofessorhasadifferentteachingstyle,andsomeapproachesmaysuityoubetterthanothers.Eveniftheprofessorhasagreatreputationandallyourfriendslovedthecourse,itcanstillbetaughtinawaythatdoesn’tfityourlearningstyle.Don’tbealemming.

10. Do you like the class?Inagoodclass,youshouldhavesomefeelingofintellectualexcitementand,yes,someenjoymentfromtheverybeginning.Ifthisfeelingisabsentatthestart,it’llonlygetworsebythethirtiethlecture.Don’tdisregardyourinitialimpression.Ifyoudon’tlikewhatyou’reseeing,droptheclassandaddanother.


warning! Bad Professor Ahead

Herearethirteensurefiresignsthatyourprof’sadud—andthatyoushouldgetoutwhilethere’sstilltime:

1. The professor is deadly boring.Evenintheveryfirstclasses,youcantellwhenit’sastruggletostayminimallyconsciousforthewholelecture.Ifyou’reboredtotearsandneedtotextmessagenonstop,downasix-packofRedBull,orpinchyourself—hard—justtostayawake,youknowsomething’snotrighthere.(Hint:it’stheprofessor.)

2. The professor is bummed out.Ifaprofessorcomesinonthefirstdayofclassesalreadygrumblingabouthowmuchheorshehatesteachingthiscourse,howmuchheorshewouldliketobeteach-ingatabettercollege,orhowteachingisawasteofhisorhertime(becauseresearchiswhereit’sat),don’texpectthingstogetanybetterasthecourseprogresses.Ruleofthumb:bummedouttostartgetsmoreandmorebummedoutastheweeksdragon.

3. The professor is condescending, combative, or full of him- or herself. Doyoureallywantaprofessorwhotreatsyoulikeafive-year-old?Orthinksthatstudentsaretheenemy,tobedefeatedinthepitchedbattlethatisthecourse?OrthatheorsheisGod’sgifttostudentkind?Probablynot.

4. The professor shows favoritism. Maybeheorshedoesn’tlikestu-dentswhohaveexperienceinthefield(sincethey’vealreadybeencorruptedorlearnedbadhabits)orprefersmajorsorupperclass-people(eventhoughthecoursehasnoprerequisites).Orperhapstheprofessorhasacadreofstudentswhokeeptakinghisorhercourses,sothere’sanin-crowdandanout-crowdbeforetheclassevenstarts.Sincecollegecoursesaren’trockconcerts,groupiesshouldn’tbepartofthescene.


5. The professor doesn’t give out a syllabus—or gives out a one-paragraph syllabus that is just the course description from the web. Someprofessorssaytheywanttoletthecourseevolve,mak-ingcarefuladjustmentsbasedonthepaceofthelectures,thespeedatwhichstudentsaredoingthework,orthegeneralebbandflowofthesemester.Right.Morelikelyisthattheprofessorwhodoesn’tdistributeadetailedsyllabusdoesn’tactuallyknowwhatheorsheisgoingtobedoingintheclassthissemester.Studentsinthiscoursecouldwellbebuyingapiginapoke,which,ofcourse,isnotrecommended.

6. The professor isn’t clear about the requirements and how much they count. Professorswhodon’thaveaclearandeasilyexpressibleideaabouthowthegradingwillbehandledcanwindupspringingallsortsofwackysystemsorinconsistentgradingschemesonthestudentsasthesemesterprogresses.Oftenstudentsinthissortofclassneverknowhowthey’redoingduringthesemesterandexperi-enceunpleasantsurprisesattheend.

7. The professor has incredibly petty rules.Bailoutifyouencounterasyllabuswithpageuponpageofrulesdealingwitheverythingfromtheuseofcellphonestowhetheryoucanwearcapstoanexam;howtoaddresstheprofessorandwhentoaskquestions;whenyoucanentertheroomandwhenyoucanleave;policiesabouteating,drinking,andusingthebathroom;twenty-fiveacceptablereasonsforanextensionandfifty-threeunacceptablereasons;gradepenaltiesforlatenesstimedtothehalfhour,andsoon.Sure,somerulesarerequiredbytheschool(duedates,gradingpolicy,and,incoldclimes,evensnowpolicy),buttheprof’ssupposedtobeteachingacourse,notrewritingthehealthcaresystem.

ioho. someprofessorswilltellyouthesyllabusisacontractandthattheyhavetoprotectthemselvesagainsteverypossiblecasethatcancomeup.Buttheatmospheretheycreatebydoingthisissocombativethatasharedlearningexperienceisunlikelytoemerge.


8. The professor can’t fill the whole class period.Lotsofprofessorsholdashortclassthefirstdayofclasses:theyintroducethemselves,gooverthesyllabus,andcallitaday.Butifclassisletoutearlythewholefirstweek,youcanbeprettysurethattheprofessoriseitherinexperienced,abadplanner,or,worstofall,doesn’treallygiveadamnaboutthecourse.Sure,you’dliketoblowitoffearlyeveryday.Butwhycheatyourselfoutoftheeducationyou’vepaidfor?

9. The professor seems unsure about the material. Professorswhopresenttheirlecturesinahaltingortentativewaycouldwellbepro-fessorswhoaren’tontopofthecoursecontent.Youmightthinkthatcollegeswouldonlyhirepeoplewhoreallyknowthematerialback-wardandforward,butyou’dbewrong.It’snotatalluncommonforfacultytobesaddledwithacourseinwhichtheyhavenoexpertise.Whyshouldyoubesaddledwithittoo,whenyou’vegotachoice?

ioho. iftheprofessorsaysheorsheisgoingto“learnthemate-rialwithyou,”getoutasfastasyoucan.That’sprofessor-speakfor“idon’tknowmya**frommyelbowaboutthisstuff.”

10. The professor presents the material in a confused or obscure way. Ifyourprofessor’slectureswanderaimlesslythroughlotsofunrelateddetails—oriftheprofessorseemstobejustdumpingeverythingheorsheknowsaboutthetopicwithoutmakinganyofitclearorunderstandable—somethingisdefinitelywrong.Likethattheprofessorisn’tabletoexplainthestuffinawaythestudentscanunderstand—or,instreetlanguage,thatheorshecan’tteach.

11. The professor uses the class as a political platform. Eveniftheclassisapoliticalscienceorgovernmentcourse,theprofessorshouldnotbeusingthelecturetospoutoffonhisorherownpoliti-calviews.Ifyourprofwantstobeapolitico,lethimorhergoonO’ReillyorOlbermann.

12. The professor never involves the students.Ifaprofessorattendsonlytohisorhernotesandneverevenlooksatthestudents—orneverpausestoacceptorinvitequestions—it’snotagoodthing.A


goodclassisadynamicalclass,andagoodprofessorengageswiththestudents.

13. The professor has no passion for the subject.Iftheprofessorisjustsloggingthroughthematerialwithnoapparententhusiasmforanythingheorshehastosay—well,howareyousupposedtogetexcited(orevenatallinterested)inwhat’sabouttogoon?Findaprofwho’sengagedwithhisorhermaterial—andwithteachingittoyou.

B eingsuccessfulatcollegerequiresafullarrayofskills.Somecomeintoplayatkeymomentsinthesemester,likewhenyou’refacingmajor

testsandpapers(moreontheseinChapterFive).Othersareneededthroughouttheterm.Let’sfaceit,onmostdaysyouhavetogotoclass,dotheassignedreading,and/orstudyforsomeweeklyquiz.That’swhyit’simportanttohavetheskillsofcollegedowncold.Partoftheday-to-dayroutineofyourlife.

Formanycollegestudents,thisismoreofadreamthanareality.Sure,they’velearnedSkills1.0,thefirst-generationlevelofstudying,managingtheirtime,andtakingteststhateveryonelearnsinhighschool.SomehaveevenmasteredSkills2.0,thesecond-generationlevelofskillsthat,withanyluck,you’veperfectedinyourfirstyearofcollege.Butdoyouknowwhatit’dbeliketohavethird-generationskills—fullypolished,professionalabilitiesthat’lldriveyoutothetopofyourcollegeclassandleadtoagreatcareer?


Top10Time-ManagementTips88

WhyIt’sNeverGoodtoProcrastinate88

How88 NottoStudy

10SecretsofTakingExcellentLectureNotes88

15WaystoReadLikeaPro88

15StrategiesforPainlessPresentations88

HowtoBuildYourConfidenceatCollege88

3skills 3.0

48 CHaPTer 3: Skills3.0

Top 10 Time-Management Tips

Collegeislikejuggling:fiveballsintheair,tryingnottoletanyofthemdrop.Betweengoingtoclass,doingthehomework,takingthetests,per-hapsholdingdownajoborraisingafamily—well,how’sameremortalsupposedtodoallthisstuff?Itboilsdowntomanagingyourtime:figur-ingoutwhereeachcommitmentissupposedtogo,decidinghowmuchtimetoapportiontoeach,and,mostofall,stayingontrackforthewholefifteen-weeksemester.Buthowareyousupposedtodoallthat?Hereareourtoptentipsformanagingyourjam-packedschedule:

1. Block your courses.Manystudentsthinkthey’lllearnbetteriftheyscattertheircoursesthroughoutthedaywithfrequentdowntime.Wrong.Usually,ifyouhaveagapoffiftyminutesbetweenclasses,it’smuchmorelikelytoendupasTwitterorFacebooktimethanasstudytime.Ifyoutakeyourcoursesbacktobackasmuchaspos-sible,you’llhavelargerblocksoftimetodevotetoconcertedboutsofstudying.Andifyoucangroupyourclassesononlytwoorthreedays,itwillfreewholedaysforstudying.

2. make a plan.It’snevertooearlytostartfiguringouthowyou’lldoalltheworkineachofyourfourorfiveclasses.Infact,theveryfirstdayofclassesistherighttime.Enteralltheassignments—includingweeklyassignments,quizzes,andexercisesorshortpapers—intoyourelectronicorprintcalendar.Thendevelopanoverallplanforbothyourrun-of-the-millweeklystudyingandthemondoresearchpaperorkillerfinal.Enteritallinorwriteitallout:noonecanjuggleintheirhead.

3. aim to make all the classes.Goingtoclassesisoneofthemosttime-efficientthingsyoucando.Whenyoumissclass,ittakesthreetimesaslongtolearnthematerialonyourownasitwouldhavetakentogotothelecture.Andyouneverreallylearnitaswell.Whocould,gettingnotesfromthatclassmatewhowritesillegiblyanddidn’treallyunderstandthelecturehim-orherself?


4. Determine whether you’re an owl or a rooster. Scheduleyourstudy-ingfortimeswhenyoucanseriouslyengagewiththework.Depend-ingontheirbiochronology,somestudentsfind11p.m.theperfecttimetofocus,whileotherslike6a.m.Justbecauseyourclassmatestudiesataparticulartimedoesn’tmeanitwillworkforyou.

ExtraPointEr. Besuretoscheduletimeforsleep.Whetheryoustudyinthedepthsofnightoratthecrackofdawn,you’llneedsevenoreighthoursofsleep.Whatgoodisitmanagingyourwakingtimeifyou’resowastedthatyoucan’tconcentrateonwhatyou’redoing?

5. Set up “zones.”Manystudentshavealotthingsontheirplateotherthancollege—apart-(orfull-)timejob,afewkidstotakecareof,responsibilitiesatthechurch.It’sagoodideatodivideupyourweek,andyourday,intodifferent,andnonoverlappingtimeblocks.Ifyouworkatyourjobinthemorning,thenbesuretoscheduleallyourcoursesandstudytimeintheafternoonsandevening.TuesdayandThursdayareyourchildcaredays?Don’ttrytoprepareforyourFridaytestinthosetimeblocks.Thekeytosuccesswhenyouhavemultiplecommitmentsiscompartmentalization:keepeachactivityseparate,anddon’tletonezonebleedintoanother.

5-startiP. Learntosayno.ifyou’reinyourstudyzoneandyourbosscalls,oryourkidneedshelpwithhisorherhomework,oryourpastorasksyouforhelpwiththepancakebreakfast,tellthemyou’llgetbacktothemlater.Hey,yourworkshouldbeatleastasimportantasfillinginforthesickworker,fifth-gradesocialstudies,orthetoppingsforthepancakes.

6. Keep a daily log.Especiallyatthebeginningofthesemester,youshouldtrackhowlongittakesyoutodothehomeworkineachofyourclasses,toprepareforquizzesandtests,andtowriteshort


papers.Knowingthiscanhelpyouestimatethetimeframeforfuturecourseassignments.Also,writingitdownwillpreventyoufromoverestimatinghowlongyou’rereallystudying(atleastifyou’rerecordinghonestly).

5-startiP. Adjustyourstudyplandynamicallyasthesemes-terprogresses.Typically,you’llfindthatsomecoursesgetharderastheygo,thatsomeprojectstakelongerthanyouplanned,andthattheworkloadisdividedunevenlyoverthesemesterinsomecourses.Themoreflexible—andthemoreopen-minded—youareabouttimemanagement,themoresuccessfulyouwillbe.

7. Do your homework on time.Eventhoughthere’snoparentorteachertostandoveryou,besureyou’redoingtheoutside-of-classworkwhenit’sassigned.Doingthereadinginadvanceofthelec-ture,studyingforeachquizasitcomesalong,andmemorizingwhatneedstobememorizedonaweek-by-weekbasisareallstrategiesthatwillincreaseyourefficiencyandcutdownonoverallstudytime.Sure,it’stemptingtoblowoffthehomeworkwhenthere’snotestloomingorwhentheprofdoesn’tbothertocallonanyoneinclass.Butthefunwillquicklydiminishwhenyouhavefivehundredpagesofreadingtocatchupontwodaysbeforethetest.

8. Prioritize your study time.Everyprofessorthinksthathisorhercourseisthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.Learntotriageyourcourses—thatis,tospenddifferentamountsoftimeoneachcoursedependingonhowimportantordifficultthatcourseis.Donotspendallyourtimeonthecourseyoufindmostenjoyableoreasiesttodo.Andifyoufindyou’respendingeverywakinghourononeofyourcourses,cutback.Keepinmindthatyou’vesignedupforfourorfivecourses,eachofwhichwillcounttowardonly20to25percentofyouroverallGPA.

9. Plan to do each task once. It’sverytime-inefficienttodothingstwice.Somestudentsthinkthey’lllearnbetterbycopyingtheirnotesover(moreneatlythistime),listeningtothesamelecturetwice(once


inperson,onceontheiriPod),ordoingthereadingthreetimes(oncetogetthegeneralidea,oncetofocusinontheplotandcharacters,andoncetotakenotes).Fuggetaboutit.Alltheseareincredibletimewasters.Andit’snotlikelythatyou’llbeabletofocusorunderstandbetterthesecondtimearound.

rEalitychEcK. Attheendofthesecondweek,assesswhetheryou’vehadanydo-overs—thatis,doneanytasktwice.ifyoufindthatyouhave,diagnoseyourproblemanddeviseastrat-egyfordoingeachtaskonceforthebalanceofthesemester.

10. Divide and conquer.Breakuplargerprojectssuchasresearchpapers,fieldstudies,andstudyingforcumulativeexamsintoman-ageablechunks.Andspreadthestagesoverareasonablenumberofdays.Alwaysaddsomeextratimetowhatyouthinkyouneed,becauseusuallythere’samajorcrunchorcrisistowardtheend.It’sbettertofinishalittleearlythantofindyourselfrunningaroundlikeamadmanwhenyourcomputercrashesat4a.m.themorningbeforeapaperisdue.


why it’s never good to Procrastinate

Procrastinate v.Toputoffdoingsomethinguntilafuturetime[Latinprocrastinare,“toputforwarduntiltomorrow”]

Temptedtoputoffstudyingfortheparticlephysicstest?Orwritingthatthirty-five-pageresearchpaperonfutureusesofnanotechnology?Sureyouare?Andwhowouldn’tbe?Butit’sstilladumbidea.Here’swhy…

Tomorrow won’t be better. 88 It’llstillbethesametask.Itwon’tbeanymorefunandyoustillwon’twanttodoit.

it only gets worse.88 Asthedeadlinegetscloserandcloser,thetaskstartstoloomlargerandlargerifyouhaven’tstartedthework.Andthestressmounts.Nownotonlydoyouhavetowritethatdreadedpaper,youhavetodoitundertheinfluenceofyourfight-or-flighthormones(whicharedesignedtohelpyouescapefromasaber-toothedtigerandaren’tofasmuchusewhenyou’reattemptingtowritecoherentprose).

you’re probably overestimating the pain.88 Beforeyoustart,thetaskseemsinsurmountable,thepainimmense.Butyouknowwhat?You’reprobablymiscalculating.Getstarted—maybeonasmallpiece—andyou’lldiscoverthatyouhavemoreresourcesandknowmoreaboutthesubjectthanyouthought.Result?Youwon’texperiencenearlyasmuchsufferingasyouexpectedto.

5-startiP. Asyouwhittledowntheamountofstufftobedone,thepainwillgodown.sotheamountofpainandresistancethatyou’refeelingbeforeyoustartisthemaximum.Thingsareguaranteed—100percent—togetbetter.

WhyIt’sNeverGoodtoProcrastinate 53

ideas need time to jell.88 Mostcollegeessaysrequireyoutohavesomekindofidea,thentospendsometimethinkingaboutit,revisingit,andrefiningit.Whenyouthrowtogetherapaperorareportatthelastminute,yourideasarehalf-baked.Andyourpro-fessorwillknowit.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. everwonderwhytheprofessorassignsthepapertwoweeksbeforeit’sdue?it’sbecauseheorsheexpectsyoutobethinkingabouttheissue,ordoingtheresearch,fortwoweeks.No,noteverywakingmoment,butatleastsomeofthetime.Afterall,theprofcouldjustaseasilyhavegiventheassignmentoneweekbeforeitwasdueifheorsheexpectedlessthinking.

you might be playing with less than a full deck.88 Afteraprofessorassignsapapertopic,heorsheoftenbringsupmaterialinclassdesignedtohelpyouwiththeassignment.Butifyouhaven’tevenbeguntothinkabouttheassignment,youmightnotevennotice.Wonderhowthismightgo?Let’ssayyouhaven’tstartedonyourpaperanddon’tevenrealizethatallthechoicesareabouttheCivilWar.TheprofgivesthenexttwolecturesonthecausesofandbattlesintheCivilWar,and,sincethepaperisn’tevenonyourradarscreen,youzoneoutduringtheclassorblowitoffalto-gether.Netresult?Yourprocrastinationhascausedyoutomissimportantcluesaboutwhatcouldgointoyourpaper.Shouldastartedearlier.

you blow off your chances for help.88 Ifyouleaveyourworkuntilthenightbeforeit’sdue,yougiveupthepossibilityofgettinginputfromyourproforTA.Professorsregularlydispensesageadvice—oratleastafewusefultips—duringofficehours.Unfor-tunately,though,theydon’tusuallyholdofficehoursatmidnight,soyou’llbeoutofluckwhenyoudiscoverthenightbeforethemidtermthatyouhavenoideahowtodothequestionsthatwillcountfortwo-thirdsofyourgrade.


you put yourself at a strategic disadvantage.88 Whileyou’refind-ingreasonstoputthingsoffforanotherday,someofyourcohortshavealreadyburstoutofthestartinggate—eventhoseduplici-toustraitorswhoassureyouthattheyhaven’tcrackedabook.Theseclassmateswillendupmakingyoulookbad,especiallyiftheprofessorcurvesthegrades.

Time can run out.88 Ifyouputthingsoff‘tilthelastminute,youmightfindthatyouhaven’tbudgetedenoughminutestofinishthenecessarytasks.It’stheeasiestthingintheworldtomisestimatehowlongit’lltaketodoallthestuff—especiallywhennewissuesariseasyou’rethinkingthroughyourpaperargumentorsketchingoutanswerstopossibletestquestions.

BonustiP. s***happens.Whenyouprocrastinate,youdon’tallowyourselftimeforthosevariouslifeeventsthatadverselyaffectyourabilitytocompleteyourassignment—likeillness,familyproblems,computerbreakdowns,troubleatwork,andalltheotherthingsthatseemtohappenjustasthedeadlineloomslarge.

55TheHowNottoStudyGuide

The how Not to study guide

Formanystudents,thebiggestdifferencebetweencollegeandhighschoolisstudying.Incollegeyou’resupposedtodoit,whereasinhighschool—well,youknow,notreally.Butbythetimethey’vegottentocollege,manystudentshavedevelopedstudyhabitsandstrategiesthatnotonlydon’thelpthemgetaheadatcollege,theyactuallythwarttheirprogress.Forthem—andperhapsevenforyou—weofferourfifteenbestideasforhownottostudy:

1. Don’t spend too much time looking for the perfect environment. Manystudentsthinkthatifonlytheyfoundtheperfectplacetostudy,itwouldallbeacakewalk.Sotheyspendinordinateamountsoftimescoutingandtryingoutvariouslocales—firsttheirdormroom,thenthecoffeeshop,thenthelibrary,thenthegrass,andsoon.Suchelab-oratesetuptimecanbeamajortime-waster,and,evenworse,canmakeyoufeelthatyoucan’tstudyunlessyouareinyouridealstudyspot.Betteridea?Findareasonablyquietplaceandjustgetstarted.You’llgetmorecomfortablewithyoursurroundingsasyougetgoing.

2. Don’t multitask.Believeitornot,somestudentsstudyforalltheircoursesatonesession:fifteenminutesonthissubject,fifteenmin-utesonanother,fifteenminutesonathird—yougetthepicture.It’safarbetterideatodevoteyourentirestudysessiontoasinglesubject.Thatway,you’llbuildupspeed,and,themoreengagedyouget,theeasierthestudyingwillbecome.Worstofallistointersperseonesubjectwithanother—dotenminutesofmath,thengiveupanddotenminutesoffreshmancomp,thenbacktothemath.That’sarecipeforguaranteedconfusion.

3. Don’t count busywork as studying. Somestudentsdoalotofpre-paringorgettingorganizedforstudying,buttheynevergetdowntodoingtheactualstudying.Don’tgiveyourselfcreditforstudyingwhenyou’reactuallyjustcleaningyourdesk,gettingtogetherthereadings,orreorganizingthefilesonyourlaptop.


4. Don’t start with the no-brainers.Somestudentsthinkthatstartingwiththeeasiesttasks—ortheonesthey’rebestat—will“easetheminto”thematerial.Troubleis,whenyougettothehardertasks,youstillhavetheleaptomake—andyou’remoretired,too.Suggestion:startwiththehardestormostchallengingtask,theneaseintotheeasierones.

5. Don’t discard the clues.Manyprofessorsgivestudyquestions,oratleastsayinclassoronthesyllabuswhatwillbemostimportantinthereading.Besuretoconsidertheseall-important(andtime-saving)suggestionsbeforeyoustartstudying.Ifyoursisaclasswithmathproblemsorproofs,besuretoconsulttheproblemsdoneinlectureorsectionbeforetakingoffonthenewones.Oftenthehomeworkproblemsarevariantsorextensionsoftheworkalreadydone.

6. Don’t just memorize.It’suselesstojustshovelstuffintoyourmindthatyoudon’tunderstand.Ifyoureallyareunderstandingwhatyou’restudying,yououghttoabletoexplainthemainideas,inyourownwords,tosomeonewhohasn’tdonethestudying.Takethetimetothinkaboutanddigestwhatyou’restudying,insteadofjustpre-paringtoparrotitbackonsomeupcomingexam.

7. Don’t microfocus.Somestudentsthinkthebeststudyingisslowstudying:readingeveryword,onebyone;writingeverywordofthepaper,onebyone;preparingapresentation,onewordatatime.Butlikeanycognitiveactivity,studyingisaprocessthattakesplaceovertimeandgainsstrengthbybuildingupspeed.Ifyoufocustoonar-rowlyontheindividualelementsofwhatyou’redoing,yousuckthelifeoutofthelearninganddisrupttheintellectualgrowththat’spos-sible,eveninstudying.

ExtraPointEr. manystudentsdon’tbothertakingreadingnotes—orindeedanynotes—thinkingthey’llrememberwhattheystudiedcometesttime.Noonecan.especiallywhenyou’retakingfourorfiveothercourses.Tip:writedownnotes—onacleansheetofpaper,notinthemarginsofthebookwhereyou’llneverbeabletoreadthem—asyouread.Besuretoleavespaceforadditionalcommentsthatyou’lladdwhenyougooveryournoteslaterinthesemester.

57TheHowNottoStudyGuide

5-startiP. ifyou’veinvestedine-booksandane-readerthathasnote-takingandhighlightingcapabilities,itmightbeagoodideatotakenotesinthe(electronic)margins.Thosewillbeneat,andchangeable,too,shouldyouwanttoalterwhatyou’vewrit-tencomestudytime.

8. adjust your attention span.You’reusedtogettingyourcontentin140-characterunits,intwenty-secondbursts,orwithlotsofvideotogowithit.ButcollegeisnotTwitter,YouTube,orHulu.Whenstudy-ingincollege,sustainedattentionisneeded.Learntofocus—withoutbreaksandwithoutadditionalstimulation—forfifteen-totwenty-minuteunits.Look,weknowit’shardtoreprogramyourbrain.Butdoingsowillpreventyourhavingtostartfocusingagain—andover-comingyourresistance—fiftytimesanhour.

ExtraPointEr. Besureyoudotakebreaksfromtimetotime.givingyourmindtimetorestwillkeepupyourstaminaand,inaddition,giveideastimetosinkin.ruleofthumb:foreveryforty-fivetofiftyminutesofstudying,allowaten-tofifteen-minutebreak.

9. Don’t count “study” time as study time.Somestudentskeepthreewindowsopenwhiletheyreadtheire-textbook:oneforthebook,anotherforFacebook,andthethirdforTwitter(Windows7makesthiseasy).Andthentheyflitbackandforthfromscreentoscreen,countingallthetimeasstudytime.Whenyou’recountingupyourstudytime,countonlythetimeyouactuallyengagedwiththemate-rial(notjustthetimeyousatatyourstudyplace).Ifyoucan’tdothishonestlyinyourhead,writeitdown.Thepencilneverlies.

10. Don’t count a “study” group as a study group.Manyclasseshaverequiredoroptionalstudygroupsinwhichyougettogetherwithotherstudentsfromthesamecoursetogooverthematerial.Ifyou’reparticipatinginoneofthese,makesureyouandyourfriends


areactuallystudyingthematerial,notjusteachother.Ifforwhateverreasonyou’renotstudyingthematerial,haveanicetime—justdon’tcountthetimeasstudytime.

11. Don’t be too hard on yourself.Manystudentssetelaboratestudyschedules—nothingwrongwiththat—andthenbeatthemselvesupwhenthingsdon’tgoaccordingtoplan—notsuchahotidea.Maybesometasktooklongerthananticipated,maybesomeadditionalmaterialswereneededtocompletethetask,ormaybeyouwerejusttiredordistractedthatday.Don’tbetoohardonyourselfwhenyouhaven’tstuck100percenttoyourplan.Keepinmindthatyou’llhavemanystudysessionsandthatremaininginapositivemoodaboutyourschoolworkismuchmoreimportantthanhowanyonestudysession—orindeedseriesofsessions—goes.

12. Don’t go it alone. Ifinspiteofyourverybesteffortsyoufindyour-selfspendingenormousamountsoftimepreparingforoneclassorarealwayshopelesslybehindinyourstudyingforthatclass,goseetheproforTA.They’vehadloadsofexperiencewithstudentsjustlikeyou,andtheycanmakepracticalsuggestionsabouthowyoucangetontherighttrack.(Forsometipsonhowtoapproachtheprofessor,see“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor”onpp.129–133.)

13. never blow off two days in a row.Thoughnobodyquitetellsyouthis,you’resupposedtobestudyingeverydayoftheweekatcol-lege.Ifeachprofessorexpectsyoutobepreparingacoupleofhoursforeachlecturehour,andifyou’retakingfifteenhoursoflectureaweek,you’resupposedtobepreparingthirtyhoursaweek.Hardtofitthirtyhoursofstudyinginonlythreedaysaweek,especiallyifyouhavelecturesonthosedays.

14. Don’t cheat yourself.Togetthetruevalueoutofcollege,you’llhavetobedoingalotofworkonyourown.Ifyoudon’tstudy—orifyoudon’tstudywell—you’reonlycheatingyourself.Whydothat?


10 secrets of Taking excellent lecture notes

Takingreallygoodlecturenotesisoneofthemostimportantskillsforcollegesuccess.Notonlywillconstantwritinghelpyoustayawakeandfocusedonthemainpointsofthelecture,yourlecturenotescanbecomequiteimportantcomemidtermorfinaltime.Mostcollegestudentsthinkthey’reprettygoodatnotetaking.Onlyoneintenis.Wonderhowyoucanbecomethatone?Havealookatthetensecretsofexcellentnotetaking,allfromtheprofessors’perspective:

1. write more, not less.Youshouldbewritingformostofthelecture.Sure,it’saquestionofbalanceandemphasis—gettingenoughdownsothatyou’vecapturedmostofthedetail,whilehighlightingthemainpointssoyoucanseehowthelectureisstructured.Butinourexperience,it’sfarmorecommonforstudentstohavewrittendownnotnearlyenoughthantohavewrittendownfartoomuch.Ruleofthumb:fifteenminutesoflectureshouldproduceonepageofnotes(or,inotherwords,threetofourpagesofnotesforatypicalhouroflecture).

2. use any advance information.Iftheprofessorhasgivenatitletoeachlectureonthesyllabusorhasgivenoutstudyquestionsinadvanceofeachlecture,makesureyoufamiliarizeyourselfwiththesebeforecomingtoclass.Themoreyouknowaboutwhatthemainpointsofthelecturearegoingtobe,theeasieritwillbetotakenotes.You’llknowwhatyou’relookingfor.

5-startiP. iftheprofessorhasn’tbotheredtogiveeachlec-tureatitle,youshould.That’llforceyoutolocatethesinglemostimportantpointofthatclass.


3. write down the professor’s ideas, not yours.Somestudentslardtheirnoteswiththeirownquestions,reflections,opinions,andfreeassociations.Butthepointoftakingnotesistogetagoodrenditionofwhattheprofessorissaying.That’swhat’llbeonthetest.Leaveyourownthoughtsforafterwardorforyourpersonaljournal.

4. Forget about complicated note-taking “systems.” Contrarytowhattheytellyou,there’snoneedtousetheCornellNote-TakingSystem,MindMapping,orthe“FiveR’sofGoodNoteTaking”(whatevertheymaybe).It’smorethanenoughtosimplynumbertheprofessor’spoints(andperhapshaveasubnumberortwo).Worryingaboutsystemswillonlyslowyoudownandcandistorttheactualshapeofthelecture.There’salwaystimetogobacklaterandstructureyournotes.

ExtraPointEr. Whentakingnotes,besuretosetoffsub-ordinatepoints(thatis,pointsthatcontributetothelectureinsomeway,butarenotonthemainpath).Also,indentandclearlyidentifyanyillustrations,examples,comparisons,andinteresting(thoughnotcentral)asides.Besuretonotetheirrelationtothemainpoints.

5-startiP. Wheneveraprofessorusesatechnicalorunfa-miliarterm,besuretowritedown—inthebestcase,wordforword—theprof’sdefinitionofthatterm.Thesetermscanplayacriticalroleinlaterlecturesandonthetestsandpapers.

5. Don’t zone in and out. You’reusedtorapid-firecontentdeliveredintwenty-secondbursts.Buttheprofessorisusedtodishinguphisorherideasinfifteen-totwenty-minutesegments.Trainyourselftofocus—andtowrite—forlongerintervals.Aboveall,don’tbedis-tractedbyotheractivitiesthatmaybegoingonaroundyouinthelecturehall—oronyouriPhone,iPad,orGameBoy.


6. Pay special attention to the beginning and the end.Oftenthemostimportantpartsofthelecturearethefirsttwominutesandthelasttwominutes,rightwhenmanystudentsareshufflingintheirseatsorpackingtheirbags.Manyprofessorsstarttheirlecturesbyreviewingthekeypointsofthelastlectureandlistingthemainpointsthey’regoingtocoverinthislecture.Andtheyconcludetheclasswithasummaryofthemainpointstheyhavecoveredandsometimesanindicationofwhatthey’lldonexttime.Besuretotakecarefulnotesduringthesehigh-valuemoments.

7. Look for verbal clues.Professorsoftentrytoflagthemostimpor-tantpointsinthelecturewithphraseslike“thekeypointis…,”“it’sespeciallyimportanttonotethat…,”and“oneshouldkeepinmindthat…”Lookfortheseindicatorsofthecornerstonesofthelecture.Andtrytowritedown—wordforword,ifyoucan—thematerialthatfollowsthem.

5-startiP. Beespeciallyalerttoanyquestionstheprofes-sorposes.Thoseoftencomeatkeyturningpointsinthelectureandoftenintroduceimportantissuesthataregoingtobetalkedaboutatgreatlength(andmightappearlateronatestorpaper).

8. Focus on the structure.Everylecturehasaplot:acentralpointwithaseriesofstepsthatbuildupthispoint.Keepfocusedontheplot—anditssubplots—andtrytocapturetheminyournotes.Continuallyaskyourself:Whatistheoverallpointofthelecture?Howdoeseachindividualpointcontributetotheoverallplot?Whydidtheprofessorchoosetomakethesepointsratherthanothers?

9. Beware of PowerPoints.PowerPoints(andthingswrittenontheboard)areusuallyquitesketchyoutlines—reminderstotheprofes-sorsofwhattosay.Makesureyouwritedowntheexplanationsoftheseoutlinesinyournotes,notjusttheoutlinesthemselves.Cometesttime,you’llbebehindtheeightballifallyouhaveinyournotesarethesepromptstheprofessoruses.


ExtraPointEr. Takenotesatallclassactivities—discussionsections,fieldtrips,visitstothemuseum,reviewsessions,indi-vidualmeetingsinofficehours—notjustlectures.Youneverknowwhatmightcomeinhandywhenthetestorpapercomesaround.

10. always do it yourself. Don’toutsourceyournotetakingtoyourfriend,totheprofessional“lecturenotes”(soldatthecampusstore),ortoyournote-takinggroup.Takingnotesforyourselfisthesinglebestwaytoengagein—andremember—thelecture.Nottomentionit’llactuallygetyoutogothelecture,whichisanachievementinitself.


15 ways to read like a Pro

Oneofthemainskillstobemasteredatcollegeiscollege-levelread-ing.Sure,you’vebeenreadingsinceyouwerefiveyearsold,butdoyoureadfastenoughforcollege?Doyounotonlygettheplot,butanalyzethecharactersandthemesasyouread?Andforscientificandtechnicalreading,areyoureallyfollowing—andevaluating—thetheories,methods,andtechniquestheauthorisusing,aswellastheconclusionsheorsheisreaching?Maybenot?HereareourfifteenbesttipstogetyoureadinglikeanA+student:

1. Don’t think you’re the only one. Don’tblowoffthereadingonthetheorythatnooneelseisdoingit.Plentyare—andyoudon’twantthemcartingoffallthegoodgrades,doyou?

2. Decide what’s required.Figureouthowmuchtheprofessorisexpectingyou’llread.Usually,whenthereareexactpagesspecified,heorshe’sthinkingyou’llreadthemall.Butwhendozensofbooksarelistedforasingleweek,theprofessormightbethinkingyou’llread“in”thosebooksorselectfromamongthem.Don’tdomore—orless—thanyouneedtodo.

ioho. payspecialattentiontothedistinctionbetweenrequiredreadingandrecommended(orsupplemental)reading—thatis,betweenwhatyouabsolutely,positively,100percenthavetoread,andwhatwouldbenicetoreadifonlyyouhadthetime.Wesuggestthatyousticktotherequiredreadingunlessthere’ssomespecialreasonfordoingtherecommendedreading(forinstance,whenit’srelevanttoyourpapertopicoryoujusthap-pentobeinterestedinthatissue—hey,itcouldhappen).


3. Figure out the point of the reading.You’llunderstandthereadingawholelotbetterandenjoyitmorewhenyouknowitspurpose.Isthereadingjustgeneralbackground?Isittheobjecttobestudiedinthelecture?Ordoesitgobeyondwhattheprofessoristalkingabout,fillingingapsinthelecture?Figureoutwhatthereading’ssupposedtobedoing,andyou’llknowbetterhowtodoit.

4. always read before the class.Inmostclasses,itworksbestifyoudothereadingbeforeyougotolecture.That’sbecausemostoftentheprofessorisexpectingyoutohavedonethelegworkbeforeheorshedoestheheavylifting.Andwhenthetaskofthelectureistoactuallyanalyzethereading,it’sparticularlyhelpfultohavereadwhat’sgoingtobeanalyzed.(Ofcourse,ifyourprofessortellsyoutoreadonlyafterthelecture,followhisorheradvice.)

5. Let the professor be your guide. Beforestartingthereadingassign-ment,makesureyou’vecheckedoutallthecluestheprofessorhasgivenaboutwhatyou’resupposedtobelookingforintheread-ing.Studyquestions,commentsinthepreviouslecture,handouts,thingstheTAsaysinsection—allofthesecancontainhintsthatwillmakeyouamoreprobingreader.Also,besuretopayspecialatten-tiontoanycluestheauthoroffersaboutwhatthekeyissuesare.Titles,sectionheadings,summaries,andanybigproclamations(“Inthissection,Iwillshowthat…”)canbeenormouslyhelpfulinlocat-ingthepointsthattheauthorthinksyoushouldbefocusingon.

6. Think about it right.Differentkindsofreadingmaterialsrequiredif-ferentkindsofreading.Whenyouarereadingatextbook,themainideamightbetogetageneraloverviewofthematerialandtakeinsomebasicfacts.Whenyouarereadinganarticle,thepointmightbetostudyandevaluatetheclaimsmadebytheauthor.Whenread-inganovelorepic,youmightbeexpectedtoanalyzethecharacteroftheheroorassesstheimportanceofvariousevents.Lookathowtheprofessoristreatingthereadinginlecture,andtrytomimichisorhermethodologyinyourownreading.

7. Track the developments. Inanyreading—beitatextbook,scholarlyarticle,novel,oraplay—there’ssomebuildingupofwhattheauthorhastosay.Asyoureadthroughthematerial,askyourself:Howisthe


argument(orplotorstory)developing?Whydoesthispointfollowtheonethatprecedes?Whatworkisitdoing?Themoreyoucanseewhytheideasareorderedinthewaytheyare,theeasierit’llbeforyoutounderstandthepointofitall.

8. Stop and think.Ifyoucometosomethingyoudon’tunderstand(especiallyifitseemsimportant),don’tjustputyourheaddownandchargeforward.Stopandpuzzleitout.Inmanycollegeread-ings,whatcomesafterdependsonwhatcomesbefore.Ifyoudon’tunderstandwhatcomesbefore,youwon’tunderstandwhatcomesafter.

9. use a dictionary.Missingakeyterm—especiallywhenit’satech-nicaltermorastrategicallylocatedword—cancauseyoutonotunderstandwhat’ssaidfromthatpointon.Alwayshaveadictionaryofsomesort(whetherprint,online,orevenacellphoneapp)whenyousitdowntoread.

10. work the problems.Ifyoursisamath,science,orlogicbook,youshoulddotheproblemsinyourheadasyou’rereadingthem.Thatwayyouwon’tjustbepassivelyabsorbingwhattheauthorissay-ing,you’llbeexercisingyourmindandapplyingtheconceptstothematerialonyourown.Justlikeyou’llhavetodoonthetest.

11. maintain the right pace.Whiledifferentkindsofreadinggoatdif-ferentspeeds,it’simportantnevertoadoptthepaceofthesnailorgoatitlikeabatoutofhell.Agoodpaceisoneslowenoughtoreallyunderstandwhat’sbeingsaid,butnotsoslowthatyou’vesqueezedanylifeoutofwhatyou’rereading,ortotallylostanyoverallsenseofwhat’sgoingon.

12. use a card. Thesinglebestwaytoimproveyourreadingspeedistophysicallymoveanindexcardthewidthofthepagedownthepageasyouread.Thistechniqueforcesyoureyetomakefewerfixa-tionsoneachsingleline,andpropelsyoureyeforwardsoyoumovethroughthepagemorequickly.

13. never sub-vocalize.Contrarytowhattheymighthavetaughtyouinfirstgrade,readingoutloudtoyourselfisasurefirewaytoslowyourselfdown.You’resupposedtomovedirectlyfromreadingto


understanding,notthroughanintermediatestageofsayingeachwordtoyourself.

ioho. AvoidmethodslikethesQ3rstrategythatencourageyoutodoanactivityoutloudinyourhead.Whenyou’rereadingfluidly,understandingshouldbeautomatic,notsub-vocalized.

14. read the extras. Besuretolookat“grayboxes,”illustrations,andproblemssolvedinthereading.Eveniftheylookpretty,theystillcountascontenttomaster.Andiftheauthorhasincluded“ques-tionsforthought”attheendofthechapter(especiallyinatextbook),you’dbeafoolnottotrytoanswerthem,atleastinyourhead.

15. Keep a record. Thoughwe’renotdeadsetagainsthighlightingorwritingcodewordsinthemargins,wethinkit’sbesttokeepreadingnotesinaseparatenotebookorWordfile(unlessyou’reusingane-readerwithgoodnote-takingcapacities).Comethetest,it’sthreetimesaseasytostudyfromacompletedocumentasitistoscanahighlightedtextbookthatlooksmorelikeaChristmastreethanasummaryofthereading.

BonustiP. don’thaveacowifthereadingisnotcomingeas-ily.readingisaskill,andinmanycourses—especiallyonesinwhichyou’renewtothesubject—you’llbuildupyourcompre-hensionandspeedasthesemestergoeson.Keepatit,don’tgetdepressed,andprettysoonyou’llbereadingasifyou’dbeendoingitallyourlife.Whichyouhave.


15 strategies for Painless Presentations

Evenmorethandeathandtaxes,thethingpeoplefearmostisspeak-inginpublic.Needlesstosay,collegestudentsarenotimmunefromthisterror—which,foryoupsychologyhounds,evenhasaname:glossophobia.Unfortunately,atcollegeit’snotalwayssoeasytoavoidpublicspeaking.Someschoolshaverequiredcoursesinspeech,whileothersincorporatereports,presentations,andseminarsintoabroadvarietyofcourses.Still,there’snoneedtoloseyourbreakfast(orlunch,dinner,orlate-nightsnack)overyourupcomingpresentation.Ourfifteentipsforimprovingyourpublicspeakingwillmakeevenagarden-varietyspeakerintoarealCicero:

1. Do your homework.Nobodycangiveagoodpresentationwithoutputtinginsomeserioustimepreparinghisorherremarks.Manygiftedspeakerslooklikethey’rejusttalkingoffthecuff,sayingwhat-evercomestomind.Butintruththey’vespentconsiderabletimeinadvancefiguringoutwhatthey’regoingtosay.Youshould,too.

5-startiP. it’salwaysagoodideatotryout(atleastpartof)yourpresentationonyourprofessororTAbeforegivingitinclass.officehoursworkwellforthis.

2. Play the parts. Goodpresentationsarestructuredinsections.Orga-nizingyourpointsintotwoorthreemainparts—andtellingyouraudiencewhatthesepartsare(bothatthebeginningofthepaperandatthestartofeachsection)—canmakethedifferencebetweenawinningpresentationandaloser.

3. Do a dry run.It’salwaysgoodtodoarun-through(orevenacoupleofrun-throughs)thenightbeforethepresentation.Thiscanhelpwithbothyourtimingandmannerofpresentation(besuretomake


mentalnotesifyouwentontoolongorgotnervousorstuck).Somepeoplefinditusefultohaveafriendpretendtobetheaudience.Heorshecanbuildupyourconfidenceandmaybeevenaskaquestionortwo(nothingwrongwithtryingyourluckatinteractingwithaquestioner).

4. Look presentable. Noneedtowearasuit,butit’shardforpeopletotakeapresentationseriouslywhenyoulooklikeyou’vejustrolledoutofbed.Evenifyouhave.

5. arrive early. Eventhemostexperiencedspeakerscancomeungluediftheyhavetorushthroughtheirsetup—assemblingtheirmaterials,preparinganyhandoutsordisplays,andsimplygettingintheproperframeofmindforapresentation.Giveyourselfafewextraminutes.

5-startiP. Besuretotryoutalltheelectronics(computerhookup,powerpoint,audio,internetconnection,ormicrophone)inadvanceofyourtalk.And,thoughmanyspeakersdon’tthinkaboutthisone,makesurethevolumeonallthedevicesisloudenoughsothatsomeoneatthebackoftheroomcanclearlyhearwhatyouhavetosay(haveafriendbethe“speaker”andyoubethe“audience”totestitout).

6. Talk, don’t read.Nobodyenjoysseeingaspeakerburyinghisorherfaceinascript,readingstiffly.Trytotalkfromnotesor,ifyouuseawritten-outtext,trytolookdownatitonlyoccasionally.Keepinmindthat,inmanycases,it’smoreimportantthatyoudemonstrateanunderstandingofyourtopicthanthatyoucaptureyourpreparedtextwordforword.(Yourpracticesessionsshouldhelpyouhere,sincetheyenableyoutobetterrememberwhatyouwanttosay.)

7. Take it slow.Thesinglebiggestmistakeinexperiencedspeakersmakeisgoingtoofast.Rememberthatyouraudienceishearingthematerialforthefirsttimeandisn’tnearlyasfamiliarwithitasyouare.


ExtraPointEr. ifyoufindyourselfrunningoutoftime,eitherdrop,orbrieflysummarize,anyleft-overmaterial.ifyourpre-sentationincludesadiscussionperiod,gestureatthepointsyouhaven’tfullycoveredandsuggestthemasthingsthatcouldbediscussedlater.

8. use “aids.” Forcertainsortsofpresentations,visualaids—suchasPowerPoints,handouts,eventhingswrittenontheboard—canhelpyouraudiencelocateandgraspthemainpointsandhelpyouremem-berwhattheyare.Justbesureyoufullyexplainthesematerialsinyourpresentation:nooneishappytoseeanoutlinethatheorshecan’tmakeheadsortailsof.

ExtraPointEr. somepresentersfindthe“speakernotes”featureinpowerpointuseful(youseeawindowwithyournotesthattheaudiencedoesn’tsee).surebeatsflashcards.

9. Don’t bury the crowd. Includingmassivenumbersofquotesorunfathomableamountsofdatacanoverwhelmeventhemostatten-tiveaudience.Whywouldyouwanttodothat?

10. Be yourself.Asimportantasthecontentyoupresentisyourauthen-ticityinpresentingit.Sodon’ttrytobesomeoneyou’renot.You’llneversucceed.

11. Play it straight. There’snoharminincludingalittlehumorinyourpresentations,especiallyifyoucancarryitoffwell.Butinmostcol-legepresentations,clownsgetC’s.

12. Circle the crowd.Averyimportantpartofpublicspeakingistomakeeyecontactwithpeopleseatedinallpartsoftheroom—eventhosenoddingoffintheback.Thisshowspeoplethatyou’reinter-estedincommunicatingwiththem—notjustgettingthroughthishellishexperienceASAP.Anditwouldn’thurttogetoutfrombehindthepodiumordesk,andwalkaroundtheroomalittle.Sharingspace


withtheaudiencecanalsocommunicateyourinterestinsharingyourresultswiththem—somethingyousurelywanttodo.

13. appear relaxed.Youdon’thavetoactuallyberelaxed—fewspeak-ersare—butatleasttrytoappearasrelaxedaspossible.Bringalongsomewaterorasoftdrink,takeshortbreaksfromtimetotime,andgetabsorbedinthemoment.Nooneenjoysspeakerswhoaretrem-blingandsweatingbullets.

14. Finish strong.Alwaysbesuretohaveasatisfyingconclusiontoyourpresentation,inwhichyoumakecleartothelistenerswhattheynowknow.Thiscreatesawarmfeelinginthemindsofyourlisten-ersandshowsthemthatthey’vereallylearnedsomethingfromyourlovelytalk.

ioho. Welcomeinterruptions.somespeakersareterrifiedthatsomeonewillinterrupttheirpresentationwithaquestionorcom-ment.Actually,thisisoneofthebestthingsthatcanhappen:itshowsthatsomeoneintheaudiencehasengagedwithwhatyou’resaying,anditcanactuallyleadtogenuineprogressonthepointyouweremaking.Andtwo-wayconversation(assumingyou’reminimallygoodatit)isalwaysatensionreducer.

15. Know when to stop lecturing. Certainpresentations—especiallyinadvancedorupper-divisionclassesorseminars—canrequireyoutopresentsomematerial,thenleadadiscussion.Besuretoattentivelylistentoanycommentsorquestionsyourclassmatesorprofessormightraise,beforestartingonyouranswer.Inadiscussionperiod,neverlecture(onlydiscuss),andbesuretoanswerexactlytheques-tionasked(notofferupmorecanned—butirrelevant—material).Inmanyclasses,howyoudiscussisasimportantashowyoupresent(insomeclasses,it’seventakenintoaccountinthegrade).


running scared? how to Build your confidence

It’seasytofeelalackofconfidenceatcollege.Lectureswithhundredsofstudentscanmakeonefeelnobiggerthanaworm.Andevensmallerclassescanmakeyoufeellowwhenitseemslikethestudentinthefrontrowhasalltheanswers—andtheprofessor’stellinghimorherso.Luckily,likeeveryotherskill,confidencecanbelearnedandcanbeincreasedovertime.Especiallyifyoufollowourfifteenpracticaltips:

Turn off the little voice.8 Everyonehasapartofthemselvesthatfromtimetotimewhispersdefeatingmessages:“You’renotgoodenoughforcollege,”“Everyonehereismorequalifiedthanyou,”“You’llneverpassthatmondomidterm.”Butdon’tlisten.Remindyourselfthatyou’veaccomplishedalotbeforegettingintothiscollege,andthatifyoudidn’thavewhatittakestosucceed,theywouldn’thaveadmittedyou.

realize you’re not alone.8 Everyonethinksthey’retheonlyone,butarecentstudyshowsthatone-thirdofcollegestudentsfeelinadequateaftertheveryfirstsemester.Wecantellyoufromourownfirsthandexperiencethatamajorityofstudentshavedoubtsatonetimeoranotherabouttheirabilitytodothework.Soifyou’refeelingunsureofyourself,keepinmindthatyou’reindistin-guishedcompany:mostofyourfriendsaregoingthrough(orhavegonethrough)justwhatyou’reexperiencingnow.

Take something you’re good at.8 Eachsemester,inspiteofthedistributionrequirementsandcoursesyouneedforyourmajor,takeatleastonecourseyouenjoy—andareguaranteedtodowellin.Constantlystrugglingatcoursesthatarevery,verychal-lengingsapsyourstrengthandcan,overtime,undermineyourconfidence.


Start small.8 Trytakingafewsmallriskstohelpyouovercomesomeofyourfears.Maybeyoucouldask(oranswer)aquestionindiscussionsection.Orapproachaprofessorwithaquestionbeforeorafterclass.Onceyou’vebrokentheice,evenalittle,you’llbegintofeelmoresecure.

ExtraPointEr. Low-riskactivitiesthatarebuiltrightintothecourseprovideanexcellentopportunitytobolsteryourconfi-dence.gettingacheck-plusonashorthomeworkassignmentoratenontheweeklyquizcandowondersforyourself-esteem.

reward achievements.8 Everyonefeelsbetterwhentheygivethemselvessomerecognitionforajobwelldone—evenasmallaccomplishment.Getyourselfasliceofpizza—withextras—forthattenonthequiz.Thepositivereinforcementwillmakeiteasierforyoutostudyfornextweek’squiz.Andthe$2investmentwillremindyouthatyourachievements,too,aresomethingworthcelebrating.

make all the classes.8 It’shardtofeelconfidentaboutyourselfwhenyou’remissingkeypiecesofthecourse—piecesthat,whenmissed,preventyoufromdoingwelland,hence,feelingconfident.Studentswhopopintoclasserraticallyhavemuchgreatertroubleunderstandingandfollowingthelecturestheydoattend.Andtheyhavemuchmoretroubleansweringquestionsonteststhatdependonmaterialinclassestheymissed.

Take a small class.8 Eventhoughitmightseemlessscarytohideintheanonymityofahugelecturehall,takingasmallclasscanofferamoresupportiveandnurturingenvironmentforlearning.Especiallyifyoustrutyourstuffbyaskingoransweringaquestionandreceivepositivefeedback.

get feedback early.8 Yourconfidencecansoarifyouconsultwithyourprofessor(orTA)earlyinthesemester.Whetherit’saboutapointinthelectureyoudidn’tunderstand,yourinitialideasforapaperorworriesabouthowtoprepareforatest,you


willfeelimmeasurablybetterafteryouinstructorsteersyouintherightdirection—orassuresyouthatyou’realreadygoingintherightdirection.Manyunconfidentstudentsaretooscaredtotalktotheirprofessors.Thisonlymakestheirproblemworse.(Formoreonseekingoutyourprofessor,seethe“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor”onpp.129–133.)

Divide big tasks into small pieces.8 Manystudentsdoubttheirabilitytowriteafifteen-pageresearchpaperorprepareforacom-prehensivefinal.Butiftheyconceivedofthepaperasthreefive-pagepieces,andthefinalasfivethree-weekunits,thetaskwouldsuddenlyseemalotmoredoable.Andthefeelingofaccomplish-mentgeneratedwhenonepartoftheprojectiscompletedwouldhelppropelthemtofinishtherestofthework.

Do a trial run.8 Manycollegeprojectsallowyoutodoano-riskpracticeroundbeforetherealthing.Takingapracticetestathomebeforethemidterm,tryingoutyouroralpresentationontheTAbeforethesectionmeeting,discussinganswerstothestudyguidewithyourstudygroupbeforethefinal—allofthesearethingsthatwillbuildyourconfidencebeforetheactualevent.Andifyourcohortsorinstructorsayafewkindwordsaboutyourideas—andifyoubelievetheymeanthem—well,thatcanhelp,too.

Take comments constructively.8 Manystudentsseeeverymarkontheirpaperasabitingcriticismandgetalldepressedorignorethemcompletely.Trainyourselftoviewthecommentsinamorepositivelight,aswaystheprofessoristryingtohelpyoudobetteronthenextpieceofwork(ratherthansinkyourship).Learninghowtousethecommentstoimprove—evenafteranot-so-impressivestart—canbethebestconfidenceboosterofall.

apply for a prize.8 Manydepartmentshavevariousprizecompeti-tionsfortheirmajorsorforallstudentsatthecollege.Andlotsoftimesthecompetitionisn’tastoughasyoumightthink.Sogiveitawhirl.Winningevena$10giftcertificateoramentionontheplaqueinthedepartmentofficecanbearealconfidencebooster.

Look for real-world apps.8 Achancetoworkataninner-cityclinic(ifyou’reinahealthcarefield),atanengineeringconsultantfirm


(ifyou’reinterestedinwaste-managementsystems),oreveninaninsuranceoffice(ifyou’restudyingmarketing)cangiveyouarealshotinthearm.Seeinghowwhatyou’velearnedincollegecanhaverealworthintherealworldwillbuildyourconfidencelikenothingelse.Andthen,whenyoureturntocollegenextfall,thosedull,drearylectureswon’tseemquitesomeaningless.

recognize that learning is a process.8 Ifyouexpecttomasteranewfieldrightoffthebat,orbeabletowriteabang-upresearchpaperwhenyou’veneverwrittenonebefore,yousetyourselfupforaletdown—andforacrisisofconfidence.Bepatientwithyour-selfasyoustartonnewtasksorskills.Thinkbackonskillsyoumasteredinthepast(whetherit’ssnowboarding,Texashold‘em,orvegancooking)andrememberwhatitwaslikewhenyoufirststarted.

avoid the bubble bursters.8 Youknowwhowemean:thepeoplewho,nomatterhowgoodyourachievement,canalwaysfindsomethingwrong.Forsomestudents,it’stheirparents;foroth-ers,it’stheirperfectionistprofessororadviser;andforstillothers,it’sthepersonwhosharestheirloftwiththem.Adopta“don’task,don’ttell”policytowardsuchnaysayers:theywon’taskhowyou’redoing,youwon’ttellthemaboutyoursuccesses.

I t’sunavoidable.Virtuallyeverycollegehassomebasicrequirementsthateveryonehastotake,likeitornot.Mighthavethenamegeneral

education,core,distribution,orlower-divisionrequirements.Butwhateveryoucallthem,yougottatakethem.Thinkofthemashavingtoeatyourvegetablesortakeyourmedicine.

Collegesarerequiringthisstuffbecauseitreallyisgoodforyou(orsotheythink).Sowhat’snottolikehere?Well,theproblemisthatsomestudentsgetsotiedupinthesemust-docourses—gettingC’sandD’sor,worse,failingthem,thenhavingtoretakethemumpteentimes—thatwhatwassupposedtobeabasicskills-developingorarea-exposingcourseturnsintoamajorGPA-busterandimpedimenttofinishingyourdegreeinafinitenumberofyears.

Tosmoothyourwaythroughthegamutofrequiredcoursesyourschoolmightoffer—thatis,inflictupon—you,weoffersometipsthatwillhelpyoueasilymanagethemostcommon,and,forsome,themostvex-ing,requiredcourses.

Inthischapter,you’lllearn:

10WaystoWhiptheFreshmanCompRequirement88

10TipsforTamingtheMathRequirement88

Top10TipsforMasteringtheForeignLanguageRequirement88

10IdeasforLearningtoLovetheLab88

10TipsfortheFirst-YearExperienceCourse88

HowtoTakeCoursesonthe‘Net—forFree88

4forced lABor

76 CHaPTer 4: ForcedLabor

10 ways to whip the freshman comp requirement

Manystudentsstartingcollegeencountersomethinglikethis:

engL 1013 Composition i (Sp, Su, Fa).RequiredofallfreshmenunlessexemptedbytheDepartmentofEnglish.Prerequisite:ENGL0003oranacceptablescoreontheEnglishsectionoftheSAT,ACT,oranotherapprovedtest.

It’sthatmostdespisedofallcollegecourses,thefreshmancomposi-tionrequirement.Aone-size-fits-allcoursedesignedtoteachyou,astheysay,“writingacrossthecurriculum”—whichinordinarylanguagemeansthebasicsofspelling,grammar,andcompositionthat,ideally,you’llbeabletocarryovertoallyourothercourses.Skeptical?Whocares?You’restuck.MightaswellequipyourselfwiththetenbesttipsfromRainaSmithLyons,assistantdirectoroftheprogramincompositionattheUniversityofArkansas:

1. go to class.Sure,youmightthinkthatnotmuchgoesoninclass.Andmaybeatyourhighschooloreveninyourothercollegecourses,it’strue.Butinfreshmancomp,amajorityoftheactivitiesarecen-teredaroundtheclassmeetings.Youmighthaveone-on-onecri-tiquesofyourpapers,“workshopping”(thatis,peerdiscussionofroughdrafts),presentationofsourcesthatgobeyondthetextbook,aswellasactualin-classwriting.Andmostinstructorstakerollandcountittowardyourgrade.Upshot?Infreshmancomp,inparticular,it’sbesttogetyoura**toclass.Everytime.


BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. manycollegesareexperimentingwithteachingtheirfreshmanwritingclassesonline—notbecausethefacultywantsitthisway,butbecausetheadministrationseesitasawaytosavemoney.Accordingtoonerecentstudy,atsomeschools15to25percentoffreshmancompcourseshavenoin-classcomponent.Butwhattheydon’ttellyouisthatsomeofthemorevaluablecoursecomponentshavebeendropped:studentpresentations,individualconferenceswiththeinstructor,andgroupwritingprojectshaveallbutdisappearedinthevirtualcourseworld.suggestion:ifyouhaveachoicebetween(a)face-to-faceand(b)device-to-device,choose(a)—theonewiththeliving,breathinginstructor(andliveclassmates,too).

2. Do all the work assigned.Mostfreshmancompclasseshaveagraduatedseriesoftasks.Youstartslow,perhapsjustbypresentingsomeone’sargument,thenbuilduptohardertasksasthesemesterprogresses—suchascomparinganumberofpositions,learningtoevaluatetheargument,and,ultimately,presentingyourownreasonedviews.Missakeysteporskill,andyou’rebehindforfuturework.

ExtraPointEr. doallthework,evenifitdoesn’tmakesensetoyou.someinstructorsassign“freewriting”orotherassignmentsjusttogetthejuicesflowingandtomotivateyoutowritemore.

3. Talk to your teacher.Usee-mail,officehours,orasimpleface-to-faceconversationafterclasstomaketheteacherawareofanyprob-lemsyou’rehaving,likenotunderstandingtheassignment,troublegettingstarted,inabilityto“prewrite,”orwantingtohandinalateassignment.Whateverthecase,yourinstructorishappytohelp—ifyoucometohimorherwhilethereisstilltime.


4. Finish your drafts early. Oneofthemainthingsthey’retryingtoteachinthesefreshmancompcoursesistheimportanceofwritingdraftsofyourworkandthinkingthroughtheissuesoveraperiodoftime.Thisprocessisthwartedwhenyouleavethedrafttothelastminute—especiallyiftheteacherhasgivenyouthreeorfourweekstodotheessay.

5-startiP. programyourselftothinkthepaperisdueoneweekbeforeitreallyis.Thatway,you’llhaveafullweeklefttodoaseriesofrevisions.

5. Be sure you understand the assignment. Freshmancompcoursesoftentrytoteachyoutowriteageneralpersuasiveorcriticalessay,nottousethetoolsfromanyparticulardisciplineormajor.Sotheyoftenteachavarietyofkindsofpapers,eachwithitsowncharac-teristicstructureandtasks.Makesurethatforeachofthefourorfivepaperassignmentsyouknowexactlywhat’sbeingasked.Iftheinstructorhasgoneoveranoutlineinclass,asmanydo,besuretofollowitinyourpaper.

6. offer up a good thesis. Partofthesuccessofafreshmancomppaperisdeterminedbythequalityofthethesis:thesinglesentence,usuallyatthebeginningofthepaper,thatexpressestheonekeypointyou’retryingtogetacrossinthepaper.Picktooobviousorsimplisticathesis,andyourpaperisheadingforaC.Pickabetterordeeperthesis,andyourpaperisontheexpresstracktoanA.Ifyou’renotsurewhatyourthesisshouldbe,it’swellworthyourwhiletorunitbytheteacher.

7. Be sure to prove what you’ve claimed.Insomeofthefreshmancompassignmentsyou’reaskednotonlytocompareorcontrastpointsofviewbuttoprovidereasonsorargumentsforagivenclaim(whetherthatofsomeauthororyourown).Besuretodoso,ifasked.

8. go beyond your conclusion.Usuallyfreshmancomppapersaskyoutoconcludebysummingupwhatyou’veshown.Areallygoodending,though,canalsogobeyondwhat’sbeenshowninthepaper:


eitherpointingoutsomefurtherdimensionoftheissueoroffer-ingsomebroaderassessmentofyourresults.Sure,aconclusionismeanttopointback.Butitcanalsopointforward.

9. imaginatively use campus resources. Thewritingcenter,inwhichyoucanreceiveuptoanhour’sworthofindividualizedhelpfromatrainedwritingexpert(oftenanEnglishgraduatestudent),canbeatthetenorfifteenminutesyoumightgetfromaTAorlecturer.Thereferencelibrariancanhelpyouuseelectronicdatabasesthat’llprovidestrongsourcesforyourpaper,ifsourcesareneeded.(See“16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor”onpp.118–122formoreonthis.)Anddidyouknowthatyourcampushasexpertsinthefacultyofmanydepartments?Yourpaper“Whateffectsdomediahaveonyoungchildren?”couldbestrengthenedbyachatwithaprofessorofcognitivescienceorchilddevelopmentwhoactu-allydoesresearchonliving,breathingchildren.

10. Present good-looking work.Besuretoproofreadyourpapermanu-allyafteryou’veruntheelectronicspell-check.Manytimesthere’sahomonym,orsimplyawrongword,thataspell-checkerdoesn’tcatch.Alsobesuretotakeoutanysentencesthatdon’tdoanyworkorthataren’tdirectlyrelevanttothetaskasked:inotherwords,putyourselfintheplaceofthereaderandtrimoutanyfluff.Inacompo-sitioncourse,thepresentationoftheideascanbeasimportantastheideasthemselves.

BonustiP. playtoyourinterests.You’llenjoyyourrequiredfreshmancompcoursemore,if,whengivenachoice,youpicktopicsthatgetyouexcited.


10 Tips for Taming the Math requirement

Formanycollegestudents,themathrequirementisthesinglebiggestobstaclestandingbetweenthemandtheircapandgown.Believeitornot,somestudentstakethesamemathcoursetwoorthreetimes,andbytheendoftheirordealhavejustbarelypassed.Itdoesn’thavetobethisway.Collegemathiseasilymanageable,andmighteventurnouttobefun,ifyoufollowourten-stepplanforacingthemathrequirement:

1. get in—and stay in—the right level.Collegesoftenhaveseverallevelsofcalculusanduptofiveversionsofalgebra.Selectcarefullytoavoidtakingclassesthataretoohard(ortooeasy)foryourlevelofabilityandtraining.Double-checkafterthefirsttest,andswitchclassesifnecessary.Whytortureyourselfifyou’renevergoingtoabletomasterdelta-epsilonproofs?

2. Take the credit.IfyouhaveAPmathcredits,use‘em.Yourfirst-yearadviserorarepresentativefromthemathdepartmentcantellyouwhatcollegecredit(s)you’veearnedandwhatcourseyoushouldenrollinifyouwanttocontinueyourstudyofmath.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. Besuretofigureoutwhetheryou’vetakenthecalculusABorthecalculusBccourse.Andifyou’reluckyenoughtohavetakenthenewstatisticsApcourse,besuretoputinaclaimforthat,too.

3. Do every single homework problem.Inothersubjects,homeworkmaynotbesocritical:ifyoudoit,that’sgreat,andifyoublowitoff,well,that’sOK,too(you’lldosomeextracrammingcometesttime).Butinmathit’ssupercriticaltokeepupwiththehomework.Doingthehomeworkproblemsisthewayyoulearnmath.Nottomentionthewayyoulearnhowtodothevariouskindsofproblemsthatwill


beonthetests.Andyou’llunderstandthelecturebetterifyoudotheproblemswhenthey’reassigned.

4. always have a strategy.Nevergoatmathproblemswithasledge-hammer.Startbyfiguringoutwhattypeofproblemyou’redealingwith,andconsidervariousstrategiesforsolvingthissortofproblem.Thenselectthestrategyyouthinkmostappropriateorpromising.Neverlungewildlywithastrategythat’stotallyinappropriateforthetaskathand.Youcanwastetremendousamountsoftimegoingdownblindalleysifyoudon’tthinkbeforeyoudo.

5. Be ultraneat. Inallyourmathwork—whetheryourclassnotes,homework,ortests—beobsessiveaboutneatness.A5thatlookslikea6,anxthatlookslikeaz,ora+thatlookslikea–willmessyouuplikeyouwouldn’tbelieve.

6. get down the intermediate steps.Someinstructorsarecarefultowritedowneverystepofaproblemastheyaredoingitinclass;otherprofessors(liketheoneswhoareteachingthiscourseforthehundredandeighthtime)aren’tsofastidious.Ineithercase,youshouldbesuretowritedownwhattheprofessorputsup,thenwhenyougethome,fillinwhateverstepshavebeenomitted(ifany).

ioho. manystudentscomplainthattheycan’tunderstandwhattheirnon-native-english-speakingTAissaying.manyofthesecomplaintsareunfounded.Butifyoureallycan’tunderstandyourTAorprofessor’senglish,werecommendyougotoanofficehourandengagehimorherinbasicconversation(nottechni-calmathtalk).often,onceyou’vehadanordinaryconversation,you’llgetusedtoyourteacher’saccent,whichwillmaketheclassesgoawholeloteasier.Butifafterallthatyoustillcan’tunderstandyourTA’senglish,changetoanothersection.Youcan’tlearnifyoucan’tunderstand.

7. Pinpoint your sticking points.Whenyougetstuckonaproblem,don’tjustthrowupyourhandsindisgustandannounceyou’reclue-less.Figureoutexactlywhereyougotstuck—andforwhatreason


(Wasthereatheoremyoudidn’tknow?Wereyoumissingacon-cept?Didyoufailtoconsideranalternative?).Thengoforhelp.Thehelpwillbemuchmoreeffective,andthehelpermoremotivatedtogiveit,ifyoucanlocateyourexactproblem,ratherthanjustreport-ingyourveilofconfusion.(Forsometipsonseekinghelp,see“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor”onpp.129–133.)

8. Join a group.Studygroups(onceortwiceaweek)areespeciallyvaluableinproblem-solvingcourseslikemath.Evenifyou’reamathwhiz,youcanbenefitfromteachingyourlessgiftedfriendshowtodotheproblemsorproofs.Makingchallengingmaterialcleartooth-ersisoneofthebestwaysofgettingyourmindarounddifficultcon-ceptsandstrategies.

ExtraPointEr. ifyourTAisholdingagroupofficehourorreviewsessionbeforeatest,makeityourbusinesstogo.WhentheTAhasthetestquestionsinmind,heorsheismostlikelytodrophintsaboutwhat’sgoingtobeasked.

9. Test yourself. Byfarthebestwaytostudyformathtestsistopre-pareatestforyourselfanddotheproblems.You’llseeveryquicklywhatyouknow—andwhatyoudon’t.

5-startiP. mosttextbookshaveextraproblemsintheback,withanswersprovidedforatleasthalfofthem,usuallytheodd-numberedones.Thesemakegreatchoicesforyourpracticetests.Also,someprofessorsgiveoutsampleproblemsorcopiesofprevioustestsbeforetheexam:don’tsquanderthisimportantresourcebytaking“justaquickpeek”atthequestionsasyouputthehandoutintoyourbackpack.And,ifallelsefails,makeupyourownproblems:constructvariants,preferablyhardervari-ants,oftheonesyoudidinclassoronthehomework.


10. Think about tutoring.Ifyou’rereallyhavingdifficultyinyourmathclass,youmightwanttofindatutor.SometimesaTAwhohasprevi-ouslytaughtthecourseisavailable,sometimesanupperclasspersoncanhelpyouout,andsometimestheon-campuslearningcenterormathlabhastrainedpeopleavailabletohelpyou.Justmakesurethetutorisbothgoodatmathandfamiliarwiththeparticularcourse(and,inthebestcase,theinstructor)you’retaking.Andbesuretobringthetextbook,yourclassnotes,theproblemsyou’vedone,and,mostimportant,anyinfoaboutthetests,toeachofthemeetingswithyourtutor.Thatway,heorshecantailorthetutoringsessionstoyourexactneeds.

BonustiP. Adoptacan-doattitude.don’tletsomelabelyourthird-gradeteacherputonyouruleyourlifetoday.ifyoutellyourself“i’mjustnotgoodatmath,”or“i’mintuitive,notlogi-cal,”or“girlsjustcan’tdomathaswellasboys,”you’vedefeatedyourselfevenbeforeyoustart.Whydothat?


Top 10 Tips for Mastering the foreign language requirement

Falaportuguês?Puhutkosuomea?Sensöyletürk?Spreektunederlands?Kana(orKina,asthecasemaybe)Hausa?Allofthesearewaysofaskingwhetheryouspeaksomelanguage:Portuguese,Finnish,Turkish,Dutch,andHausa,respectively.You,too,wouldknowthis,ifyouhadcompletedyourforeignlanguagerequirementinoneofthesetongues.Oratleastyou’dknowwhat¿Hablaustedespañol?orParlez-vousfrançais?mean(nottellingyouthese).

Tohelpyougetthroughyourforeignlanguagerequirement—afour-coursesequenceatmostfour-yearcolleges—hereareourtenbeststrategies:

1. Pick for a reason.Theforeignlanguagerequirementisoneoftheveryfewtwo-yearrequirementsatmanycolleges.Selectyourlan-guageforareason.Goodreason:PashtowillbeusefulinyourcareerattheStateDepartment.Lessgoodreason:ItookSpanishinhighschoolandkinda,sorta—well,nowthatIthinkofit—didn’treallylikeallthatmuch.

2. attend all the classes.Theforeignlanguageclassisoneofthefewclassesthatistrulycumulative:everylessonincludessomecontentthat,togetherwiththeotherclasses,buildsyourknowledgeofthelan-guage.Yourusual“cuttingallowance”won’tcutitinforeignlanguages.

3. Learn the conjugations—both ways.Thesecrettolearninglan-guagesismasteringtheverbs,notthenouns.Sopracticetheverbconjugations(youknow:Iam,youare,heis…)inbothdirections—thatis,fromtheforeignlanguageintoEnglishandfromEnglishintotheforeignlanguage.Insomecourses,thetestscouldaskyoutogobothways.Andevenifthat’snotrequired,you’lllearntheformsreallywellonlyifyoupracticebothways(flashcards,especially


thenewelectronicflashcardsputoutbywww.STuDyBLue.Com,areespeciallyhelpfulhere).

4. Learn all the “moods.”No,notyourmoods(youknowthosealready),buttheverbmoods.Subjunctive,conditional,aorist—eachlanguagehasitsown(Czechreportedlyhastentenses,voices,moods,andaspects).Asyoumovepastthefirstyearinyourstudyofthelan-guage,theseunusual-to-English-speakermoodsbecomeincreas-inglyimportant.

5. Pay attention to sentence structure.ThoughEnglishusuallyisarrangedinsubject-verb-predicateorder,manyotherlanguagesdon’tfollowthispattern.Masterthewayyournewlanguagestruc-turesandconstructsthesentence—tothepointthatyoucanantici-patewhat’scomingnextasthesentenceunfolds(whichwillhelpgetyouawayfromword-by-wordtranslationorsentenceconstruction—anachievementinitself).

6. Learn how it sounds.Americansarereallybadatvowels.ButforeignlanguagesoftenhavemanygradesofvowelsandmanyvowelsthatsounddifferentfromEnglish.Learntheproperpronunciation—andthelength—ofvowels.

7. memorize in bite-size pieces. Everylanguagerequiresmemorizingvocabulary.You’llhaveamucheasiertimeifyoumemorizeafewwordseachday,ratherthanleave484words‘tilthemidterm.

8. Beware of “false friends.” IneverylanguagetherearewordsthatsoundalotlikeanEnglishword,butmeansomethingelseentirely.Forexample,invirtuallyeverylanguagebutEnglish,a“preservative”issomethingyoumightneedonaromanticdatebutwouldn’twanttofindinyourpeanutbutter.Checkoutthisfalsefriendandgazil-lionsofothersatHTTP://en.wiKiPeDia.org/wiKi/FaLSe_FrienDS.

9. “Friend” a foreign student. Theonlyreallygoodwaytolearnalanguageisbytalkingwithanativespeaker.Sofindaninternationalfriendandhaveordinaryconversationswithhimorher.Thatway,you’lllearnnotonlythelanguageincontextbutalsoallthewords

http://www.studyblue.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friends


youreallyneedtoknow(butsomehowneverlearnedinPortu-guese102).Failingthat,trygoingtoalanguagelaborlanguagetabletopracticeyourconversation.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. TherearemanyopportunitiesontheWebtopracticeyourlanguagewithnativespeakersinexoticlocales.Theseincludewww.LivemoCHa.Com,atwhichyoucanchatforfreewithoveramillionnativespeakersintwelvelanguages.(Whatadeal—foreignlanguageplussocialnetworking!)Andforstudentswho’dliketosubscribe(andpayasmallmonthlyfee),checkoutwww.CHineSePoD.Com (anditssistersiteswww. FrenCHPoD.Com,www.SPaniSHPoD.Com,andwww.iTaLianPoD.Com):you’llfindoverathousandpodcasts,alongwithpractice,review,andreinforce-ment.Anotherverygoodsite(recommendedbyoneofourstu-dents)iswww.raDioLingua.Com:hereyou’llfindtheverypopularcoffeeBreakspanishandcoffeeBreakfrenchpodcasts,aswellastheone-minutepodcastsin,amongotherlanguages,irish,polish,russian,andevenLuxembourgish.

5-startiP. it’salwaysfuntolistentotheeveningnewsinthelanguageyou’restudying(you’lllearninterestingthingsabouttheculture,too).checkoutyourTV,theWeb,YouTube,orothercontentareasforbroadcastsandrecordings.ifyou’restudyingspanish,checkoutthenewspanishimmersionTVsiteatHTTP://LomaSTv.Com.

10. entertain your prof (or Ta) in the language. Ifyouvisityourteacherinanofficehour,ortalkwithhimorherafterclass,besuretocon-verseintheforeignlanguage.That’llnotonlygiveyousomesponta-neouspracticeintalkingthestuff,butearnyousomebrowniepointsfortryingreallyhard.

http://www.livemocha.com

http://www.ChinesePod.com

http://www.frenchpod.com

http://www.spanishpod.com

http://www.Italianpod.com

http://www.radiolingua.com

http://lomastv.com.


BonustiP. makepeacewithyourlot.forbetterorworse,manyschoolsrequirefourcoursesinoneforeignlanguage.Trytodowellinthem,anddon’tfallbehind.mostofall,stickwiththeoneyoustart.We’veseencountlessstudentstakeasemesteroffrench,switchtogerman,onlytotryitalian.falsestartsinfor-eignlanguagesareoneofthemainreasonscollegecandragonformorethanfouryears.


10 ideas for learning to love the lab

Manyschoolshavealabrequirement.Andmanystudentshatethelabrequirementalmostasmuchastheyhatethefreshmancomp,math,andforeignlanguagerequirements.Tooboring,toohard,toostupid:thesearecommoncomplaintsstudentshave.Butitdoesn’thavetobethisway.Especiallyifyoufollowourtenbesttipsforconqueringthelabrequirement:

1. Know what you’re picking. Atmanyschools,there’sabroadvarietyofcoursesthatsatisfythelabrequirement.Youmightbesurprisedtoknowthatinadditionto“hard”sciencessuchaschemistry,phys-ics,andbiology,inmanyschoolsastronomy,geology,anthropology,environmentalscience,andpsychologycancounttowardthelabrequirement.Suggestion:picksomethingthatyoulikeandthatyouwouldn’tordinarilyhaveachancetotake.Thisisoneofyourbestopportunitiesatcollegetoturnarequirementintoanelective—somethingyouchoosetotakebecauseyoulikeit.

2. Know which courses count for a science major. Sometimesyou’llwanttotakeacoursethatwillbothsatisfythedistributionrequire-mentandcounttowardamajor.Besureinsuchacasethatthecourseyouselectwillinfactdodoubleduty.Somecourses—forexample,physicsforhumanitiesmajorsorthebiologyofeverydaylife—arespecificallyexcludedfromthemajor.They’regearedtothegeneraluniversitypopulationand,hence,tooeasyforseriousscien-tists(orevenmajors).

ExtraPointEr. Besuretofigureoutwhenyourlabmeets.Anastronomycoursecouldinvolvenighttripstotheobservatory,whileanearthsciencescoursemightgooutonfieldtripstolookatrockformations.


3. attend to the “requisites.”Somelabcourses,especiallyonesthatcancountforthemajor,haveprerequisitesand/orcorequisites:coursesyouhavetohavecompletedbefore—oratthesametimeas—thelabyou’retaking.Especiallyimportantinphysics,chemistry,andsometimesbiologyistheamountofmaththat’srequired.Somecoursesarealgebra-based(or,instreetlanguage,presupposehighschoolmath),whileothersarenonalgebra-based(thatis,requirecalculusandofteninvolveagoodamountoftheory).

ExtraPointEr. oftenthecoursedescriptionisn’tfullyexplicitabouttheprerequisites,ortheprofessorisimplicitlyassumingsomelevelofmathtraining.ifindoubt,ask.

4. Take it on time.It’salwaysgoodtopolishoffthelabrequirementinoneofyourfirsttwoyearsofcollege.Andiftheinformationfromthecoursesisneededforsomeupcomingprofessionalexam—theMCAT,DAT,GRE,orGMAT,forinstance—it’sanespeciallygoodideanottorunthisrequirementdowntothewire.

5-startiP. You’llwanttotakethelabinthesamesemesterasyou’retakingthelecture.Youwouldn’tbelieveit,butsomestudentstakethecourse,andleavethe(unpleasant-for-them)labtoanothersemester(bywhichtimethey’veforgottenallthematerial).

5. Do the pre- and post-work.Manylabcourseshaveanin-classandanout-of-classcomponent.Inadvanceofthelab,youmightbeaskedtoreadthelabmanualandwriteoutanswerstosomeques-tions;aftersomelabs,youmighthavetowriteupatwo-tothree-pagelabreportsummingupyourmethods,reportingyourresults,anddrawingsomeconclusions.Besuretodoallthisassignedwork.It’llhelpyouunderstandthelecturesinthecourses,the


demonstrationsinthelab,and,insomecourses,willcounttowardthegradeandcouldevenappearonthetests.Whyrowwithonlyoneoarinthewater?

6. Connect it.Manystudentsconsiderthelabasaself-containedactiv-ity,notassomethingconnectedtootherpartsofthecourse.(Thisviewisreinforcedbythefactthatatmanyschoolsyousignupforaone-creditlabcourseunderadifferentnumberthanthesciencelec-tureitself.)You’llunderstandthelabbetterifyouaskyourself,Howisthislabsupposedtoreinforcetheconceptsofthecourse?Whyisitplacedatthepointinthecourseitis?Whyareyoudoingalabatall?(Possibleanswer:thelastlecturedrewraydiagrams,andthislabshowsthereal,physicalpropertiesthatraysexhibitindifferentmedia.)

7. volunteer for demos. Manylabsincludeaportionwheretheprofes-sor(orTA)callsforvolunteerstoassistinsomedemonstration.Betheguineapig.Notonlywillyouenjoyshowingoffyoureruditiontoyourclassmates(andtotheprofessor),youmightactuallyenjoydoingthestuff.Andifyoudoareallygoodjobinthedemonstra-tion—likeansweringthequestionswiththekeyconceptsfromtheclass—youmightgetafewextrapointswhentheprofcalculatesthegrade.

8. Play all the parts.Inmanylabs,thestudentsaredividedintogroupsofthreeorfour,withvarioustasksassignedtoeach.Therecouldbethe“Do-er,”the“Recorder,”the“Time-Manager,”andthe“QuestionAsker”(YRMV,dependingonthelab).Takeyourturnineachoftheroles.Notonlywillitmakethelabmoreinteresting,you’lllearn(andremember)thematerialbetterifsometimesyou’reactuallymixingthechemicals,dissectingtheamoeba,orrollingtheballdowntheplane—notjusttakingthenotes,watchingthestopwatch,oraskingsomesuperobviousquestion.

9. Think abstractly.It’sanimportantpartofeverylabtoobservetheexperimentandrecordwhatyousee.Butit’salsoimportanttoapplythetheories,principles,andconstructsofthecoursetowhatyou’veseen(looktothelecturesandreadingsforthese).Theprofes-sordoesn’tonlywantyoutosaythattheballstartedrollingfasterasitgottothebottomofthehill,heorshewantsyoutoapplythe


conceptsofkineticandpotentialenergy,acceleration,andgravitytothecase.(Hey,thisisn’tyourseventh-gradesciencefair.)

10. use the office hours. It’sagoodideatoseekoutyourprofessor,TA,orlabinstructorwhenwritingupthelabreport,especiallyifitcountstowardthegrade.(Ifyouhaveaweektowritethereport,goearlyintheweek.)You’llbeabletomakesureyou’veunderstoodthesci-enceandcapturedthekeyconcepts—notjustparrotedthepurposeandproceduresoftheexperimentstraightoutthelabmanual.Andbesuretomakethecorrectionsthattheinstructorsuggests.Evenifit’sapaintogobackandfixupthereportyouthoughtwasfinished,you’llgetabetterresult.Andwhoknows?Youmightactuallylearnsomething,ifyoutakethetimetolearnfromanexpert.Didn’texpecttodothatinwhatyouthoughtwasacruddydistributionrequire-ment,didyou?


10 Tips for the first-year experience course

Oneofthehottestnewthingsatcollegeisthefirst-yearexperience(FYE)course—aone-semesterclassthatmatchestheverybestfacultyoftheschool(or,atleast,well-trainedTAs)withanengaging,oftenrelevant,subjectofstudy.Allinasmall-group,friendlyatmosphere.Someschoolsfocustheirfirst-yearexperiencecoursesoneasingthetransitionfromhighschooltocollege:thesecoursesemphasizeacademicskills,personaldevelopment,andlearningyourwayaroundthecampus.Otherschoolsadopta“professor’sprerogative”model:here,professorsareinvitedtoteachacourseonatopicinwhichtheyaredoingresearch—orarejustplaininterestedinthinkingabout.Underthismodel—sometimescalledafreshmanseminar(FS)—youmightfindcoursessuchas:ComicBooksandConflict;Midwives,Healers,andPhysicians;orEnergy:WhatWeUseandWhereItShouldComeFrom(thesecourtesyofCityUniversityofNewYork;checkyourcollege’sonlinecataloguefortheoptionsatyourcampus).

Whateverkindoffirst-yearcourseyourschooloffers,you’llwanttogetofftothebestpossiblestart—whichyouwill,ifyoufollowthesetenbesttipsfromvisitingprofessorJ.StevenReznick,associatedeanforfirst-yearseminarsattheUniversityofNorthCarolina:

1. make a list.Eachfirst-yearexperiencecoursewillbelimitedtoapproximatelyfifteentotwenty-fivestudents,soevenatasmallschoolyoumightnotgetyourfirstchoiceofclasses.Enrollinginanyfirst-yearseminarisbetterthanenrollinginnofirst-yearseminar,sobestrategic:lookatthefirst-yearseminarofferingsatyourschoolandcomeupwithalistofseminarsthatwouldbeofinterest.

ExtraPointEr. ifyou’dliketoseewhatanelaboratefYeprogramlookslike,takealookatucLA’s(www.CoLLege.uCLa

.eDu/FiaTLux)oruNc’s(www.unC.eDu/FyS).

http://www.college.ucla.edu/fiatlux


http://www.unc.edu/fys

10TipsfortheFirst-YearExperienceCourse 93

2. Play to your strengths.Somefirst-yearseminarsemphasizein-classdiscussion,whileothersemphasizehands-onactivities,socialinter-actions,creativity,orcommunityservice.Whenputtingtogetheryourlistofseminars,pickaclassthatisnotonlyonatopicyou’reinterestedin,butisbuiltuponatypeofactivitythatyouenjoy.

3. avoid your major.Somestudentsenterschoolwithleaningstowardaspecificmajor,andthinkitwouldbenaturaltolookforseminarsinthatmajor.Notgenerallyagoodidea.Whenyougetintoyourmajor,you’llhavelotsofadvancedcoursesoninterestingtopicsinthatfield.Thinkofyourfirst-yearexperiencecourseasanopportunitytoexplorecompletelynewterritory:somethingthatjustsoundsinter-estingorthatyou’vealwayswantedtolearnabout.

4. Speak up.Ifyourseminarencouragesdiscussion,openyourmouth(evenifpublicspeakingmakesyoualittleuncomfortable).Afirst-yearseminarisagreatcontextforyoutogetbeyondyourhighschooltimidityandfindyourcollegevoice.

5. add some spice to the stew.Evenifyourseminarisnotfocusedondiscussion,itissupposedtobeinteresting,andinstructorsarealwaysgladtohavestudentparticipation.Youcanhelpbyaskingquestions,introducingnewideas,andsteeringthecoursetowardinterestingtopics.

6. Show up. Classattendanceisalwaystherightthingtodo(notonlybecauseitisthekeytogettingagoodeducation,butbecauseyou’repayingfortheclasses).Butinafirst-yearseminar—withonlyfifteentotwenty-fivestudents—yourabsencefromclasswillreallybenoticeable.Moreimportant,first-yearseminarsareoftenanongoingconversationordebatebuiltonpreviouspresentationsanddiscus-sions.Soifyouaren’tinclass,youaren’tinthedialogue.

7. Keep in mind that first-year experience courses are still courses.Don’tlosesightofthefactthat,althoughyourfirst-yearseminarhassomequalitiesthatmakeitdifferentfromtraditionalcourses,it’sstillaregularcoursethatmightcountascredithours,mightmeetyourschool’sgenedrequirements,andmightbegraded.Havefuninyourfirst-yearseminar,butdon’tforgettogetthejobdone.


8. make friends.Oneimportantaspectoffirst-yearseminarsistheopportunitytomakenewfriendships.Theword“make”isanactiveverb:sittingbackandwaitingforfriendshipstohappenisgenerallynotaneffectivestrategy.Youcanplayanactiveroleinhelpingmakefriendshipshappenbystartingconversations,issuinginvitations,andorganizingevents.

9. Build a relationship with your instructor.Ifmostofyourotherfirst-yearcoursesarehuge,theinstructorinyourfirst-yearseminarcouldbethefacultymemberyouknowbestandwhoknowsyoubest.Get-tingofftoagoodstartwithoneprofcanbehelpfulinmanyways:pickingfuturecourses,gettingacademicadvice,andultimatelyobtainingaletterofrecommendation.Yourfirst-yearseminaroffersagreatopportunitytomakethisconnection.

10. Spread the word.Interestingfirst-yearseminartopicscaninitiateawavethatextendsfarbeyondtheclassroom.Talkaboutyoursemi-narwithparents,friends,andthestrangersittingbesideyouonthebusorinthecafeteria.You’lllearnmoredeeplyaboutthefocaltopicbydescribingyourseminartoothersandbythinkingabouttheirquestionsandobservations.

HowtoTakeCoursesonthe‘Net—forFree 95

how to Take courses on the ‘net—for free

Onceyou’vepolishedoffyourrequiredcoursework(orevenbefore),youmightwanttotakeacoursebecauseyou’reactuallyinterestedinthesub-ject.Troubleis,noteverycourseisofferedateveryuniversity—especiallyifyoursisasmallcollegeandyouhaveaveryspecializedinterest.Luckily,youliveinaveryspecialtime.ThankstothegenerosityoftheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundationandtheAndrewW.MellonFoundation—andtheworkoftheOpenCourseWare(OCW)initiativeofuniversitiesworldwide—youcantakeanyofeightthousandcoursesattheverybestuniversitiesonline.Allwithoutpayingadime,andatthetimeandplaceofyourchoice.Soundtoogoodtobetrue?Here’show:

1. Find the sites.BeginbysearchingeitherthemasterlistofallcoursesprovidedbytheOpenCourseWareConsortiumwww. oCwConSorTium.org/uSe/uSe-DynamiC.HTmL—orelsesurfonovertooneofthesitesofthemajorparticipatinguniversities:

MIT:www.oCw.miT.eDu

Yale:www.oyC.yaLe.eDu

NotreDame:HTTP://oCw.nD.eDu

CarnegieMellon:HTTPS://oLi.weB.Cmu.eDu/oPenLearning/

ForSTuDenTS/FreeCourSeS

UCBerkeley:HTTP://weBCaST.BerKeLey.eDu

UCIrvine:HTTP://oCw.uCi.eDu

Tufts:HTTP://oCw.TuFTS.eDu

Stanford:HTTP://iTuneS.STanForD.eDu

UtahState:HTTP://oCw.uSu.eDu

http://www.ocwconsortium.org/use/use-dynamic.html


http://www.oyc.yale.edu

htp://ocw.nd.edu

https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/

https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/

htp://webcast.berkeley.edu

htp://ocw.uci.edu

htp://ocw.tufts.edu

http://itunes.stanford.edu

http://ocw.usu.edu


BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. Averyusefulresource(differentfromthosementionedabove)iswww.oCwFinDer.Com.Hereyoucansearchforcoursesusingawidevarietyoffilters.

FLaSH! AnewWebsitethatdescribesitselfas“aperpetuallyimprovingeducationalecosystem”gatherssomeofthebestcoursesfromtenleadinguniversities:www.aCaDemiCearTH.org.checkitout.

2. Play to their strengths.Everycollegehassomefieldsthey’restronginandotherfieldsinwhichthey’relessdistinguished.Youwon’tbesurprisedtohearthatbiology,chemistry,physics,statisticsandmatharestrongatMITandCarnegieMellon;philosophy,religion,andhistory,atYale,NotreDame,andBerkeley;andbiologicalandirrigationengineering,atUtahState.Ifyouhavetheskillsandknowl-edgeneeded,trytotakethecoursesyouwantatthebestschoolsthatofferthem.

3. Take something that interests you. You’llbemoremotivatedtolis-tentoallthelecturesifyoupickasubjectforwhichyouhaveatruepassion.Someoftheoneswelikedincluded:

DonaldKagan’sIntroductiontoAncientGreekHistory(Yale,Classics)

ShellyKagan’sDeath(Yale,Philosophy)

AmyHungerford’sAmericanNovelSince1945(Yale,English)

AsmaAfsaruddin’sWomeninIslamicSocieties(NotreDame,Mid-dleEasternStudies)

NormanCrowe’sNatureandtheBuiltEnvironment(NotreDame,Architecture)

GaryMerkley’sSprinkleandTrickleIrrigation(UtahState,BiologicalandIrrigationEngineering)

http://www.ocwfinder.com

http://www.academicearth.org

HowtoTakeCoursesonthe‘Net—forFree 97

4. Pick your modality.Someofthecoursesofferfullvideodownloads,othersjustaudio,andstillothersjustprintmaterials.Whilewe’repartialtothevideolectures—theclosestthingtobeingthereinper-son—studentslisteningtotheclassonthefreewayorthetreadmillwillprefertheaudioclasses.Safer,too.

5. Pick your language.Someofthecourses(especiallyattheMITsite)offertranslationsintoforeignlanguages,includingSpanish,Portu-guese,Chinese(traditionalandsimplified),Persian,andThai.SoifEnglishisnotyournativelanguage,youmightenjoythetop-notchcoursesinyournativetongue.TheOCWConsortiumWebsitealsoofferscoursesatuniversitiesincountriesrangingfromAfghanistantoVietnam—withspecialconcentrationsinFrance,Iran,Japan,Korea,andSpain.

ExtraPointEr. someofthesitesevenofferclosed-captioning—goodifyou’rehearingimpairedorifyoufinditeasiertolearnwithsubtitles.

6. Learn the layout.CourseWebpagesareusuallyarrangedinthestandardorderofthecollegesemester.You’lltypicallyfindontheleftsideofyourscreenthecoursedescription,instructorbio,syl-labus,topicsandreadingsforindividuallectures,testsandpaperassignments,anddownloads.Ontherightsideofthescreen,lookforrelatedresourcesthatoftenprovideawealthofmaterialforaddi-tionalstudyontopicsofinterest.

7. get the readings.It’salwaysworthwhiletogetyourhandsontheassignedreadingsandexercises,sincethey’llmakeforarichercourseexperienceandbetterlearning.

ExtraPointEr. ifyouruniversitylibrarydoesn’thavetheassignedreadings,checkwiththeinterlibraryloan(iLL)depart-mentforhelpgettingthem.


8. negotiate credit.Ifyou’replanningtodoallthework,seeifyoucangetcreditforthecourseasadirectedorindividualstudiescourse.Atsomeuniversities—especiallyifyouruniversitydoesn’tofferthecourseyou’retaking,oroffersonlyalower-levelversion—you’llbeabletosignupwithaprofessoratyourownschoolandgetcoursecredit.

5-startiP. inmakingyourpitch,besuretomentionthatyouintendtohandinthepaperstoyourresidentprofessorandtakethetestsundertestconditions.

9. Customize your learning. Somelearnerswillliketolistenonlytoaportionofthelectures—thoseonatopicthey’reespeciallyinterestedin.Somewillliketotakeanadvancepeekatthemidtermandfinal,sothatthey’llknowinadvancewhatpointstheprofessorthinksaremostimportant.Andstillotherswillliketobatchlecturestogetherandhaveaneight-hourmarathonofallthelecturesonsometopic.OneofthegreatadvantagesofcoursesontheWebisthatyoucon-trolthespeedandintensityofthelearning.Makethecoursefityourlearningstyle.

10. make it a community activity.Afewcoursesofferonlinecommu-nitiesoffellowstudentstakingthecourseincyberspace;ifyou’reluckyenoughtohavehitononeofthese,jointhecommunity.Ifnot,youcaninviteafriendtotakeaclasswithyou.Thenyoucansetupyourownviewings,discussionorstudygroups,and—ifyouhavemultiplefriendsintheclass—aFacebookpageforthecourse.

T herearetimesatcollegewhenyouhavetoperform.Andnotjustinsomelittlesideshow,butamajorfront-and-centerperformance.

We’retalkingabouttestsandpapers—thetwoorthreeorfourmomentsoverthecourseofthesemesterthatreallycount.Thesearethetimeswhenlargechunksofpoints,orlargepercentagesofthegrade,areupforgrabs.It’saveryrarestudentindeedwhocanwaltzintothetestorapproachtheduedateonthepaperwithouthisorheradrenalglands’pumpingoutsomeseriouscortisol.

Nowwecan’tpromisetoeliminateeverypreperformancejitterorbut-terfly,butwecanofferyoubehind-the-scenestipsandtechniquesthat’llgiveyoumorepowerandconfidencecomethedreadedtestandpapertimes.Thisadvicecanhelpyoukeepthelidonyourlimbicsystem(foryounonbiologymajors,that’stheso-calledemotionalbrain)asyoufacedownthesebigmomentsofcollege.


12TipsforA+TestPreparation88

HowtoFigureOutWhat’sGoingtoBeontheTest88

Top13Test-TakingTips88

10TipsforWritingthePerfectPaper88

Top10WaysofMakingtheLeapfromaBtoanA88

16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor88

5iT’s showTiMe!

100 CHaPTer 5: It’sShowtime!

12 Tips for A+ Test Preparation

Ithappenseverysemester.Youhavetofacethatmuch-anticipatedtest,onwhichpartofthissemester’sgradenowrests.Sorry,wecan’tmakethetestormidtermintoawalkinthepark.Onlyyourprofessorscan—andwewouldn’tbecountingonthat.Buthowwellyoupreparewillinnosmallmeasuredeterminehowwellyoudo.Sohereareourdozenbesttest-preptips(togetherwithabriefglanceintotheprofessor’smindtoshowwhytheywork):

1. Spend a week. Startstudyingforeachexamatleastaweekbeforeyouareduetotakeit.Thiswillgiveyoutimetodividethemate-rialintomanageableportionsthatyoucandigestoveranumberofstudysessions.Thisisespeciallyimportantinthecaseofatestwithtonsofmaterial.Whateveryoudo,don’ttrytoswallowthewholeelephant—thewholecourse,wemean—inonecramsession.(Thisworksbecauseinmostcoursestheprofisexpectingyoutohaveprocessedanddigestedthematerial—somethingyoucan’tdoinonefellswoop).

2. Scope out the scope.Besureyouknowwhat’sfairgameonthetestandwhat’snot.Manytimesstudentsaren’texactlysurewhichlectures,readings,sections,andhomeworkaretobecoveredonthetest.(Doesthetestincludethematerialthatwasonthelasttest?Isthemostrecentlectureincluded?Areweresponsibleforthatarticlediscussedinsection?)Youcan’tstudyrightifyoudon’tknowwhatyou’resupposedtobestudying.(Thisworksbecausetheprof’sassumingyou’vepaidattentionwhenheorshesaidwhat’sgoingtobecoveredonthetest.)

3. Do, don’t redo.Preparingforthetestisnotthetimetorereadallthereading,recopyallyournotes,orlistentoallthelecturesagain.Timeconstraints(liketheneedtokeepupwithyourotherwork)justdon’tallowforthis.Instead,concentrateonworkingwiththematerialsyouhave:thereadingandlecturenotesandwhatyoucanremember


fromhavingheardthelecturesonce.(Thisworksbecauseyouprob-ablyremember,orcanrecover,morethanyouthink.Andevenifyoucan’t,yousimplydon’thavetimetodoitfromscratch.)

ExtraPointEr. ifyouhaven’tdonesomekeypartsofthereading,youneedtoassesstherelativeimportanceoftheread-ingversusthelecturenotes.Timeisoftheessencenow,andatoningformissedreadingsbyreadingthemnowmightnotbethebeststrategy.

4. Discover the plot. Nowthatyou’reuptothetest,youareinaposi-tiontoknowhowthepartsofthecourseuptothatpointfittogetherandwhatallthosehighfalutin’statementsaboutcourseobjectivesonthesyllabusreallymeant.Usethisunderstandingtoguideyourstudyingfortheexam.(Thisworksbecauseinmostcoursesthemainplotofthecourseiswhattheprofessorwantsyoutohavelearnedand,therefore,whatheorshewillaskyouaboutontheexam.)

5. Figure out the format.Therearemanykindsofquestionsyourpro-fessorcouldbeasking—multiplechoice,shortanswer,essay,prob-lemsolving.Makesureyouknowwhichishisorherfavoritetypeofquestion.(Thisworksbecauseyoustudybetterwhenyouknowwhatkindoftestyou’restudyingfor.)Formoretipsonanticipatingwhatkindsofquestionsyou’relikelytoencounter,see“SoWhat’sGoingtoBeontheTestAnyway?”onpp.105–107.

6. mark up your class notes. Thetimeforobsessivelyneatnotesisnowofficiallyover.Goaheadandmarkupyournotes—bothclassnotesand,ifyouhavethem,readingnotes.Highlightthemainpointsordrawarrowsorstarsatcentralissues.Makenotesinthemarginsabouthowthemainpointsinterrelate.(Thisworksbecauseforcingyourselftoactivelyprocessyournoteshelpsyoulocatethekeycon-ceptsandtheirinterrelation—justwhattheprofisgoingtobeaskingaboutonthetest.)


5-startiP. ifyoudon’thaveafullsetofnotesfortheclass,it’dbehooveyoutoasksomeoneinyourclass(preferablysomeonesmarterthanyou)toborrowhisorhernotes.Andifyou’vetakennotesonscrapsofpaperorscatteredpages,itwouldn’tbeahalf-badideatoarrangethepagesinlectureordereither.You’dbeamazedhowmanystudentscan’tfindtheplotofthecourseorlocaterelationsbetweenpointssimplybecausetheirnotesareoutoforder.

7. Load up your mind.Someclassesrequirethatyoumemorizeacer-tainbodyofmaterial.Perhapsit’sverbconjugationsinaGermanclass,theoremsinalogicclass,orthedatesofparticulareventsinU.S.history.Takethetimetodothisdrudgework.(Thisworksbecausesometimesyou’llgetmanypointssimplyforspittingitallback.Andevenifjuststoringthecontentinyourmindisn’tdirectlyrewarded,theexamcouldaskyoutoperformhigher-leveltasksthatrequireyoutohavememorizedtheitems—forexample,atranslationexercisethatrequiresrecognizingtheverbformsoramathproofthatrequiresapplicationofatheorem.)

ExtraPointEr. useacronyms—wordsformedfromtheini-tiallettersofthethingstobememorized.makethemascleverasyoucan(they’reeasiertorememberthatway),andthensingthemoutloudwhilemakingfacesandflappingyourarms(you’llrememberthetunesandyourbizarromotions).

8. Capture the concepts.Inmanycourses,therealstudyingworkistogetyourmindaroundthekeyconceptsandcentralideasofthecourse.Thisisn’tjustmemorizingsomecodewords(asintheprevioustip),butreallyunderstandingthemainpoints.(Thisworksbecauseinanessayexam,what’sbeinggradedisn’tsomuchyourrecallofkeypoints,butyourabilitytoexplainthemclearlyenough,andinenoughdetail,tocommunicatearealunderstandingoftheidea.)


9. Construct a pretest.Beforethetest,takemattersintoyourownhandsandmakeupyourownexamwithquestionsofthesamefor-matasyou’llseeonthetest.Thentryoutyourtestunder“testcondi-tions”:writingitout,timingforeachpart,nobreaks,andnopeekingatthebookoryournotes.(Thisworksbecauseifyoupretest,you’llknowwhattoexpectandhavehadsomepracticedoingit.)

5-startiP. Besuretomonitor—andevaluate—yourtest-takingperformanceasyougo.ifyoufindthatyou’redevotingtoomuchtimetoonequestion,orspendingtoomuchtimethinkingratherthanwriting,orgettingsotensedupthatyoucanhardlythinkstraight,makeamentalnote.Thenwhenyou’vefinishedyourtrialrun,thinkupstrategiesyoucanemploysoyoucanavoidthesamepitfallswhenyoutaketherealtest.

10. go to office hours.It’salwaysworthwhileaskingtheprof(orTA)ifheorshewillgooverthetestyou’veconstructed.Askwhetheryouranswersweregoodonesandwhetheryourquestionswerethekindsofquestionsthatcouldcomeuponthetest.(Thisworksbecauseyou’llbegettingone-to-one,directedfeedbackonyourwork,and,withanyluck,theproforTAmightdropsomehintsaboutwhat’sgoingtobeontheactualtest.)

11. make the review session. IfyourproforTAisholdingareviewses-sionthenightbeforethetest(whichsometimeshappensinlargecourses,oftenbeforethemidtermand/orfinal)—well,that’sagiftfromGod.Mostlikelythey’ll“goover”thecoursematerialtodateandemphasizetheimportantpoints.(Thisworksbecausethisisthetimewhenprofessorsareespeciallyeagertohelpthestudents,sotheygiveparticularlyusefulinformation.Andsincethey’veoftenjustmadeuptheexam,orareplanningtowriteitthatnight,theycan’thelpdroppingsomeserioushintsaboutwhat’sgoingtobeonthetest.)

12. observe the “eight-hour rule.”Stopstudyingforyourexamatleasteighthoursbeforeitbegins.Theideahereistokeepyoufromwalk-ingintoyourexamlikeazombiefromlackofsleep(orallwiredup


onRedBull,Adderall,orwhoknowswhat).Thiseight-hourrulealsoallowstimefortheideasandconceptsyou’vestudiedtosettleintoyourbrain.Trustus.It’sbeenscientificallyproventhatpeoplewhostudyrightuptothelastminuteperformworsethanthosewhohavehadaperiodofrelaxationpriortothetest.(Thisworksbecauseofasimpleequation:lucid,clearthinking=lucid,clearwriting=lucid,cleargrades.)

BonustiP. Themorningoftheexam,haveaneggmcmuffinoratleastacholesterol-freeeggandreduced-fatwhitecheddarbreakfastsandwich.Yourbrainwillworkbetterwithcarbsandprotein(eveninreduceddosages).Andwhileyou’reatit,don’tforgettotakeoutadoubleespressoforthetest.Hey,you’vestudiedlikeafiend.Whynotloaduplikeafiend?


“so what’s going to Be on the Test Anyway?”

Forsomecollegestudents,nothingwillmatchthatmomentofterrorwhentheylookdownattheirtestandfindquestionsthey’veneverthoughtofstaringbackatthem.Butatthatverysamemomentthere’susuallysomestudentsomewhereelseintheroomfeelingsmugsatisfactionathavingsussedouttheexactquestionsinadvance.(Lynnevenadmitstooncewastingvaluableexamtimeshooting“Itoldyouso”looksatherBFFandstudypartner.)Howcanyoufigureoutinadvancewhat’sgoingtobeonthetest—anddramaticallyincreaseyourchancesofacingthatexam?Herearesomecluesfrombehindthecurtain:

Clue #1: Professors test what they talk.Studentsoftenthinkprofes-sorsareouttotrickthembytestingpicky,obscureissues.Nothingcanbefartherfromthetruth.Professorsusuallytrytoteachthemostimportantmaterial—andthentestittoseeifstudentshavemasteredit.Kindofmakessenseonceyouthinkaboutit,doesn’tit?Solookoveryournotesandseewhattheprofspentthemosttimeon.That’slikelytoprovidethemostfodderforthetest.

Clue #2: Professors ask what interests them.Inmanycourses,youcandetectsomeissuethatreallyexcitestheprofsomuchthatheorshebringsitupagainandagain,evenasthecoursemovesfromtopictotopic.It’sagoodbetthatyourprof’sobsessionwillpopuponthetestinsomeformorother.

Clue #3: Professors drop hints. Muchaswetrytokeepmum,mostprofessorscan’thelpthemselves.Theyhavehigh-valueinformationthatthrongsofadulatingstudentsareeagertoget—andthattheyareeagertogive.Sotakeseriouslycommentslike,“Wow,thiswouldmakeareallygoodtestquestion”or“andspeakingof…(nudge,nudge,wink,wink).”Itmightallsoundlikeajoke,butit’snot.


Clue #4: Tas spill the beans even more than professors.TAsareusuallyyoungerandlessexperienced.Andwouldliketobeliked.Sothey’llusuallycavequicklyifyouaskthemafewquestionsafterclassorinofficehours—orjustshowuptosectionmeeting.Nobriberynecessary!

ExtraPointEr. Besuretowritedowninyournotes—ideally,wordforword—anyhintsyourproforTAdropsinlecture,dis-cussion,anofficehour,orareviewsession.comestudytime,thesehints,includingtheirexactphraseology,canprovegoldminesofinformationforwhatwillbeonthetest.

Clue #5: Professors are lazy.Professorsareprettybusyanddon’thavemuchtimetowriteentirelynewexams.Withtheresultthatmanytimesprofswillsimplyreuse—ormodifyslightly—questionstheyaskedlasttimearound.Ifyoucandiguponeoftheoldexamsfromafriendwhotookthesamecourse,fromlibraryreserves,fromfraternityorsororityfiles,or(ifyourstarsarealigned)fromtheprofhim-orherself,youcangetaprettygoodideaofwhattoexpect.

5-startiP. Besurenottousedr.o’sexamtostudyforpro-fessorp’supcomingtest—evenifbothteachthesamecourse.mostlikelyprofessorpthinksdr.oisaloserandwouldneverbecaughtdeadaskingsuchidioticquestions.

Clue #6: Professors tell it up front.Thesyllabusoftenliststheeduca-tionalgoalsofthecourse,whichcangiveprettygoodvaluableinformationaboutthetestquestions.Afterthefirstdayofclass,youmightnevercastanotherglanceatthesyllabus,butitcanactuallygivecluesaboutwhattheprofessorthinksismostimportant—andwhatheorshe’slikelytowanttotestyouon.Thesameappliestothetitlesforindividuallecturesorthequestionsforstudyforeachmeeting(ifany).


Clue #7: Professors recycle.Notonlyquestionsfrompreviousyears,butquestionsorproblemsfromthehomework,quizzes,andproblemsetsoftenreappearinslightlydifferentformonthetest.Hey,everybody’sgoinggreenthesedays.

5-startiP. iftheprofessorhandsoutastudyguideor“sam-ple”questions—well,that’sano-brainer.Thosekindsofques-tions—orsometimesthoseveryquestions—areboundtoappearonthetest.


Top 13 Test-Taking Tips

Manycollegestudentsshudderatthethoughtofthefirsttest—oranytest.Youshouldn’t.Especiallyifyoufollowourbaker’sdozenofbesttipsforacingtheexam:

1. Bring a beverage.Anicedrinkenablesyoutorelaxandconcentrateonthetaskathand.Youmightevenbeabletotrickyourselfintothinkingthatthenextfiftyminuteswillbeaproductiveandsatisfy-ingworkhour.Atleastyouwon’tbethirsty.

2. Survey the landscape.Whenyoufirstgetthetest,lookoverthewholething.Figureoutwhatthetasksare,payingspecialattentiontohowmanyquestionsyou’resupposedtoanswer(besuretonoteanychoicesoffered).You’dbeamazedathowmanystudentsmakemistakesaboutthebasicinstructions.

3. Budget your time.Makeaplanforhowmuchtimeyou’regoingtospendoneachquestion(someprofessorstellyou,inwhichcaseyoushouldmakesuretofollowtheirinstructions).Besuretodevotethemosttimetothepartsoftheexamthatnetthemostpoints—nottheonesyoulikebestorknowmostabout.Spendingtonsoftimeonquestionsthatdon’tcountmuchisneithercost-norgrade-effective.

4. Don’t waste time. Somestudentsbegintheirexambywritingelabo-rateoutlinesorreproducinglongliststhey’vememorized.Don’t.Ifyouneedtojotdownafewnotesoracoupleofacronyms,that’sfine,butyouneedtospendmostofyourtimewritingouttheanswer,notpreparingtowriteit.


ExtraPointEr. Anothermajortimewasterincaseswhereaprofessoroffersachoiceoftopicsistogetfarintoanessay,onlytostopandchooseanotherquestion.it’snotuncommonforaprofessortofindapage—orevenseveralpages—crossedoff,fol-lowedbyanessayonanothertopicthatthestudentdidn’thavetimetofinish.ouch.

rEalitychEcK. it’sneveragoodideatoanswerallthechoicesonthetheorythattheprofwillreadthemall,thengiveyouthegradeforthebestone.Theprof,whohasaboutfivemin-utes(ortenminutesatmost)toreadyourexam,willjustreadthefirstchoice.Noprofisgoingtodotripletheworkforyourindecisiveness—oryourattempttogamethesystem.

5. Consider the alternatives. Onamultiple-choicetest,makesureyou’vereadallthechoicesbeforedecidingononeanswer.Some-timesthecorrectanswerliesinmakingasmalldifferentiationbetweenanumberofverysimilaranswers.And,ofcourse,unlessthey’retakingoffpointsforwronganswers(whichprofessorsalmostneverdo),alwaysfillinsomething(evenifit’salle’s.)

ExtraPointEr. forgetallthehighschooltricks,likefavor-ingd’sande’s(because“theteacherwantsyoutoreadallthechoices”);neverpickinganswerswiththewordsallornone(“thingsareneverascategoricalasthat”);oralwaysvaryingyourchoices(“noteacherwouldpickthreec’sinarow”).Thesestrate-giesareunlikelytoworkatcollege.Professorshaven’tbeentohighschoolinalongtime.Andnoonehasbotheredtoremindthemofthesepractices.


6. Size can matter.Whenconfrontingashort-answerquestion,con-siderthepossibilityofwritingtwoorthreeorfoursentences,ratherthanjustafewcodewords.Whatseems“short”toyoumightseemmicroscopictotheprofessorandnotbeenoughtoshowyourunderstandingoftheissue.Also,inaproblem-focusedtest,besuretoshowallyourwork.Evenifyoudon’tgetthecorrectanswer,thegradermightseethatyouwereontherighttrackandgiveyoupartialcredit.

7. answer exactly the question asked. Believeitornot,morepointsarelostonessaytestsbynotansweringpreciselythequestionaskedthanbygivingwronganswers.Professorsdevotelotsoftimetocon-structingtheirquestions,soyoucanassumetheyreallymeanwhattheyask.

5-startiP. don’tbethrownifaquestionseemstoyoutoonar-roworcoversonlyonelectureorreading.someprofessorsliketotestbysampling—thatis,byaskingyouaboutarepresentativepartoftheissue,thenassumingthatyoucoulddojustaboutaswellonalltherest.(Otherprofessorsliketotestbycoverage—thatis,byaskingaboutaverybroadswatchofmaterialtoseehowmuchyou’vetakenin.Inthiscase,youcanexpectquestionsaboutmanyofthetopicsdiscussedinclass.)

8. explain, don’t gesture.Somestudentsthinktheanswerissoobvious—andtheprofessorknowsit,afterall—thattheyonlyneedtowavetheirhandsattheanswer(ratherthanwastingallthatinktospellitout).Buttheprofislookingforyoutodemonstrateyourknowledgeandunderstandingofthematerial,whichcanonlybedoneifyoutakethetimetomakeexplicityourpoints.Besureyouranswerscanbeunderstoodbyareasonablyintelligentperson—notonlyonewhoispreviouslyfamiliarwiththematerial(liketheprofessor).

9. Be specific. Besuretobringinexamplesandillustrationstobol-sterthepointsyoumake.Ideasaremuchmoreclearwhenthey’re


illustrated,notjustpresented.Andbesuretoconsiderallelementsofthecourse—notjustthelectures,butalsotheassignedreadings,thediscussionsections(ifany),andanyout-of-classactivities—forpossiblesourcesofexamples.Someingenuityherecanreallystrengthenyouranswer—andimpresstheprofessorintheprocess.

10. Keep it real.Writeinsimple,clearlanguage.You’renotgoingtoimpresstheprofessorwhenyouuseallsortsofwordswhosemean-ingsyoudon’treallyknow,orlardyourpaperwithallsortsofjargonthatyoufeelyousomehowmustgetin.AndavoidBSorothersortsoffillers,andanyirrelevantmaterial.Whenaninstructorisreadingseventyessaysonthesametopic,extrajunkthatisunrelatedtothetopicreallystandsoutlikeasorethumb.Somegradersjustignoreit,butotherswilltakeoffpoints.

11. give ‘em a break. Takepityonyourgrader,whoisfacingahugestackofexamsandwouldpreferscrubbingtoiletbowlstowadingthroughthepile.Begintogiveyouranswerintheveryfirstsentence(exceptifyou’respecificallyinstructedotherwise)soyourgraderdoesn’thavetoexcavatetounearthit.Numberthequestionyou’reansweringandlabelanyparts.Divideyouressayintoparagraphs.Circleyouranswertoamathorscienceproblem.Don’thavearrowspointingtowho-knows-whatpage.Anditwouldn’thurtifsomeonecouldactuallyreadyourwriting.Ahappiergradermakesforahap-piergrade.

12. Keep your cool.Somequestionsaremeanttobehard.That’showtheprofseparatesthesheep(whogettheA’s)fromthegoats(whogettheB’s).Don’tpanicifsomethingseemstoneedmorementaleffortandstruggle.Itprobablydoes.Ifyou’retrulystuck,makeamental(orwritten)noteofwhatpieceyou’remissing,thengoontothenextquestion.Yourmindkeepsworkingwhileyourpenkeepsmoving,andoftenyou’llhavetimelatertogobackandfilloutthese“reminders.”

13. always stay till the bitter end.Ifyoufinishearly,gooverpreviousanswers.Correctingevenonecalculationalerrororaddingevenoneideaorexamplecaneasilyaddafewpointstoyourscore.Andyouneverknowwhenyoucouldusethoseextrapoints(likewhenyou


geta79oran89andyourschooldoesn’thaveplusesandminuses).Don’tbepsychedoutbythosepeoplewholeaveaftertwentymin-utes.Someofthemhavedonesobadlythey’rejustthrowinginthetowel.

BonustiP. Whenyougetyourtestback,besuretogooveryourinstructor’scommentsonebyone.Thisisoneofthefewtimesinthecourseyou’llgetcustomizedfeedbackonyourwork.don’twastethisvaluableresourcebythinkingit’stoopainfultolookatthecriticism.Whoknows?Theremightevenbewordsofencouragement.(couldhappen.Youneverknow.)


10 Tips for writing the Perfect Paper

Likeanarchitecturalmasterpieceorawell-craftedsymphony,theperfectcollegepaperiscarefullyconstructed—ratherthanbarfedoutontothepageat3a.m.thenightbefore.Eachpartismeticulouslyselectedandpolishedup,thenassembledwiththeothersintoacoherentandconvinc-ingwhole.Weshouldknow.Betweenus,we’vereadtensofthousandsofcollegepapers—someperfect,othersnotsoperfect—fromwhichwe’vegleanedourtenbesttips:

1. Decide what kind of paper you’re writing.There’snoone-size-fits-allincollege.Someprofessorsassignresearchpapers,inwhichcaseyou’llneedtoheadtothelibraryortoresourcesontheInternet(see“16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor”onpp.118–122).Otherprofessorsassignanalyticalpapers(inwhichyou’reaskedtoanalyzeorevaluatesomeobject,phenomenon,ortext);inthiscase,you’llhavetoturntoyourheadfortheanswer.Stillotherprofes-sorsassignahybridofthetwo,inwhichcaseyou’llhavetodivideyourlabors.Knowwhattypeofassignmentyou’rebeingaskedtodobeforeyoustartworkingonthepaper.

2. answer exactly the question(s) asked. Professorsspendunbeliev-ableamountsoftimeformulatingthequestionsforthepaper.Takethetimetopuzzleoutpreciselywhat’sbeingasked.Ifthereismorethanonequestionorpartasked,figureouthoweachquestionisdifferentfromtherestandwhatmaterialswouldberelevanttoansweringit.

5-startiP. payspecialattentiontoanyverbsusedinthepaperassignment.Compare, contrast,discuss, evaluate,explain,consider,formulate a hypothesis,raise an objection,argue for,trace,illustrate,defend,and summarize,arealldifferenttasks.Knowwhichone(s)yourprofessorisaskingyoutodo—andwhatitwouldtaketodoit(orthem).ifyou’renot100percent,positively,absolutely,nodoubtaboutit,sure,ask.


3. Be sure to fill the space. Whenaprofessorassignsafour-tosix-pagepaper,heorsheisusuallyexpectingthatthegoodpaperswillbemorelikesixpages(whilethestudentswhodon’tknowwhattosaywillprobablymanagetofillonlythreeorfourpages).Worrymoreaboutwritingtoolittlethanwritingtoomuch.(Ofcourse,youshouldneverexceedthepagelimit.That’llnevermaketheprofessorhappy.)

4. make sure your paper has a point. Everypapershouldhaveathesis—thatis,asinglepointthatisexpressedinasinglesentence.Withoutathesis,apaperisjustareport.Andmostcollegeprofessorsdon’tlikereports.Wethinkthatthissentenceshouldbetheveryfirstoneinthepaper,butsomeprofessorslikeyoutowriteabriefintroductionor“setup”paragraph(followtheirinstructions,ifyougetoneoftheseprofs).Inanycase,everyonewouldagreethatthethesissentenceshouldcomeatleastbythebeginningofthesecondparagraph.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. it’snotenoughtojuststateathesis;youhavetostructurethewholepaperaroundyourthesis.makesureeachpointyoumakeinyourpapersupportsthethesisyouhaveadvancedatthebeginningofyourpaper.ifyoucan’trememberyourthesis,referbacktoitasyouwrite.

5. give your paper direction. Agoodpapermovesthroughaseriesofstepsthatarearrangedinsomelogicalorder.Makesureyouhaveareasonforarrangingyourpointsintheorderthatyoudo—andthatitiscleartothereaderwhatthatreasonis.Andmakesurethateachstepdoessomeworkinadvancingyourargument.Foreachpara-graph—thenforeachsentencewithintheparagraph—askyourself:Whyisthishere?Howdoesitadvancetheoverallargument?Andifyouransweris“Itdoesn’t,”gobackandtakeitout.

ExtraPointEr. use“logicalindicator”wordssuchasmoreover, therefore, since, consequently, nevertheless, thus, then, now, first(sec-ond, third),tomarkturningpointsinyourargument.Notonlywillsuch“hinges”helpyourreaderunderstandwhereyourargumentpivots,buttheywillalsohelpyouthinkouthowit’sstructured.


6. write for a reasonably intelligent person—not the professor.Manystudentsmakethemistakeofwritingfortheprofessor—someonewhoalreadyknowstheanswerandforwhomacodewordhereortherewillbemorethanenough.Writeinsteadforasmartenoughpersonwhohasnotalreadytakenthecourse.Takethetimetoexplaineachofyourpointsfully—sothatsomeonecouldunder-standwhatyoumeanjustfromwhatyouwrite.

ExtraPointEr. Besuretoexplainanytechnicalorunusualtermsinordinarylanguage.don’tassumethatthereaderisaspecialistinthatfieldandwillknowwhat“etiologicalconsider-ations”are.

7. avoid vagueness.Manycollegepaperssufferfrombeingtoogen-eral.Theymakemanytrueclaims,butexpresstheminsuchanunspecificwaythatonecan’treallyformafirmconceptionofwhatisbeingclaimed.Beasparticularaspossible.Andusespecificanddetailedexamples—oftenmorethanone—toproveyourpoints.Justlikeonthetest.

8. Have a quote quota. Inananalyticalpaper,it’susuallynotnecessarytoofferupelaboratequotesorsometimeseventoquoteatall.Afterall,it’syouranalysisthat’sbeingaskedfor.Eveninaresearchpaper,youshouldnotusesomanyquotesthatthepaperbecomesameresum-maryorcataloguingofotherpeople’swork(see“16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor”onpp.118–122formoreonthistopic).

ioho. generally,it’sbettertoincorporatebriefquotes,orpor-tionsofquotes,intoyourownsentencesthantosetofflongcitationsintheirownparagraphs.Andbesuretoalwaysexplainthequotesinyourownwordsafteryou’vereproducedthem.Theprofessorwantstoknowwhatyou’reseeinginthequoteandwhatyoutakethequotetomean.


9. Consolidate your argument.Asyoureadoverthefirstdraftsofyourpaper,considertakingoutpointsthataren’tcentraltotheargumentanddevelopingmorefullypointsthatare.Oftenamorecompact,moreforcefullyarguedpaperisabetterpaper;and,inanycase,youshouldviewyourfirstdraftasyourfirststabatproperlycapturingyouridea,notthefinal,best-arguedversion.

10. Deal the professor in.There’snothingprofessors(orTAs)likemorethanhelpinggoodstudentsconstructexcellentpapers.Gotoofficehourswithspecificquestionsandproblems,thenfollowupwithe-mailasmanytimesasisnecessaryorreasonable(formoreonboththesetopics,see“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfes-sor”onpp.129–133and“EtiquetteforE-mailingYourProfessor”onpp.134–136).

5-startiP. reviewtheproduct.Nothingupsetstheprofes-sormorethanspellingandgrammarerrors,andsentenceswithwordsleftoutorthatdon’tmakesense.Becometheprofforfif-teenminutes.readyourpaperasifyouhadneverseenitbefore,makingwhateverchangesareneededtomakeitmorecoher-entandreadable.You’llbeamazedhowmuchdifferenceafewminutesofpolishingupwillmakeintheoverallimpressionyourpapergives.Nottomentiontheoverallgrade.

BonustiP. Knowwhentostop.Atacertainpoint,endlessrevisingservesnopurpose(otherthantomakeyouupset).indeed,itcanweakenyourpaperbydisruptingthenaturalflowofthepointsthatyoufirstwrote.ifyoutendtobeaperfectionist,learnwhentoputyourpendown.ortoclick“save”and“send.”

Top10WaysofMakingtheLeapfromaBtoanA 117

Top 10 ways of Making the leap from a B to an A

Oneofthemostcommonquestionswegetaskedis“WhatcanIdototurnmyBpaperintoanA?”Thisisoneofthehardestthingsforaprofes-sortoputintowords,sinceeverycaseisdifferent,andinanycasethere’softennoonethingyouneedtodotogetoverthethresholdfromgoodtoexcellentwork.Nevertheless,herearetenthingsyoucandotoincreaseyourchancesofbaggingthatmuchsought-afterA:

#10. Offeramoresubtleandnuancedthesis(ratherthanthemostobviousone).

#9. Probetherelationsbetweenthepartsof,ortheissuestreatedin,thequestion.

#8. Givemoreexamplesorillustrations.

#7. Drawdistinctionsiftheyarerelevanttothequestion(s)asked.

#6. Bringinmaterialfromtheassignedreadingsorfromextraarticlesselectedinconjunctionwiththeprofessor.

#5. Usethemethods,techniques,andanalytictoolsofthefield(liketheonestheprofessorusedintheclass).

#4. Reachafirmconclusion(ratherthanwimpingout).

#3. Pickabettertopicnexttime—onethathasmoredepthoraboutwhichyouhavemoretosay.

#2. Getfeedbackfromtheprofessor(orTA)asyou’rewritingthepaper(notafterthefact,onceyou’vegottenyourB).

Andthenumber-onetipformovingfromaBtoanA:

#1. Thinkharder.WeknowyoucandobetterthanthisBpaper.


16 Techniques for doing research like a Professor

Onceinawhileyougethitwithit.Thedreadedfifteen-totwenty-five-pageresearchpaper,a.k.a.thetermpaperorsemesterproject.Thisisyourchancetojointhecommunityofthe20percentorsoofcollegeprofessorswhoareactuallydoingresearch.Howdotheydoit?Andhowcanyou?Havealookatoursixteenbesttipsfordoingresearch—likeaprofessor:

1. Start from where you are. Theprofessorhashisorherresearchprogram.Youhavethecourse.Carefullyconsideralltheassignedpapertopics,tryingtopickonethatseemsinterestingtoyouandaboutwhichyouthinkyou’llhavesomethingtosay.Iftheprofessorisrequiringyoutoproposeatopicofyourown,scourallthecoursematerials—lecturenotes,readings,syllabus,handouts,discussionsections,andcoursebibliography—forpossibletopics.Thenmeetwiththeproftoseeifyourproposedtopicisoneyoucouldactuallydo,givenwhatyouknowandwhatthereistoknow.Abadtopicwillnotonlynetweeksoffrustration,butabadpaper,intheend.

2. Think e-.Manyup-to-dateresearchmaterialsarenowavailableelectronically.ThebestplacetostartisnotGoogle,Bing,orWikipe-dia,butwiththee-reservesthattheprofessorhaslisted.Thesearetobefoundatyourschoollibrary’sWebpageunderyourparticularcoursenumber(orsometimesatthecourseWebpage).Theyhavebeencarefullyselectedforrelevance,levelofdepth,andgeneralappropriatenessforyourparticularcourse,sobeginwiththem.

Nextstopistheelectronicresources(ore-resources)atthelibraryWebpage.Usuallytheyaredividedintomoregeneral,thoughstillschol-arly,sources(suchasInfoTrac,OneFile,LexisNexisAcademic,andProQuest);andmorescholarlyor“academic”sources(forexample,


EbscoHost,ExpandedAcademicASAP,JSTOR,PeriodicContentsIndex,WebofScience,andWebofKnowledge).

Anotherusefulresourceisthesubjectguide.Here,thedatabasesaredividedupbyareas—allthewayfromaerospaceengineeringthroughwomen’sstudies.Thesecanbeincrediblyhelpfulifyou’rejustbeginningtothinkaboutatopic.

Toseeanespeciallyclearexampleofalltheseelectronicresources,navigatetowww.CoLumBia.eDu/Cu/LweB/ereSourCeS.

ExtraPointEr. Whenusinge-resources,besuretodistin-guishelectronicdatabases,whicharelistsordirectoriesofdif-ferentjournals,frome-journals,whicharetheactualjournalsorperiodicalsthemselves(inelectronicratherthanprintform).

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. Alwaysbeonthelookoutfortoptenlistsofdatabasesatyourlibrary’sWebpage.Thesehavebeenselectedbylibrariansbasedongeneralusefulnessorfrequencyofusebypatronsandwillinmostcasesworkjustgreat.

3. Discover worldCat.Oneofthebestresourcesiswww.worLDCaT.org,afreeandpubliccatalogueofmorethanabillionitemsavailablefrommorethantenthousandlibrariesworldwide.Bestofall,youdon’thavetoleaveyourhouseordormtouseit:it’savailableinallmodalities,includingonlineandmobile(withdownloadableappsforiPhone,Black-berry,andmostWeb-enabledphones).Checkitout.

4. Learn the shortcuts.You’llhaveamucheasiertimeconductingyoursearchifyoumasteradvancedsearchingtechniques.Usewildcardcharacters—typicallyaquestionmark(?),poundsign(#),oraster-isk(*)—whenyouknowonlythefirstfewlettersofaword,orwhenyouwanttofindallthewordsthatstartwithacertainstringoflet-ters.UsetheBooleanand-operator(typicallyANDor+)tolimitthe

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources

http://www.worldcat.org


resultsofasearch,andtheor-operator(ORor–)toexpandthetopic.Andtakeoutanyapostrophes(O’Reilly)andreplaceforeignlan-guagecharactersthathavediacritics(ç,ü)withtheirEnglishequiva-lents(c,u,orue).

5. use the living, breathing resources.Iftwenty-first-centuryresearchisalreadygivingyouaheadache,makeyourwaytothereferencedeskatthebrick-and-mortarlibrary.Thelibrarianstherewillbehappytohelpyouwithyourelectronicsearchesandmightevenwalkyouovertosomeofthe(gasp)printbooks.Atbiggeruniversities,theyevenhavereferencelibrarianstrainedinspecificstudyareas(humanities,socialsciences,business,andnaturalsciences,forexample).Usethem.

6. Learn about iLL. Ifforwhateverreasonyourlibrarydoesn’thavesomeprintbook,orane-jounralorarticleisn’tavailableinanydata-base,gototheinterlibraryloan(ILL)departmentofyourlibrary.Thefolkstherewillhappilygetyouthephysicalbookoracopyofthearticlefromanotherlibrary,usuallyforfreeandinplentyoftimeforyoutodoyourresearchpaper(sometimesevenonthesameday,forelectronicmaterials).

7. Look for “gateway” sources. It’softenagoodideatostartwithbroadlyconceivedsourcesthatsurveytheproblem,area,orsubjectyou’reresearchingandpointthewaytofurther,morespecificstud-ies.TheymighthavenameslikeCambridgeCompaniontoX,StanfordEncyclopediaofY,GroveDictionaryofZ,orOxfordIllustratedHistoryofA.(AskyourproforTAforthebestsourcesinyourfield).Andwheneverreadinganysource,looktothefootnotesandbibliographyfordirectiontofurthersourcesyoumightread.

8. Drive your sources (don’t let them drive you).Alwayskeepyourinvestigationfocusedontheissueorproblemyou’restudying.Justbecausesomeotherguymakessomepoint—nomatterhowgooditis—doesn’tmeanyouhavetoincludeitinyourpaper,espe-ciallyiftheissueisn’treallywithinthescopeofyourproject.Keepinmindthatyou’retheresearcherhere,sotakecontrolofthesourcematerial.


ExtraPointEr. Keepitcurrent.Whileeveryinvestigationisdifferent,youshouldbeattentivetothedateofthesource.since,atleastarguably,scienceandlearningmoveforward,youmightdobetterwithanarticledatedAugust2010thanonefromthelate1890s.Besides,oneofthethingstheprofessormightbelookingforisyouracquaintancewithup-to-datejour-nalresearch.(ofcourse,ifyou’restudyingprimarysources—afifteenth-centurymanuscript,nineteenth-centurysettlementrecords,or,ifyou’rereallylucky,afourth-centuryb.c.greekvase—olderisbetter.)

9. embrace the zen of research.Allresearch—andespecially,goodresearch—isaprocessthatinvolvesconsiderableuncertainty,doubt,and,often,thelackofquickorblack-and-whiteanswers.That’showdiscoveriesaremade.Getusedtoit.Allofthesearesignsthattheresearchisgoingwell.

10. Don’t fixate too quickly.Oftenindoingresearch—especiallycre-ativeororiginalresearch—you’llfindthatyourideaschangeasyoureadnewsourcesorthinkoutanissueforyourself.This,too,isagoodsign,andtheprocesscanbeartificiallyabortedifyoudecidetoosoononyourfinalanswer.Letideasevolvenaturally,anddon’tclosethedoortooquicklyonrefiningyourideas.

11. Torture the data. Oneofthemaindifferencesbetweensuperficialandreallygoodresearchisthatreallygoodresearchpickssomethingnarrowtoinvestigate,studiesthetopicindepth,anddrawsmorenuancedormoremeaningfulconclusionsaboutit.Ofcourse,youshouldalwaysconsultwithyourprofessororTAabouthowtocon-ductyourresearch,butdon’tthinkoffirst-rateresearchsimplyasmindlesscollectionandsurveyingofloadsofdata.

12. record and conquer.Besuretotakecompleteandeasilyreadablenotesasyoudoyourresearch.You’llneverbeabletokeepstraightwhateachoftheauthorshassaidifyoudon’thavedetailedrecordsofwhatyou’veread.Andbesuretokeepcompletebibliographical


citations(nameofarticle,journal,author,pagenumber,URL,andsoon).You’llneedthatinformationlaterwhenyouwriteyourfootnotesandcomposeyourbibliography,andit’sanincrediblepaintohavetofindthesourcesagain.

5-startiP. Writingresearchpaperswillbe100percenteasier(or,atleast,yourpaperwillbe100percentbetterorganized)ifyouusereference-managementsoftware.ifyourcollegelibrarydoesn’tprovideitfree,tryendnote,refworks,Zotero,orWizfolio(doaWebsearchtofindthedifferencesbetweeneach).

13. Take a stand. Yourresearchshouldalwaysculminateinsomedefi-niteresultorconclusionaboutwhatyou’veinvestigated.Norealresearcher—or,atleast,nogoodrealresearcher—wouldconcludehisorherstudybysaying“Intheend,wecan’tbesureabout…,”or“ThoughIhaven’tshownthisinthispaper,mypersonalopinionis….”(Thesearerealconclusionswe’veseen.Hey,youcan’tmakeupthisstuff.)

14. Fear not the footnote. Someprofshaveapoleuptheiryou-know-whataboutfootnotestyles.Whygivethemgrief?Learnwhichofthemanycompetingstyles(APA,MLA,CBE,APSA,Turabian,andoth-ers)yourprofessorthinksmostimportantforthefield.TechiesandnerdswillenjoyHTTP://memoriaL.LiBrary.wiSC.eDu/CiTing.HTm.Allthestylesyou’lleverwant(andthensome).

15. Don’t pad the bibliography.Unlessinstructedotherwise,don’tincludeinyourbibliographysourcesyoudidn’tuse.Mostlikelyyourprofessorknowstheliteratureandisinterestedonlyinhowyouusedthematerials.

16. Leave time for writing.It’sonethingtodobang-upresearch,anothertowriteagoodresearchpaper.Besuretoleaveenoughtotimetowrite—andreviseandedit—yourpaper.Ruleofthumb:spendhalfthetimeresearching,halfthetimewriting.

http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/citing.htm

Y oumightthinkthattakingacollegecourseisjustaboutgoingtoclassandhittingthebooks.Andyouwouldn’tbewhollywrong.Butyou’ll

bemostsuccessfulinyourclassesifyouaddsomesocialnetworkingintothemix.Withyourprofessor,thatis.Developingarelationshipwiththeprofcanpayoffinallsortsofways.Maybetheprofessorcanclearupamisconceptionthat’scausingyoutoleaveeachlectureinafogofconfu-sion.Maybeheorshecanhelpyougetthethesisofyourpaperrightortipyouofftowhat’sgoingtobeontheexam—thusavertingdisaster.Ormaybeit’ssomespecialconsiderationyouneed—anextension,amakeupexam,orthereviewofagrade—orperhapsjustalittleencouragementtogetyouthroughthecourse.

Whateverthecase,you’regoingtohavetoapproachyourprofessorandinteractwithhimorher.Butstudentsgenerallydon’thavemuchofanideahowtomanagetheirrelationswiththeprofessor.Somestudentsaresimplynotinterestedinengagingtheprofessor,whileothersseetheteacherasanenemytobeavoidedatallcosts.Andlotsofstudentsareterrifiedofgoingtoanofficehour,lesttheysomehowseemstupidorlost,orencounteraprofessorwhohasnointerestinseeingthem.

Butit’swellworththetimeandefforttoovercometheseobstacles.It’sreallynotthathardtointerfacewellwithyourprofessoronceyouknowhowtodoit—andonceyouunderstandtheprofessor’sperspective.Andintheend,it’llmakeyoureducationalexperienceexponentiallybet-terand—afewincompetentprofessorsandSOBsnotwithstanding—morefun,too.

6PArTnering wiTh The Professor

124 CHaPTer 6: PartneringwiththeProfessor


15WaystoMakeYourProfessorLoveYou88

The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfessor88

EtiquetteforE-mailingYourProfessor88

10SurefireWaystoPissOffYourProfessor88

Top10ThingsProfessorsNeverWanttoHear(andWhatThey88ThinkWhenTheyDoHearThem)


15 ways to Make your Professor love you

Hey,professorsarehumanbeings,too.Withrealhumanfeelings.Howyourprofessorfeelsaboutyoucaninfluencehowmuchtimeheorsheiswillingtoputintohelpyouwiththecourseandevenhowgoodarecom-mendationheorshewillwriteforgradschoolorajob.Surprisinglyenough,onlyoneinahundredstudentsthinksaboutthis.Assumingyou’reoneoftheotherninety-nine,weofferyouourfifteenbesttipsonhowtoingratiateyourselftoyourprofessor:

1. Look interested.Professorslikenothingbetterthantoseealertandengagedstudentsseatedfrontandcenterintheirclasses.Evenifthey’reusuallytoopolitetomentionit,professorsdonoticestudentswhositthereyawningorlookingbummedout—or,worseyet,openlytextingorreadinge-mail.Ifyoulookasifyou’refollowing,activelytakingnotes,andshowinganinterestinthematerial,you’llstandoutfromthehuddledmasses.

2. Say hi to the professor when he or she enters the room. Seemsobvious,buttakealookaroundsometimetoseehowfewstudentsdoit.

3. ask a question.Mostprofessorsregularlyinterrupttheirpresenta-tionstogivestudentsachancetoaskquestions.Andwhenprofes-sorsdo,they’rehopingforsomekindofresponse—nottheapatheticsilencethatoftengreetsthem.Yourquestionwilllightupyourprofessor’sday.Makesureit’saquestionaboutthematerial,notoneofthesemuch-hatedquestionslike:“Willthisbeonthetest?”“Couldyourepeatwhatyoujustsaidforthepastfifteenminutes?”or“Whenisthepaperdue?”


ExtraPointEr. Bonuspointswillbegivenifyourquestiondemonstratesanunderstandingofmaterialpresentedinanear-lierclass.Yourprofessorwillthink,“Wow—astudentwhocametoclassandactuallyrememberssomethingfromlastweek!”Alsogoodiswhenyourquestionshowsanacquaintancewiththeread-ing.Yourprofessorwillthink,“Wow—someoneisactuallyporingoverthatdull-as-dishwatertextbookiassigned!”

4. Put in your two cents’ worth.Anotherwayprofessorsbreakthemonotonyofthefifty-minutelectureisbythemselvesaskingquestionsofthestudents.Attimes,runningaclassdiscussioncanbelikepullingteeth.Soyou’resuretowintheprofessor’sfavorifyoupipeupwithananswer(oratleastastabatananswer)totheprofessor’squery.Anddon’tbeafraidtobethefirstonein,either.Professorsunderstandthatit’ssometimeshardtothinkonyourfeet.

5-startiP. donottakethisasagreenlighttoofferupwhat-everthoughtyouhave,nomatterhowdumborunrelatedtothequestionasked.ifyoujustshootyourmouthoff,withoutgivinganythoughtatalltowhatyou’resaying,you’relikelytobecomeamajorthorninyourprofessor’ssideandincurthewrathofyourfellowstudents.

5. volunteer first.Youhaveagoldenopportunitytoearnyourprof’saffectionsifyouarethefirsttovolunteerwhenyourprofessorisdivid-inguptasksforlaterinthesemester—forexample,seminarpresenta-tions,debates,ordiscussionleaders.Someprofessorsevengivespecialbreaksonthegradingforthosebraveenoughtostepuptobatfirst.

6. Continue the conversation outside of class. Youwillsurelygetonyourprofessor’sgoodsideifyouapproachhimorheroutsideofclasstotalkaboutissuesraisedinclass.Usuallythebestvenueisduringofficehours,butsomeprofessorshavetimetochatbeforeorafterclass.Keepinmindthatthemoreyoucandisplayyourinterestinthecoursematerialforitsownsake(ratherthanforagoodgradeonthe


paperortest),thebetter.Ifyouareshy,ane-mailtotheprofessorfollowinguponsomeissueraisedinclasscanalsodothetrick(fortipsonthisapproach,see“EtiquetteforE-mailingYourProfessor”onpp.134–136).

7. read the comments.Youcan’timaginehowmanystudentscometoofficehourstogooverapaperortestandhaven’tevenreadthepro-fessor’scomments.Professorsespeciallyappreciatethosestudentswhohave,becauseitshowsthatyouactuallywanttolearnfromwhattheprofessorhastosay.Andit’satime-saverfortheprof,too:Whowantstosayagainwhattheyjustfinishedwritingdownthenightbefore?(Alsosee“The15SecretsofGoingtoSeetheProfes-sor,”cominguponpp.129–133.)

8. Join the team.Someprofessorsofferstudentstheopportunitytoworkwiththemonajointresearchprojectordoaninternship.Thiscanbeoneofthebestwaystoforgeagreatrelationshipwithyourprofessorandgainvaluabletraininginyourfield.Ifnoresearchorinternshipopportunitiesareavailable,atleastseeifyoucantakeasmallclassorseminarwithsomeprofessoryouwouldliketoworkwith.

9. ask the prof what he or she is working on.Manyprofessorsspendlotsofyearsworkingonaresearchproject.Andthere’salmostnoth-ingprofessorsliketotalkaboutmorethantheirresearch.Butit’sararestudentwhothinkstoasktheprofessoraboutit.Thisissome-thingthat’llsurelysetyouofffromthecrowd,and,hey,youmightevenlearnsomethingaboutSiberianpoetryofthelate1820sorthesynthesisofaminoacids.

10. Participate in departmental activities.Professorswilltakenoteofyouwhentheyseeyouatdepartmentaleventssuchasoutsidelec-tures,colloquia,ormeetingsofthedepartmentalstudentclub.Yourparticipationshowsyoureallycareaboutthefield.(Professorsaresuckersforthatsortofthing.)

11. alert your professor to current events related to the class. Bring-inginanewspaperitemorWebarticlethathasrelevancetothecourseisasurefirewaytowinapprovalfromyourprofessor.Notonlydoesheorsheseethatyouareengagedenoughwiththeclass


torecognizeitsrelevancetoreal-worldactivities,butitgivestheprofessorsomevaluableammunitiontoprovetotherestoftheclassthat—despitewhatthey’vebeenthinking—someoneactuallyfindsthecourseusefulorinteresting.

12. Congratulate the professor on an achievement.IfyoureadonthecollegeWebsiteorstudentnewspaperthatyourprofessorjustpub-lishedabook,wonanaward,orhasgottentenureand/orpromotion,it’saverynicethingtooffercongratulations.Everyonelikeshisorheraccomplishmentsrecognized,evenprofessors.

13. Tell your prof you like the class. Studentsrarelyrealizethatprofes-sorsworryabouthowaclassisgoing,andwoulddesperatelyliketohearthatstudentsareenjoyingit.Lookforanoccasionwhenyoucanslipin,inacasualbutsincereway,thatyouliketheclass.Itwouldbeaspecialtouchifyoucouldcomeupwithsomespecificthingabouttheclassthatyouareenjoying,butevenageneralexpressionofappreciationwouldsurelybewelcome.

ExtraPointEr. it’sonethingtocomplimentaprofessorandanothertolayitontoothick.onceyouslipintosuckingupmode,theprofessorrealizesit’smoreaboutyoutryingtogetagoodgradethanabouthimorherbeingagoodprofessor.Neveragoodidea.

14. Thank the professor when he or she does you a favor. Youmightnotrealizeit,butprofessorsaren’tobligatedtodoalotofthethingstheydoforstudents.Likemakingspecialappointments,answeringe-mailsoneveningsandweekends,givingextensionsandmakeups,andprovidinghelpwithpickingothercoursesinthedepartment.Professorsrememberthestudentswhothankthem—inpersonoratleastbye-mail—foranyspecialconsiderationsthattheprofessormighthaveoffered.Whichwillcomeinveryhandywhenyouneedanotherfavorortwo.

15. always be positive. Wheneveryouhaveanyinteractionwiththeprofessor—whetherintheclass,intheoffice,oreveninthehall—alwaysbeupbeatandenthusiastic.Noonelikesasourpuss.


The 15 secrets of going to see the Professor

Oneofthebestthingsyoucandoanytimeinthesemesterisgoseetheprofessor.Sohoofonovertoanofficehourandhavesomeone-on-onefacetimewithsomeonewho’llhelpyoumasterthematerialandimproveyourgrade,toboot.Buthowshouldyouconductthistête-à-têtewiththeprof?Herearefifteeninsidertipsabouthowtomakethatofficehourreallycount:

1. Have no fear. Noneedtogetallbentoutofshapeaboutgoingtoseetheprofessor.Theprofwouldactuallyliketoseeyouandansweryourquestions.Believeitornot,heorsheisonyoursideandiseagertoseeyoudowell.Andbesides,heorshehasseenmanystu-dentsstupiderthanyou,sonothingyou’regoingtoaskwillsettherecordforstupidity.

ExtraPointEr. don’tassumetheprofessorwillthink,“i’vetaughtthisbefore,sowhydidn’tthisdumb-assstudentgetit?”professorsknowthatthematerialisdifficultandsometimesgoesbyprettyquicklyinlecture,sothey’llbehappytoexplainitagain.Justdon’taskthemtogooverallofit.

2. go it alone.Eventhoughyoumightfeelmorecomfortablegoingwithafriendorpartner,theofficehourwillgobetterifit’sjustyouandtheprofessor.You’llgetinmorequestions,thediscussionwillbetailoredtowhatyouneedmosthelpon,andtwo-partycommunica-tionisalmostalwaysmoreproductivethancommitteework.Yourfriendcanwaitoutsideforthepostmortem.


3. go while there’s still time.It’sbesttogoasearlyasaweekortwobeforethetestistobeheldorthepaperisdue.Thatwayyou’llhaveplentyoftimetoapplythesuggestionstheprofessormightmake.Andyou’llavoidtheinterminablelineofstudentsoutsidetheofficethedaybeforetheassignmentcomesdue.

4. Don’t make ‘em wait.Ifyoucan’tmaketheofficialofficehours,mostprofessorsarewillingtomakeindividualappointmentstohelpyouout.Ifyou’reluckyenoughtolandsuchanaccommodation,though,besureyou’re100percentontime.There’snothingthatticksoffaprofessormorethanmakinghim-orherselfavailableforacustomofficehouronlytofindthatyoudon’tcareenoughtocomeontime.Andbesides,theprofessormightleaveaftertenminutes,whichwouldmakeyourtripatotalloss.(Seeour“10SurefireWaystoPissOffYourProfessor”onpp.137–140forninemorewaystogetonyourprof’sbadside.)

5. Come ready to work.Ifyou’remeetingwiththeprofessortogooverapaperortest,ortoaskquestionsaboutaparticularlectureorread-ing,makesureyoubringthatpaperortest,oryourlecturenotesoracopyofthearticle.Theprofdoesn’trememberthecommentsheorshewroteonyourindividualpieceofwork—thoughheorshewillbeabletorecallthemafterjustabriefglanceatyourwork.Andifyouhaveyourlecturenotesorthearticleinhand,youandtheprofwillbeabletoexaminespecificpointsthatareconfusingtoyou,ratherthanjusttalkinginageneralwayaboutthecontents.

6. Come in with something to say.Officehoursalmostalwaysgobet-terifyoubringafewspecificquestionstothemeeting.It’salmostnevergoodtostartameetingwithgeneralcommentssuchas:“Ididn’tunderstandwhatyousaidabout[maintopicofthecourse]”or“Icouldn’tunderstandanyofyourlectureslastweek.”Muchbetteristocomeinwithtwoorthreeconversation-startersaboutaspecificconcept,point,orproblemyoudidn’tunderstand.Keepinmindthatinafifteen-minuteofficehour(whichishowlongthesethingsusu-allylast),twoorthreequestionsareusuallythemostyou’llhavetimetodiscuss.


5-startiP. goforthemeat.it’susuallybesttoaskquestionsaboutthemainideas,ratherthanaboutlittlefactsortinydetails.focusingonthecentralandmostfar-reachingissueswillalsohelpyouonthetestorpaper,becauseprofessorsusuallyaskaboutthemostimportantpoints,notpicayunedetails.

7. Start the conversation yourself… You’vecometohaveyourcon-cernsaddressed.Youshouldstarttheconversationbyaskingaquestionorraisinganissue.

…But let the man (or woman) talk.Besureyoualsolettheprofes-sorgetawordinedgewise.Sometimesstudentscomeinpreparedwithsomanythingstosaythattheprofessornevergetsachancetogethisorhertwocentsin.Netresult?Youdon’tgetthebenefitoftheprofessor’ssuggestionsandguidance,whichis—whenyouthinkaboutit—whatyoucamefor.Keyclue:whentheprofessorstartstalking,nomatterhowbrieflyandhowtentatively,youstoptalking.Alwaysworks.

8. Follow up with follow-ups.Onceyou’vegottenagooddiscussiongoing,it’sgoodtoprobeissuesmorefullybyaskingdirectedques-tionsaboutwhattheprofessorjustsaid.Themostproductiveofficehoursoccurwhennew—andunexpected—ideasaregenerateddur-ingtheconversation.Yourfollow-ups,evenwhenyou’renotsurewherethediscussionisgoing,willhelpgeneratesuchideas.

9. Don’t be coy.Nopointbeingshyorpretending.Iftheprofessorsayssomethingyoudon’tunderstand(ordirectsyourattentiontosome-thinginthelectureorreadingthatyoucan’tidentify),it’salwaysgoodtosay,simplyandforthrightly,thatyouhaven’tunderstood.Professors,whohaveoftengoneoverthesamematerialwithdiffer-entstudents,simplydon’trealizethatyou’renottakinginwhattheyjustsaid.Andthey’llappreciateyourhonestyandrealdesiretolearn.

10. Don’t dispute balls and strikes.It’sperfectlyallrighttogototheprofessorandaskwhyyougotthegradeyoudid.It’snotallrighttomountapitchedbattlewiththeprofessorabouteachpointthe


gradertookoff.Abetterideawouldbetofocusontheconceptsyoudidn’tunderstand—andonthe(less-than-successful)strategiesyouusedinwritingthepaperortakingthetest—sothatyoucandobet-ternexttime.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. mostprofessors,whentheysmellagradedisputecoming,dothebesttheycantoshutdownthediscus-sion.Keepthisinmindwhenyoushiftthediscussionfromthecoursematerialtowhyyougotthegradeyoudid(oftennotworthit).

11. get it down. It’salwaysagoodideatotakenotes.Pointsoftengobyveryfastinconversation,andyou’llbepleasedtohavearecordofwhattheprofessorsuggestedwhenitcomestimeforwritingthepaperorstudyingforthetest.Anddon’tbeembarrassed,either:professorsthemselvesareveryusedtotakingnotesatmeetings.

ExtraPointEr. iftheprofessorsuggestsadditionalreadingsorreferencematerials,makesureyougetdownasfullandexactacitationasyoucan.You’dbeamazedhowoftenstudentscan’tfindthearticleafterwardsbecausethey’vewrittendownonlyafewkeywords(ormisspelledtheauthor’sname).

12. Don’t make it personal.It’salmostneveragooduseofofficetimetoconfessyourpersonaltroubles,problemswithyourlife,yourroom-mate,yourfamily,andsoon.Theprofessorisnotaconfidant,andevenifheorshewere,airingyourproblemsinthisvenuewon’thelpyouinthecourse.

13. ask and ye shall receive (maybe).It’sgenerallynotsuchagreatideatoaskforanextensionoramakeupexam(eitherofwhichjustputsoffthepain).Butsometimessuchaccommodationswouldreally,really,reallyhelpyouout(forexample,whenyou’vegottwootherexamsonthatday).Alwaysask.Politely,ofcourse.Sometimes


professorshavehiddencoursepoliciesthatallowthemlatitudeforsuchspecialcases.Andwhat’stheworstthatcanhappen?They’llturnyoudown.

14. Be a mensch. It’salwaysnice—andprudent,too—topolitelygreettheprofessorwithanupbeat“Hello,ProfessorSoandSo”atthebeginningofthemeetingandtothankhimorherattheclosefortak-ingthetimetomeetwithyou.Professorsrespondtosuchniceties,especiallywhenyoumeanthem.

15. Beg for more. It’softengoodtotrytosetupanadditionalmeetingifyoustillhavequestionsandwouldliketocontinuethediscussion.Anddon’tforgetaboute-mail.Professorsareoftenveryhappytoanswer(specificandfocused)questionsbye-mailoreventoreaddraftsoratleastparagraphsofpapersbeforeyouhandthemin.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. manyprofessorsarestartingtouseskypeasawayofcommunicatingwithstudentsoutsideofofficehours.Askifyourprofessorisoneofthem.

Bottomline?Officehoursareoneofthemosthigh-valuebutunderutilizedresourcesatcollege.Takeadvantageofthisuniqueopportunity.


etiquette for e-mailing your Professor

Professors,likeeveryoneelse,havegoneelectronic,whichmeansthatinadditiontotheone-on-oneofficehour,they’reincreasinglywillingtocommu-nicatebye-mail.Herearesomethingstoconsiderbeforeclicking“Send”:

e-mail is forever.88 Onceyousenditoff,youcan’tgetitback.Onceyourprofessorhasit,heorsheownsitandcansaveit,or,intheworstcase,forwarditontocolleaguesforagoodlaugh.Atyourexpense.

e-mail goes where it’s told. 88 Check—anddoublecheck—toseethattherightaddressappearsinthe“To”line.JustbecauseyourmomandyourprofessorarebothnamedLynnisnoreasontosendallyourlovetoProfessorLynn.

Professors might not be using the cruddy university e-mail sys-88tem. Sosendittotheaddresstheyactuallyuse,nottheoneontheuniversitydirectory.(Checkthesyllabusorassignmentsheetforclues.)

Professors might not open mail sent from luckydogpig@ 88thepound.com. Theyprefertoopenmailsentfrommorerepu-tableaddresses,[email protected].

Subject lines are for subjects. 88 Putabriefexplanationofthenatureofthee-mail(like“questionaboutpaper”)inthesubjectline.Neverincludedemandssuchas“Urgentrequest:immediateresponseneeded.”That’sthesurestwaytogetyourrequesttrashed.

Salutations matter.88 Thesafestwaytostartiswith“DearProfes-sorSoandSo”(usingtheirlastname).Thatwayyouwon’tbeget-tingintotheissueofwhethertheprofhasaPhDornot,andyouwon’tseemsexistwhenyouaddressyourfemaleprofessorasMs.or,worseyet,Mrs.ThisandThat.

mailto:your.name@theCruddyUniversityE%E2%80%91mailSystem.edu

mailto:your.name@theCruddyUniversityE%E2%80%91mailSystem.edu

EtiquetteforE-mailingYourProfessor 135

Clear and concise is best.88 Yourprofmightgettwenty-fivetothirtye-mailsaday.Soit’sbestifyouaskyourquestionsinasfocusedandsuccinctawayaspossible(hint:it’softengoodtonumberyourquestions).Andifyourquestionisveryelaborateormultifaceted,it’sbesttogotoanin-personofficehour.You’llgetbetterservicethatway.

ExtraPointEr. Beforesendingadraftofapapertoaprofes-sorasanattachment,confirmthatheorsheiswillingtoacceptsuchlongdocuments.ifnot,findoutwhetherheorshewilllookoverapageorevenacentralparagraphofyourworkincorpo-ratedintothebodyofthee-mail.Andbesuretoccyourselfanytimeyousendapieceofwork—whoknowsthefateofthedocu-mentyou’resending?

5-startiP. Nevere-mailyourpaperasanattachmentinabizarreformat.Youmightthinkthat.odtisareallycoolfileextension,sinceyoudidn’thavetopayforopenoffice.Butifittakestheprofessortwentyminutestofindtheplug-in(whichdoesn’twork),thenanotherhalf-hourtodownloadopenoffice(whichtiesupwaytoomuchspaceonhisorhercomputer),whatwassupposedtobeafifteen-minutegradingjobonyourpaperisnowtakingoveranhour.Andthentheprofhastoassignyourgrade.recommendation:sticktoWord.

always acknowledge.88 Ifyourprofessordeignstoanswer—orsendyouthehandoutorreferencethatyouaskedfor—besuretotellhimorherthatyougotit.Thatwayheorshewillthinkkindlyofyounexttimeyouneedsomething.

THiS iS noT a SHouTing maTCH.88 Don’twriteinalluppercaseletters(whichisane-mailconventionforangerorotherstrongemotion).Noonelikesbeingyelledat.

no one really likes emoticons and smileys.88 Trustusonthisone.


This is not Facebook.88 Sodon’twritetheprofessorinthesamewayyou’dwriteonyourfriend’swall.

5-startiP. it’sneveragoodideato“poke”yourprofessor.Nomatterhowfunnyitseemsatthetime.

This is not iming. 88 [email protected].(Translationthankstowww.TranSL8iT.Com,whichfeaturesaneatlittleFacebookwidget.)

This is not CollegeHumor.com. 88 Soresistthetemptationtotalkaboutthe“badass”paperyouneedhelpwith,your“loser”TAwhodidn’tteachyouwhatyouneededtoknow,orthe“crappy”gradeyoujustgotonthemidterm.

This is not ratemyProfessors.com.88 Theprofessordoesn’twantyourcommentsabouthisorherperformanceintheclass.Savethosefortheend-of-semesterevaluations,whereyou’llbeabletospoutoff.Anonymously.

Spelling mistakes make you look like a doofus. 88 Soalwaysusethespelcheckandproofreadyyoure-mail,two.

Sign-offs and signatures count. 88 Alwaysendbythankingtheprofessorforhisorhertimeandclosingwith“Bestwishes”or“Regards”(orsomeotherrelativelyformal,butfriendlyclosing).Andalwayssignwithyour(entire)realname,notsomewackynicknamelikeRy-RyorBiff.

your prof doesn’t want to hear your philosophy of life. 88 Skipthecutequotesorstatementsofyourreligiousorpoliticalviewsatthebottomofyoure-mail.Youneverknowwhatoffends.

Don’t lay it on too thick.88 It’sonethingtobepoliteandfriendlyinyoure-mail;it’sanotherthingtowindupwithabrownnose.

http://www.transl8it.com


10 surefire ways to Piss off your Professor

Likeanyotherrelationbetweentwopeople,thestudent-professorinteractiondependsongoodwillfrombothsides.Thingsgowrongwhenoneparty—forexample,thestudent—doessomethingthatoffendstheotherparty—forexample,theprofessor.Insomecases,thestudentisn’tevenawarethatheorshehasdonesomethingtoirritatetheprof.Lestyouunwittinglymakeamisstep,herearetenofthemostcommonwaysstudentsgetonthewrongsideoftheirprofessors—andhowyoucanavoidthesefauxpas:

1. making excuses for missing class. Manystudentsfeelguiltywhen,forwhateverreason,theydon’tshowupforclass.Butthelastthingintheworldtheprofessorwantstoknowisthatyourfamilyreunionwasmoreimportantthanhisorherclass,orthatyourcrammingforyourP-Chemexamtookprecedenceoveryetanotherboringlecture.Suggestion:carefullythinkoutwhatexcusesyou’regoingtomakeformissingclassor,betteryet,don’tmakeanyexcusesatall.

ExtraPointEr. ifyoumustmakeanexcuse,eitherbecausetheprofessortakesattendanceorbecauseheorsheasksyouwhyyouweren’tthere,it’sbesttobeasbriefaspossible.simplysayingthatyouweren’tfeelingwell,thatyourkidwassick,orthattherewasanaccidentonthefreewaywillworkwell.

2. misbehaving in class.It’sveryeasyforstudentstothinkthattheprofpaysnoattentiontowhattheyaredoinginalecture.Theclassishuge,sowhyshouldtheteacherevencarewhattheaudienceisdoing?Surprisinglyenough,though,theprofessoroftennotices—andsometimesremembers—thestudentwho’sbusyIMinginclassorwhosecellphonegoesoffor,worstofall,whonodsoffduring


class.Andwhilefewprofessorswilldockyourgradeforsuchques-tionablebehavior,itcancomebacktobiteyouwhenyouneedsomehelpwithapaper,anextensionofadeadline,orwhenyourscoreisontheborderlinebetweentwogrades.

3. Challenging your professor publicly.It’sonethingtoaskapointedquestionorproposeadifferentinterpretation;it’sanotherthingtosuggest(howeverimplicitly)thattheprofessorhasnoideawhatheorsheistalkingaboutorthatnoonehasunderstoodanythingheorshehassaidsofar.Beforeaskingaquestioninlecture,makesureyou’renotgoingtoshowtheprofessoruporotherwiseembarrasshimorher.It’snotworthit.

4. Disputing a grade like a “mad dog.”Eventhoughit’stheleastpleas-antpartofthejob,allprofessorsrealizethey’reobligatedtoentertainstudentquestionsanddisputesabouttheirgrades.Butprofessorsreallyhateitwhensomestudentcomesinfrothingatthemouthandcomplainingthatthegradeontheirpaperisunacceptable,unfair,wrong—oralloftheabove.Onelikelyresultofsuchbehavior:thepro-fessorwillrereadyourpaperlikeagymnasticsjudgeattheOlympics,replayingeverythinginslomo,lookingforanypossiblededuction.Andinmanycaseswillcometotheconclusionthattheinitialgradewaswaytoohighforsuchalousypieceofwork.Tip:considerthedis-putefromthesideoftheinteractionthatcounts.Theprofessor’s.

5. Seeming really stupid.Fromtimetotimeprofessorsencounterstupiditythelikesofwhichthey’veneverseen.Studentswhocan’trememberwhopaintedtheMonaLisa.Studentswhosaytheycan’tcometoa12:30p.m.officehourbecauseit’sinthemiddleofthenight.Andstudentswhodon’tknowtheir“its”fromtheir“it’s,”eventhoughthethirdgradersintownhaveitontheirspellingliststhisweek.Seeingthiskindofstupidityfromcollegestudentscanreallytickoffaprofessor.(Onthepositiveside,itdoesmakeforsomegreatcocktailpartysnickeringwiththeprofessor’sfacultyfriends.)

6. giving lame excuses for handing in a late paper or missing an exam. Someexcuseswearreallythinwithprofessors.Computerateyourpaper(haveyoueverheardofbackups?).Alarmclockdidn’tgooff(asifI’veneverheardthatonebefore).Grandmotherdied


(amazinghowmanygrandmothersgotomeettheirmakerthedayofthemidterm).Butsomeexcusesreallygooffthedeepend.Likeastudentwhovehementlyarguedthathewasnevertoldaboutacourserulebecausehissyllabuswasmissingapage—allthewhileholdingthatverypageinhishands.Ontheflipside,thebestexcuseswe’veheardinclude:“Icouldn’tgettothetestbecauseIwasinjail”(howcanyouarguewiththatone?)and“Icouldn’tdothepaperbecauseOzarksElectrichasn’trestoredthepowertomyhousefif-teendaysaftertheicestorm”(it’strue).

7. Treating the professor like your servant. You’reguaranteedtooffendtheprofessorifyouleavephonemessagesorsende-mailthatsay:ABSOLUTELYMUSTSEEYOUTOMORROWTODISCUSSMYEXAM.IHAVECLASSESFROM10:30TO12:30,LUNCHWITHMYFRAT‘TIL2ANDHAVETOWORKFROM3TO5.SOIAMAVAILABLEBETWEEN2AND3.PLEASERESPONDIMMEDIATELY.Yeah,right.

8. Plagiarizing in super-obvious ways. Noprofessorlikesstudentswhocheat.Butworseeventhanplagiarismiscopyinginawaythat’ssotransparentandobviousthatanyonewithhalfabraincoulddetectit.LikewhathappenswhentheprofessorentersthefirstfewwordsofyourpaperintoaGooglesearchandfinds,wordforword,partsofyourpaperinthefirstentry.Look—professorsthinkplagia-rismisintellectualstealingand,astheantilitteringsignsinNewYorkCitysay,“disgustingandfilthy,sodon’tdoit.”Butyouaddinsulttoinjurywhenyoucopyinsoobviousawaythatyourprofessorwouldhavetobeamoronnottobeabletofindyoursource.

9. Comparing your prof to other profs.Noprofessorwantstohearhowheorshestacksupagainstotherprofessorsyou’vehadoragainstprofessorsteachingothersectionsofthecourse.Evenacasualcomparisoncanoffend,sothinkbeforeyoucompare.

10. going over your prof’s head.Noprofwillbehappyifyougotothedepartmentchair(orworseyet,thedean)withcomplaintsaboutthecourseorabouthowtheprofessoristreatingyou.Butit’spossibletowindupoffendingthroughnointentionofyourown.Say,youencounterthedepartmentchair,eitherinthehallorat


adepartmentalfunction,andheorsheasksyou,“So,how’sthatcourseXwithProfessorYgoing?”Youanswer,“Notsogreat,givenA,B,C,andD.”Afterwhich,thenexttimethechairseesthatprof,heorshesays,“SoIhearyourcourseXishavingsomeproblems,”andwhenasked,casuallymentionsyournameasthesourceofthe“observations.”Youwindupinthedoghousewiththeprof,whenallyouintendedwastobefriendlywiththedepartmentalchair.Moral?Becarefulwhereyoubad-mouthyourprofessor—whatyousaycancomebacktobiteyou.

141Top10ThingsProfessorsNeverWanttoHear

Top 10 Things Professors never want to hear (and what They Think when They do hear Them)

#10. “i missed class yesterday. So did you do anything important?”

Ofcoursenot.Ijuststoodupinfrontandranmymouthaboutnothing,likeIalwaysdo.

#9. “i lost the syllabus. oh, and the paper assignment, too. would you mind e-mailing them to me?”

Sure,lasttimeIcheckedmyjobdescription,itincludedresearch,teaching,andbeingatyourbeckandcall.

#8. “Can we go over my test?”

Don’tyouthinkreadingthewholethingthroughoncewasmorethanenoughforme?

#7. “i’m terribly sorry my paper wasn’t in on time; my dog ate my printer.”

Timeforobediencetraining.Foryou.

#6. “my friend and i worked together on this paper. How come i got a B and he got an a?”

Hmm,inadditiontobeingbetterlookingthanyou,yourfriendisalsosmarter.

#5. “i really need an a in this class.”

Well,ifIwereparcelingoutA’sonthebasisonneed,I’dbegivingthemtoallthoseDstudents.Theyneed‘emmorethanyou.


#4. “This C is totally unacceptable to me. i’m an a student.”

Notinmyclass.

#3. “i’m leaving early for my ski vacation. So can i take the final early?”

Nowthere’sadealIcan’trefuse:Idodouble-workmakingtwofinals,andyouspendmorequalitytimeontheslopes.

#2. “i’d do anything for an a.”

Anything?

Andthenumber-onethingprofessorsneverwanttohear:

#1. “B-minus? you’ve got to be kidding. i paid good money for that paper.”

C ollegeisnotalwaysaluxurycruise.Sometimesit’smorelikeaboatthat’ssprungafewleaks.Orworse,onethat’stakingonwaterand

abouttotakeaTitanic-likeplungetothebottom.Whenyouseesignsofmajortrouble,it’seasytostarttheblamegame:it’sthecollege’sfault,ortheprofessors’,or(ifyou’reinareallyconfessionalmood)myown.Then,panicsetsin:OMG,whatshouldIdonext?Everyoneisdoingbetterthanme.HowwillIsurvivethissemester?Andfinally,sometimes,onewantstosimplygiveuponthewholething:I’mnevergoingtobeabletodocollege.Ishouldn’tevenbehere.Where’stheexit?

Weadviseadifferentcourse.Insteadofgoingoffthedeepend,makeacareful,rationalassessmentofwhat’sgonewrong,thenmakeaplantofixthingsup.Thischaptercanhelp.Thetipsherecoverawiderangeofprob-lems—somethatmightcomeupearlyinthesemester,othersthattendtohitaroundthemidterm,stillothersthatariseonlywhenthesemesterisinitsdyingthroes.Evenwhenthesituationlookshopeless,afewpractical,andsometimessurprisinglysimple,techniquescanturnthethingaround.


10ThingstoDoWhenYouCan’tKeepUpwiththeLecture88

Top10SignsYou’veBeenCuttingTooManyClasses88

BombedtheMidterm:NowWhat?88

7BestLast-MinuteStrategiesforSavingYourGrade88

10SignsYou’reinRealTroubleatCollege88

What,Then,toDo?The7-StepApproach88

7eMergency 9-1-1

144 CHaPTer 7: Emergency9-1-1

10 Things to do when you can’t keep up with the lecture

Oneofthebiggest—andmostcommon—problemsstudentshaveatcol-legeisnotbeingabletokeepupwiththelecturer.Nomatterhowmuchyoutry,you’realwaysafewstepsbehindandneverquiteabletogetitalldown.Whattodo?Considerourtentipsforgettingyournotetakinguptospeed:

1. Hear clearly.It’sverydifficulttotakegoodnoteswhenyoucan’tclearlyhearallthattheprofessorissaying(eventhewordsheorsheismutteringunderhisorherbreath).Sopickaseatthat’sindirectearshotofthelecturer.Andkeepinmindthatsincebodiesabsorbsound,it’llbehardertohearwhentheroomisfullandwhenyourcompatriotsarealsomutteringundertheirbreath.

2. Come prepared.Doingthereadingorpolishingofftheproblemsetbeforethelecturewillgiveyouimportantadvanceinformationonwhatthelectureisgoingtobeabout.It’seasiertofollowandtakenotesonalecturewhenyouknowwhatit’sgoingtocover.

ExtraPointEr. ifweirdnamesandforeigntermsaregivingyoutrouble,prepareacheatsheetwithimportantnamesandtermsandbringitwithyoutotheclass.Thiswillsaveyouhav-ingtofigureoutonthespothowtospellthesethings—therebysavingyouvaluablenote-takingtime.somestudentsevendevisethree-letterabbreviationsforexoticnamesofpeopleandplaces.

5-startiP. Besuretocheckthesyllabus(includinganysched-uleofreadingsandlectures)andthecourseWebpageforlistsoftopics,andsometimesevenoutlines,ofwhat’sgoingtobetakenupinlecture.Themoreinformationyouhaveinadvance—espe-ciallyaboutthecentralpointsandthestructureofthelecture—theeasierit’llbetogetitalldown.


3. Don’t take mental breaks.Aslongastheprofessorisuptheredish-ingoutmaterial,keepfocusedonwhat’sbeingsaidandgetitdownintoyournotes.Now’snotthetimetobezoninginandout(savethatforyourstudytimewhenyou’reincontrolofthespeedatwhichthecontentisbeingpresented).

4. write fast—really fast.Mostcollegestudentscantextwithblazingspeedwithjusttwothumbs,butwhenitcomestonotetakingtheold-fashionedway,theyshiftintoaparalyzinglyslowpace.Writeinscriptasmessyasyoucanreadandusewhatevershorthandwillmakesensetoyou.(Keepinmindthatit’llhavetomakesensetoyouat11p.m.thenightbeforethetest,sodon’tgooverboard.)Orusealaptop,tablet,ornetbook.Especiallygoodfornotetakingarenetbooks,whichtypicallyweighlessthanthreepounds,haveaneight-hourbattery,areabouttwo-thirdsthesizeofanormallaptop,andwillsetyoubackonly$300.(Forourmostcurrentrecommen-dations,checkoutwww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/TeCHreCS.)

5. Capture the professor’s thoughts, not his or her exact words.Notetakingisnotaboutcreatingaword-for-wordtranscriptofthelecture,butgettingdownthemainideas(andthemostimportantdetails)ofwhattheprofessorhassaid.Sodon’twastetimetryingtodecideiftheprofnoted“closeparallels”or“lotsofsimilarities”betweenthisandthat.Trustus,theprofessorisn’tgoingtoremembertheexactlanguage,soyoudon’tneedtoeither.

ExtraPointEr. ofcourse,ifit’sakeytechnicalterm,acrucialdistinction,oratheoremorequationinaproblem,itisimportanttogetdownword-for-wordwhattheprofessorissay-ing.Trytofocus100percentonwhattheprofessorissayingatthesepoints,andbesuretocopydown(asfastasyoucan)any-thingheorshewritesontheboardoruncoversinapowerpoint.

6. Look for importance—and structure. Inanygivenlecture,noteverypointisofequalsignificance:somearethekeyideas,someareexpansionandembellishment,someareexamplesorillustrations,

http://www.professorsguide/techrecs


andsomearejustthingsthatoccurtotheprofessorasheorsheistalking.Moreover,inanylecturethepointsareputtogetherinacertainorderandwithacertaindirectionandlogic:thereusuallyisareasonthatpointscomeattheplacetheydoandstandintherela-tionstheydo.Alwaysbeonthelookoutforthemostimportantpointsandtheirstructure.Ifyoucanlocatethekeypointsofthelectureandfigureouttheirarrangement,it’llbetentimeseasiertotakenotes.

7. Don’t panic too soon.Professorsalmostalwayssumupandrepeatthemainpointsatvarioustimesinthelectures,soifyoumissedsomethingthefirsttimearound,it’slikelytocomebackagain.Thesummaryattheendofthatsectionorattheendofthelecturecanbeparticularlyusefulifyoumissedapointthefirsttimearound.

8. Keep practicing.Withnotetaking,aswithmostthingsinlife,prac-ticemakesperfect.Asyoukeepatit,andasyougetmoreaccus-tomedtoyourprofessor’slecturingstyle,yournoteswillgetbetter.

rEalitychEcK. Agoodtimetocheckwhetheryou’reget-tingdownenoughmaterial—andtherightpoints—ofthelectureisafterthefirsttest.ifyouseemanythingsontheexamthatweretalkedaboutinlecturebutdidnotmakeitintoyournotes,youshouldtrytodiagnosetheproblemsyou’rehavingintakinggoodnotes.Andformanystudentsit’sagoodideatogoseetheprofessororTA—armedwithyournotes,ofcourse—toseewhatsuggestionstheymighthaveaboutimprovingyournote-takingtechniques.Teachersareoftensurprisinglyinterestedinseeinghowwelltheirstudentsaregettingdownthemainpointsandoftenwillbeverywillingtooffersuggestionsabouthowtotakebetternotes.

9. use “aids.”Ifyou’rereallyhavingtroubletakingnotes,itmightbeusefulseeingwhetherofficiallecturenotesaresoldatthebookstore(manyuniversitieshavetheseforbeginningclasses).Andyoumightasktheprofessorifyoucouldrecordtheclasssoyoucanlistentoit,withbreaks,atyourleisure.Justdon’tgettooaddictedtotheseaids.


Sincetherealskillislearningtotakenotesyourself,theseshort-termfixesaren’ttoyouradvantageinthelongterm.

ioho. recentlyanumberofonlinenote-takingservicesandcommunitieshavearisen.Wethinkthat,whileintheorythesecouldbegood,inpracticethey’renotsogreattogetstartedwith.it’seasiertocutclassifyouthinksomeoneelseinthecommu-nitywillbedoingyourdirtyworkforyou.Andbesides,thenote-takerscouldbesignificantlylessgoodstudentsthanyou.mostimportant,notetakingyourselfisoneofthekeywaysyou’reactivelyprocessing,andlearning,thematerial.sosuckitupanddoityourself.Leavethesocialnetworkingforsocialnetworking.

10. in the worst case, bail.If,aftertryingallthesetips,youstillcan’tkeepupwiththenote-taking,maybetheproblemisn’tyournote-takingskills,butthattheclassistoohardforyou.Ifso,forgetaboutimprovingyournotetaking,anddroptheclass.Noshameinthat.


Top 10 signs you’ve Been cutting Too Many classes

#10. YoushowupWednesdayat9a.m.onlytofindtheclassmeetsTuesdaysandThursdaysfrom3to4p.m.

#9. You’resoconfusedbythelecturethatyoucan’tgetinyourusualZ’s.

#8. Yourclassmatesrolltheireyeswhenyoudoshowupand“con-tribute”tothediscussion.

#7. Youaskwhenthemidtermisgoingtobe,onlytofindoutitwasheldthreeweeksago.

#6. It’sthetenthweekofthesemesterandtheprofmistakesyouforaprospectivestudent.

#5. Youasktheprofessorwhatyoucandotocatchup,andheorshestartslaughinglikeahyena.

#4. YoudiscoverthatwhileyouweregoneyourRussianclasshasmysteriouslymovedfromsingingthealphabettoreadingWarandPeace—initsentirety.

#3. Thehottieyouhadyoueyeonisnowmarriedtotheguyattheendoftherow.

#2. Youfindareallyinterestingclassfornextsemester,thenrealizeyou’recurrentlyinit.

Andthenumber-onesignyou’vebeencuttingtoomanyclasses:

#1. Youarriveatthefinalonlytofindoutthattheprofessorgaveanin-classfinalandthecourseisalreadyover.


Bombed the Midterm: now what?

It’stheeighthweekofthesemesterandyouthoughtyouweredoinggreat.Butyoujustgotbackyourmidtermand,canyoubelieveit,it’saC(orworse).Panicsetsin.Dropoutofcollege?Crawlbackhometoyourpar-ents?Herearesomebetterideas:

Figure out the real score.88 Sure,youknowyougota75onthemidterm.Buthaveyouconsideredtheimpactofthatmess-uponyourtotalgradeinthecourse?Thoughyoumaynothavethoughtaboutitinyourshroudofdespair,inmanycoursesthemidtermcountsonequarterorlessofthewholecoursegrade.That’sbecausemostprofessorswanttogivestudentsachancetoscrewupandstillhavesomemotivationtokeepworkingthroughoutthecourse.Soallmaynotbelost—yet.

ignore the neighbors.88 Despitewhatyouhavebeenabletogleanbyglancingsurreptitiouslyatotherfolks’A-papers,youarenottheonlyoneintheclasswithalousygrade.Sodon’tassumethateverybodyisdoingbetterthanyou.They’renot.

Don’t miss the going-over-the-test.88 Nomatterhowbadyouthinkthetestwent,don’tduckoutonthedaythetestsarereturned(orthesectionmeetingthatweek).That’sthetimewhenmostprofessors(orTAs)can’thelpbutwhine,berate,ortelltheclasshowbadlytheydid—allthewhilerevealingthecomponentsoftheperfectanswer.Thisisagoldenopportunityforyoutoseewhattheywerereallylookingfor.Solistenup—andtakenotes.

ExtraPointEr. payspecialattentionwhentheprofessorlistspointsthatcouldhavegoneintothegoodanswer.getmostofthesepoints,you’dhavehadanA,halformore,aB,andnottoomanyatall,somesortofc.Liveandlearn.


Look in the rearview mirror.88 Nowisthetimetofigureoutwhatwentwronginyourpreparation,sothatyoucancorrectitbeforethenexttest(whichprobablywillbequitesimilartothisone).Pinpointyourproblems.Didyoumisskeylecturesornotfullyunderstandthelectures?Didyouskipthereadingorfocustooheavilyonit?Didyoublowoffstudying,studyinthewrongway,orstudywiththewrongcomrades?Didyoufailtoanswerexactlywhatwasbeingaskedormakemistakesinyouranswers?Figureitallout,andyou’lldobetternexttime.

Feed on the feedback.88 Yourtestwillnodoubtcomebackwithplentyofredinkmarkingplaceswhereyoulostpointsand,ifyou’relucky,loadsofcommentssayinghowyoucouldhavedonebetter.Thisisyourindividualizedinterfacewiththeprof,soreadyourteacher’swordsofwisdomwithgreatcare.Yeah,thesecom-mentswerewrittenprettyquicklywhileyourprofwasstrugglingtogetthroughthestackandgetonwithhisorherlife.Buttheprofessorwasstillfocusingonyourwork—oneofthefewtimesthishappensinthetypicalsemester.

ExtraPointEr. givethegraderthebenefitofthedoubt.Thingswillgobetterifyoureadthecommentswiththeaimoflearninghowtoimprove,insteadofdemonstratinghowincompe-tentthegraderis.

get some face time.88 Atriptoyourprofessor’sofficehours—or,insomecasesyourTA’s—canprovideafountofknowledgeabouthowtoavertfuturedisasters.Professorsregularlyseestudentsseekinghelpaftergettingbadgrades,sowhyletyourfriendswiththeC’sgetaleguponyou?


BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. professorswillusuallyreallyopenupandofferallsortsofaidifyougotothemandsay,“ididn’tdosowellonthemidtermandiseefromthecommentsthat…couldyouexplainalittlemorefullyhowimightcorrectthisproblemonthenexttest?”(showsthatyou’vereadthecomments,arenotangry,andwouldliketoimprove).Lessgood:“i’dliketogoovermytestandseewhyigotthegradeidid.”(professorsthinkthat’swhatthecommentsweresupposedtoaccomplish).Leastgood:“Here’smyexam—couldyoufindsomeextrapointsforme?”(professorsthinkgradegrubbingisyourjob.)

Turn over a new leaf.88 Now’sthetimetomakestrategicchanges.Theonesthatwilladdressthespecificwaysthingswentwrong.Notchangesyourparents,friends,andevenadviserssuggest,withouthavingaclueaboutwhatyoudidrightandwhatyoudidwrong.Aboveall,don’tkeepusingtheoldstrategiesthatgotyouintodeepdoo-doointhefirstplace.

Lighten the load.88 Insomecases,droppingthecoursemightbetherightthingtodo—likewhenyou’resofarbehindthatyoucannevercatchup,evenifyoustudieddayandnightfortherestofthesemester—orwheretheskilllevelkicksupanotchortwoafterthemidterm(forexample,inalanguagecourseormathclass).Anddon’tworry—there’snothingwrongwithaW(forwithdrawal)onyourrecord.There’smuchmorewrongwithagradethatsucks.


7 Best last-Minute strategies for saving your grade

Sometimeseventhebest-laidplansgowrong.Andsometimesyouneverhadaplaninthefirstplace.Butwhateverthereason,towardtheendofthesemestersomecollegestudentsfindthemselvesinaginormoushole.Butthere’snoreasontofoldjustyet,atleastnotbeforecheckingoutourseventhingstodotosalvageyoursemester:

1. The extension.Eveniftheduedateforthepaperisaccompaniedbycopiousthreats,manyprofessorswillgivestudentsextratimetocompleteapaper.Togetanextension,youhavetoask.Makeyourrequestface-to-face(noe-mail,Twitter,Facebook,orsnail-notes)andduringanofficialofficehour,notbeforeorafterclass.Explainyourreasonssimplyandconcisely:asobstoryisOKifit’sbelievableandnomorethantwentysecondslong.Behonestandsupernice:thesequalitiescanoutweighevenaflimsyexcuse.Andproposeafirmdateforcompletionofthework—sayanextraweekortwo.Testsaremoredicey:manyprofessorsaren’tevenallowedtogivemakeupexams.Butaskanyway.Youneverknow…

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. Atmanyschoolsyou’reentitledtoanautomaticextensionifyouhavemorethantwofinalsonthesameday.Besuretoaskifyoufindyourselfinthissituation.

2. The incomplete.Ifyou’reway,way,behind—ormissingmorethanonepieceofwork—anextensionwon’tdothetrick.Whatyouneedisanincomplete—thatis,anIinthecourseplusseveralmonthstocompletethework(oftentheuniversitysetsthecompletiondateassomeparticularweekofthenextsemester).Incompletesmaytem-porarilyappearonyourrecord,butthey’llgoawaywhenyousubmit


theoutstandingwork.Therealdrawback,though,isthattheyareabeartocompleteoutsidethestructureoftheclass.Manyastudenthappilygoesoffwithanincomplete,onlytoseeitlapsetoanFwhenheorshenevergetstheenergyormotivationtofinishtheworkintheallottedtime.

3. The withdrawal.Incaseswhereyouhaveasuddenorserioussitua-tion—anaccident,seriousillness,orfamilyemergency—youmaybeeligibletowithdrawfromaclass.Thisisoftenthebestsolutionwhenyouhavenotbeenabletodoanyormostoftheworkinaclass.Keepinmindthatwithdrawalsareoftencontrolledbythedeanorregistrar’soffice(ratherthantheprofessor)andaresubjecttostrictrules.Insomeschools,pastacertaindateyoumayberequiredtowithdrawfromtheentiresemester(whichisgoodifyouhavedonenoworkinanycourse,butnotsogoodifyouarebehindinonlyonecourse).Andkeepinmindthatinmostcasestherearenorefunds.Makesithardtojustwalkawayfromthesemester.

4. The suck-it-up.YoumightfindthatthebestsolutionistojusttakeanFononepieceofworkintheclassandseeifyoucanstillekebywiththeremainingwork.Thisisoftenagoodstrategywhenyoustandhalfachanceinyourothercourses,andinvestingmoretimeandeffortinthiscoursewouldbethrowinggoodmoneyafterbad.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. someprofessorshavehiddenrulesthatwon’tallowyoutopassthecoursewithoutdoingallthetestsand/orpapers;othersaverageinazeroonahundred-pointscale(ratherthanan0.0ona4.0pointscale)forworknotsubmitted.sobeforeyoublowoffapieceofwork,checkwithyourprofessortofindoutthecost.

5. The do-over.Ahiddengeminyourcollege’srulebookmaybethegrade-forgivenesspolicy.Thisisapolicythatallowsyoutoretakeacourseyoufailed(orgotaverybadgradein)andreplacethegradewiththeoneyouearnedthesecondtimearound.Beforeyoudecidetogothisroute,makesureyouunderstandallthefineprintinthis


rule.Usually,youhavetotaketheexactsamecourse;thiscanbeabummerifthecourseisofferedonlyeverytwoyears.Also,mostcollegesonlyallowyouoneortwothrowsatthischance.Sodon’texpecttokeeppullingthesametrick.

ExtraPointEr. Atsomeschoolsthegrade-forgivenesspro-grammighthaveacaponhowmuchforgivenessyouget:youmightgetamaximumofacreplacementgradeortheaverageofthegrades.Lookbeforeyouleap.

6. The dispute.Ifyou’reup-to-dateintheclassworkbutnothappywithyourgrade,youmightconsider“inquiringabout”—or,instreetlanguage,disputing—yourgrade.Normally,thishastobeconductedwiththeprofessoroftheclass:goingtoahigher-up(suchasthedepartmentchairorthedean)rarelyworksandreallyangersyourprofessorlikenothingelse.(See“10SurefireWaystoPissOffYourProfessor”onpp.137–140formoreonthis.)Youcan,however,goovertheheadofyourTAtotheprofessor,sinceTAsarelowenoughonthefoodchainforyoutogetawaywiththis,andwhocaresiftheygetpissedoff,anyway?

Gradedisputesworkbestincasesofcomputationalerrors,orwhenagraderhasaccidentallynotreadpartsofanexamorapaper,or—sometimes—whenthecommentsshowthatthereaderhasn’tunder-stoodwhatyoumeant.Yourchancesofsuccessarenil,though,whenyouargueforabettergradesimplybecauseyou“triedhard”or“justaren’taBstudent.”Whateveryourtack,goinperson,bepoliteandrespectful,butmakeyourcasefirmlyandstraightforwardly.It’sagoodideaalsotooffertoleaveyourworkwiththeprofessorforhisorherreview.

5-startiP. inanefforttodiscourageexactlytheactivityyou’reengagedin,someprofessorsreservetherighttolower(aswellasraise)gradesuponreview.Youmightwanttoask—discretelyanddelicately—whetheryourprofdoesthis.


7. The beg.Ifyourprofessorisarealsoftie,heorshemaygiveyouachancetoimproveyoursituationthroughextra-creditwork,exempt-ingyoufromapieceofwork,lettingyouredoapaperortest,allow-ingyoutocountsomepieceofworktwice,orgivingyousomeothersortofbonus.Hereitreallyhelpstobeunbelievablyniceandthrowyourselfuponthemercyofyourinstructor.

Onethingyouneverwanttotryis:

The cheat.Cheatingisdisgusting,filthy,andimmoral,andyou’reonlycheatingyourself.Andwhat’smore,youcouldgetcaught.Pro-fessorstodayareveryalerttocheating.Manyusespecialsoftware(likewww.TurniTin.Com),cruiseonlinepapermills,checkstudentpapersoneagainsttheother,andknowtherelevantliteraturelikethebacksoftheirhands.Soifyouthinkyou’reinaholenow,youmightfindyourselfintheGrandCanyonifyougetcaughtcheating.Spareyourselfthegrief.

http://www.turnitin.com


10 signs you’re in real Trouble at college

Somecollegestudentsareinserioustrouble,butdon’tevenrecognizeit.Theythinkthatnothingisreallywrong,thateveryoneelseisinthesameboat,orthatcollegeisjustsupposedtobehard.Otherstudentsarejustnotsure:“AmIdoingbadorreallybad?”theywonder.“ShouldItakesomeboldactionorjustwaititout,hopingit’llgetbetter?”Tohelpyoudecidewhetheryou’reinseriousdifficultyorjustcaughtupintheordinaryebbandflowofcollege,herearetensignsthatyou’reinrealtroubleatcollege.Ifyouexhibitanyofthesesigns,it’stimetodosomemajorreassessment—andmakesomebigchanges:

1. your grade point is below C or you’re getting D’s in some of your courses. Don’tkidyourself,Cisabadgrade,andDisevenworse.AlotofstudentsincollegearegettingA’sandB’s(atmanyschoolstheaverageGPAisbetweenBandB+).SoifyourquizzesandtestsarecomingbackC’sandD’s,beawarethatyouarelearningverylittle(andinsomecases,virtuallynothing)inthecoursesyou’retak-ing.Asyoumoveintomoreupper-levelcourses,you’relikelytofindyourselfunabletomusterupevenC’sandD’s,andinsteadwillbeendingupwithF’s.

2. you’re constantly asking for (and even getting) extensions and incompletes.Extensionsandincompletesaresupposedtobetheexception,forveryspecialcircumstances,nottherule.Ifyoufindyourselfdependingonthemasaregulareducationalcrutch—onedaythereadingtooklongerthanyouwereexpecting,anothertimeyoucouldn’tgetenoughpageswritten,athirdtimeyouweretoobusywithyourfourothercoursestobotherwiththisone—you’redemon-stratingthatyouaren’tabletokeepupwiththepaceofcollege.

3. you can’t follow what the professor says in lecture—ever. Moststudentshavemomentswhentheycan’tunderstandapointthe

10SignsYou’reinRealTroubleatCollege 157

professormakesinlecture(see“10ThingstoDoWhenYouCan’tKeepUpwiththeLecture”onpp.144–147forthingstodointhiscase).Butifallofyourlecturesareincomprehensibletoyou,everytime,thenconsideryourselftobeinwayoveryourhead.

4. you’re spending every waking moment of the day doing the read-ing or the homework problems.Professorsarewellawareofthetimeconstraintsplacedonstudentstakingfivecoursesasemesterandoftenworkingpart-time,aswellasparticipatinginextracur-ricularactivities.Sotheassignmentsaregearedtobedoneinaman-ageableperiodoftime:somewherebetweenoneandthreehoursperclass.Butifyou’remissingbyamile—always—youprobablyarelackingbasicskillsexpectedforthecourseorareusingwhollywrongstudystrategies(seethe“HowNottoStudyGuide”onpp.55–58forsomeofthesestrategies).

5. you’re living off your credit cards.Ifyoucan’taffordyourdinnersortextbookswithoutrelyingoncredit,thenyouarestretchedtoothinfinancially.Goingtocollegeisabigcommitmentofbothtimeandmoney,andtryingtogetaneducationattheedgeofbankruptcyislikelytoputmorepressureonyouthantheaveragepersoncanmanage.

6. you can’t get through the basic requirements.Somestudentsfindthemselvesunabletopasseventhelower-divisionrequirementsinmath,Englishcomposition,andhistory—andinsomecasesthedevelopmental(a.k.a.remedial)coursesinmathandEnglishrequiredbeforegettingtotheserequirements.Beingunabletopasstheseorneedingmultipleattemptstopassthemisasignthatyouaren’taca-demicallyreadyforcollege.

7. you’re going home every weekend or on the cell phone with your parents five times a day.Hand-holdingandsupportareonething,totaldependence(orcodependence)another.Ifyou’reunabletomakeanybreakfromyourparents,you’renotreadyfortheindepen-dentliving—andthinking—thatgowithcollegeawayfromhome.Ofcourse,youcouldgotoschoolintheneighborhood,butit’dbeagoodideatotakesomestepsintoadulthoodsometime.


8. you can’t get through the day without self-medication. We’renottalkingaboutprescriptionmedicationsyoumightneedforamedi-calproblemorchroniccondition,butaboutmeds,drugs,oralcoholthatyouuseforrecreationorforaltering(orbalancing)yourmoods.Moststudentsindulgeinsomepartyingatcollege,butonceyougetintoheavysubstanceabuse,it’simpossibletomaintainthedisciplineandmentalfocusneededforsuccessatcollege.

9. you spend every waking moment on some medium. It’sperfectlyfinetointeractonFacebookforabiteachday.Butwhenyou’retex-ting,tweeting,andtaggingwithoutstop—youcan’tliveforfifteenminuteswithoutadevice—youleaveyourselfnotimetostudy(orformuchofanythingelse).Ifyoufindyourselfunabletogetthroughadaywithoutyourcomputerorcell,consideryourselftohaveamediaaddictionthatneedstobebroken.

10. you feel overwhelmed—all of the time.It’snormaltofeelprettystressedoutatthebeginningofeachsemesterand,ofcourse,atmidtermandfinalstimes.Butifyoufindyourselfstrugglingeveryweekofthesemester—wakingupeachdayhatingwhereyouare—somethingiswrong.Reallywrong.

What,Then,toDo?The7-StepApproach 159

what, Then, to do? The 7-step Approach

Somaybeyou’verecognizedthesesymptomsinyourselforinsomeoneyouknowandlove.Butwhatshouldyoudo?Here’sourseven-stepplan:

1. Pinpoint the problem.It’seasytofeeloverwhelmedwhenyou’rehitwiththeperfectstorm.Everything’sscrewedup:yourschoolwork,yourhealth,yourrelationships,yourgrades.Butusuallythere’soneproblemthat’smoreseriousthantheothers,andthat’sspillingoverintotheothersandmakingthemworse.Findthesinglemostacuteproblem—theonethat,ifyoucouldchangejustone,you’dchangeit—andbegintoworkonit.Thiscanfixfivethingsatonce—espe-ciallyiftheproblemyouselectisattherootoftheothers.

2. Figure out if it’s soluble.Noteveryproblemcanbesolved.Andnoteveryproblemcanbesolvedintheshortterm.Ifyou’reinseriousgradedifficulty,you’renotgoingtobeabletodigyourselfoutinonesemester.Ifyou’rechronicallydepressed,afewvisitstoacounselorarenotgoingtomakeyouhappy.Ifyou’reinmajordebt,apart-timejobwillnottakecareofyourwholeproblem.Still,it’sworthmakingaplanandgettingstarted—sinceyou’llstarttofeelbetterasyoutakeapositivestep,andevenalittleprogresstowardsolvingaproblemisprogress.

3. make use of campus resources. Collegesinvestatremendousamountofmoneyinprovidingacademic,financial,psychological,andclinicalservicestotheirstudents.Andsincecollegesoftenattractthebestminds,theprofessors,advisers,counselors,andcli-nicianswhoprovidetheseservicesareoftenverygiftedindividuals.CheckoutthecollegeWebsite,youradviser,oraprofessorwhomyoufeelyoucantrustfordirection.Andifyou’reatyourwit’sendandcan’tbearnegotiatingtheuniversitybureaucracy,callthedeanofstudentsandaskforadvice:heorshewillknowwhattodo.Forpeer-to-peercounseling,tryyourdormcounselororresidentadviser.


4. Talk to a confidant.Ifyou’reashamedofyourproblem—ordon’twanttheuniversitytoknowaboutit—findatrustedfriend,parent,minister,doctor,orlawyeroutsidetheuniversityandtalktohimorher.Mostprofessionalsareboundbyconfidentialitylaws(ifindoubt,ask)andcaneitherofferhelpthemselvesorpointyoutocommunityresourcesthatwillworkwithyoutosolveyourproblem.Andsimplyhavingsomeonetotalktoaboutwhat’sbotheringyoumightprovidesomeimmediaterelief.

5. enlist a professional.Certainproblemsaremoreserious.Significantlegaldifficulty,serioushealthproblems,variousaddictions,orover-whelmingdebt—theseareproblemsthatrequireextendedandpro-fessionaltreatment.Insomecases,youwillnotbeabletosolvetheproblemwhileremainingafull-timestudent(orsometimesastudentatall).Collegesknowaboutthesesortsofproblemsandaresympa-thetic(afterall,they’vemadeaninvestmentinyou).Soonceyou’vefiguredoutaplanoftreatment,gotoyourcollege—oftenthedeanofstudentsistherightaddress—andrequestaleaveofabsence.Youmaybesurprisedtohearthey’llholdyourplaceandinmanycaseskeepyourfinancialaid,too.Muchbetterthantostayenrolledandmessup.

6. accept the realities (change is difficult). Ifthingsaren’tgoingwellforyou,acceptthefact.Sometimesyou’vemademistakesthatputyouinthepositionyouarein,andsometimes,throughnofaultofyourown,thingsaregoingbadly.Butinmanycaseschangeispos-sible—thoughdifficult.Someproblemsarehabitual—they’vebeenreinforcedmanytimesbyill-advisedbehaviors—andsomeproblemsariseswiftlyandsuddenly.Ineithercase,youshouldmakepeacewithyoursituationandrealizethattheproblemwon’tbesolvedinaday.

7. Decide what to do.Yourbestshotistotakedecisiveaction.Identifytheproblem,gethelp,deviseafewalternativeremedies,pickone—thendoit.Youmightnotbepickingtheperfectsolution—whocan,whenthesituationseemsdire?Butyouwillhavedonesomethingthatwill,toonedegreeoranother,helpyouwithyourproblem.Surebeatssittingonyourhandsanddoingnothing.

A syoumakeyourwaythroughcollege,you’llfaceanincreasinglybroadarrayofchoices.Manyofthesecenteraroundwhattochooseasa

majorandwhattodoaftercollege.Somemorefar-sighted,goal-orientedstudentsmayhavealreadybeenthinkingabouttheirpostcollegelifefromtheveryfirstdaytheywalkedontocampus.Othershavethe“nowinebeforeitstime”mentality:theyfacethechoiceofmajors,andultimatelythechoiceofcareer,onlywhentheyabsolutely,positively,withoutadoubtmust.

Butwhichevertypeyouare,thesecondhalfofcollegecanbeawonder-fullyexcitingtime:atimetodecidewhoyoureallyareandwhatyouwanttodevote(atleastthenextpartof)yourlifeto.Partofthereasonit’ssoexcit-ingisthatthestakesarehigh.Whenyouinvestalotoftimeandmoneyinpursuingacollegedegree,youwanttobesurewhatcomesouttheotherend—thereal-worldend—isafittingculminationtoallyou’veputin.

Thetipsinthischapterwillhelpyoumaketherightchoicesinthelaterpartsofyourcollegecareer.Andthegoodchoicesyoumakeinthesecondhalfofcollegecanpropelyouintocontinuedsuccess—longafteryourdaysatthebigUhavebecomeadistantandbeautifulmemory.


How88 NottoPickaMajor

13SkillsYou’llNeedforaCareer—andHowtoGetThematCollege88

Top10MythsAboutStudyAbroad88

TransferTips—fromCommunityCollegeto4-YearCollege88

The10-StepProgramforThinkingAboutGradSchool88

10TipsforFindingaJob88

8The second hAlf of college

162 CHaPTer 8: TheSecondHalfofCollege

how Not to Pick a Major

Formanystudents,pickingamajoristhesinglebiggestacademicdeci-sionthey’llhavetomakeatcollege.It’salsotheonemostfraughtwithmistakes,rangingfrompickingatthewrongtime,topickingwithoutgoodinformation,topickingforthewrongreasons.Allofwhichcanbeeasilyavoidedifyoulookover—andresolvenottomake—thefourteenmostcommon(andmostcostly)mistakesstudentsmakeinpickingtheirmajor:

1. Picking too early.Believeitornot,atmanyschoolsstudentsareunderconsiderablepressuretodeclareamajoraspartoftheirfirst-yearorientationoratsomepointinthefirstyear.Butit’seasytogetstuckonthewrongtrack.Resistthetemptationtodeclarejustbecausesomeadviserispressuringyoutodoso—orofferingyougiftsorbribestodecide(likeguaranteedplacesinhard-to-get-intoclasses,arealprofessorasyouradviser,orquickertimetoadegree).

rEalitychEcK. ifthere’ssomegoodacademicreasontodeclareearly—likethemusicperformancemajor’srequiredfiveyearsofpracticeorthepremedprogram’sfouryearsoftwo-semestersequences—thenbyallmeanstaketheplunge.Justmakesureyou’rereasonablycertainyouwanttostudythatfield.

2. Picking before you’ve considered all the options.Atsomeschools,especiallylargestateuniversities,thereareliterallyhundredsofmajorstochoosefrom(atlastglance,UCLAhad346majorsandprograms).Don’tputyourdimedownbeforeyou’veconsideredagoodnumberofthealternatives.Anddon’tbeputoffjustbecauseyoudon’tquiteknowwhatimmunology,paleobiology,internationaldevelopmentstudies,ethnomusicology,orcivilengineeringare(thesefivefromtheUCLAlist).Findout.Takeacourse,oratleaststopbythedepartmen-talofficeorWebpageandgetadescriptionofwhattheyhavetooffer.

163HowNottoPickaMajor

3. Picking before you’ve had at least two or three advanced courses in the field.It’stemptingtopickamajorjustbecauseyoulikedthesubjectinhighschool—oracedanintroortwointhatfieldatcol-lege.Butit’simportanttotakeasamplingofadvanced(atsomeschoolscalledupper-division)coursesbeforecommittingtothatmajor.Theworkatthatlevelcanbemuchmorechallenging,andcoulddifferinapproach,methodology,orsophisticationfromthewatered-downversiontheyteachinintro.

4. Picking something you’re not good at. Assurprisingasitmayseem,thereisaregularcadreofstudentswhomajorinfieldstheyaren’tdoingwellinordon’thavetheskillsfor.Ruleofthumb:

GettinglotsofA’sinafield=goodchoiceofmajor

SomeA’sandsomeB’s=notabadchoice

AllB’s=therecouldbeabetterchoice

LotsofC’s=fuggetaboutit.

5. Picking something you don’t like.You’regoingtohavetotaketenortwelvecoursesinyourmajor,soit’dbeanicetouchifyouactuallylikedthefield.Ofcourse,aburningpassionforthedisciplinewouldbebest,butlet’sfaceit—onlyoneintenstudentshasthat.(Maybeit’syou.)

ExtraPointEr. Neverpickamajorjusttopleasesomeoneelse.Justbecauseyourparent,oldersibling,bestfriend,orguyyoujustmetatthestudentunionthinksit’dbeabang-upideatomajorinsomethingdoesn’tmeanit’srightforyou.

6. Picking only because the school is strong in that field. Thefactthattheuniversityhasanationalreputationinnanotechnologywon’thelpyouifyoudon’tlikesmallthings.

7. Picking in spite of the fact that the school is weak in that field.Especiallyinthistimeofbudgetsqueezes,noteverycollegeisstrongineverymajor.Andevenotherwisegoodschoolscanhaveabysmallybaddepartmentsinfieldsthattheydon’tsupportortheyunderfund.Picksomethingontheupswing,notsomethingdying.


rEalitychEcK. ifyoufindthataschoolhasonlyoneortwofacultymembersinthearea;thatveryfewcoursesareofferedeachsemester;orthatthefacultyteachinginthatfielddon’thaveadvanceddegrees(hint:lookforthephdaftertheteacher’sname),lookatanothermajor.You’relikelytobedisappointedinthisoneasthecoursesrollon.

8. Picking because you’re enthralled by one professor. Anymajorisgoingtorequireyoutostudywithabroadvarietyofprofessors,sodon’tletsomecultprofessorlureyouintoadepartmentfullofbadteachersormediocrescholars.You’regoingtobestuckwiththisfieldlongaftertheidolisgone.

9. Picking because it’s easy or has few requirements. Whatgoodisamajorinwhichyoulearnnothingorthatletsyoudowhateveryouwantwheneveryouwant?‘Nuffsaid.

10. Settling for second (or third) best. Somestudents,especiallythoseatsmallcolleges,picksomemajorsimplybecausethemajorthey’dreallyliketotakeisn’tofferedattheircollege.Ifwhatyouwanttostudyisn’tontheofficiallistofmajorsandprograms,considerconstructingyourownmajor.Manycollegesallowthepossibilityofinterdisciplinaryorself-directedprogramsofstudy.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. ifyoufindthere’sjustnowaytomakeitworkgiventhepunyofferingsatyourschool,youmightconsiderconsortiumsofschoolsorothercollegesinthesamecityforwhichyourschoolallowscross-registration(forinstance,thefivecollegeconsortiuminAmherst,massachusetts,ortheexchangeprogrambetweencolumbiauniversityandeithertheJuilliardorthemanhattanschoolofmusic).Andifallelsefails,considertransferringtoacollegethathaswhatyouwant.Lackofamajorisconsideredbyadmissionsofficersasoneofthebestreasonsfortradingyourlittlecollegefortheirginormousuniversity.

165HowNottoPickaMajor

11. Picking only on the basis of career prospects.Sure,inatightecon-omyitmakesgoodsensetopickamajorwithaneyetowhatjobsyoucanget,butthatshouldn’tbetheonlyreasonforpickingamajor.Foronething,there’snotalwaysaone-to-onerelationbetweenmajorsandcareers.Youdon’tneedadegreeinmarketingorbusi-nessforacareerinthecorporateworld,oramajorinphilosophyorpoliticalsciencetohavetheinsidetracktolawschool.Indeed,thereisaslewofjobs—perhapsmostjobs—forwhichaparticularmajorisnotrequired,butonlyskillsinmath,writing,communication,foreignlanguages,oranalyticalthinking,whichyoucanacquireinanynum-berofdifferentmajors(formoreonthistopic,see“13SkillsYou’llNeedforaCareer—andHowtoGetThematCollege”laterinthischapter,onpp.167–169).

5-startiP. checkouttheWebsitesofmajorbusinesspublica-tions—forexample,theWall Street Journal,BusinessWeek,Forbes,U.S. News & World Report, CNN Money, Fortune,ortheEconomist—fortheirgurus’bestprognosticationsofwhatjobswillbehotfiveyearsfromnow.Thinkdiseasemapper,robotprogrammer,informationengineer,radiosurgeon,andsecondLifelawyer(listcourtesyofCNN Money).

12. Picking the wrong major for the career you want. You’dbeamazedhowoftenthishappens.We’verecentlyseenastudentwantingtoteachatcollegelevelbuttakinganeducationdegree(intendedforelementaryschoolteachers),andawould-bemissionaryplanningtomajorinanthropology(afieldinwhichproselytizingisanabso-luteno-no).Ifyou’rematchingmajortocareers,makesuretoaskanexpertinthefield—forexample,afavoriteprofessor,theunder-graduateadviser,orsomeprofessionalactuallypracticingthefield—whichcareersgowithwhichmajors.

13. Piling ’em on.Somecollegestudentsthinkit’saspecialbadgeofhonortoamassasmanymajorsastheycan:adouble,sometimesatriplemajor,combinedwithaminorortwo.Ifadoublemajormakessense—say,inChineselanguageandinternationalrelations,


oreconomicsandenvironmentalscience,orbusinessandpsychol-ogy—thenbyallmeansgoforit.Justkeepinmindthateachtimeyouaddonamajor,you’resigningontotenortwelvecoursesinafield,manyofwhicharerequiredandmightnotberelatedtowhatyouwanttolearn.

ioho. There’snocachetinpilingonminors,either.it’susu-allyabetterideatopickthefourorfivecoursesthatinterestyou,orthatsupportyourmajor,ratherthantakingtheprepack-agedminorsthatmanydepartmentsoffertoattractadditionalstudents.

14. obsessing every waking hour about which major to pick. Don’ttieyourselfintoknotsthinkingthatyourchoiceofmajorisabiggercommitmentthanitis.Yourmajordoesnotfreezeyourfutureorputyouontoacareerpathfromwhichthereisnoescape.DepartmentofLaborstatisticsshowthattheaverageU.S.workerchangescareersthreetofivetimesinhisorherlifetime.Sorelax.Makeyourbestpickandenjoywherelifetakesyou.


13 skills you’ll need for a career—and how to get Them at college

Inthenew,twenty-first-centuryeconomy,studentsaremoreworriedthaneveraboutwhatkindofcareerawaitsthem.Thebestwaytoincreasetheoddsthatthejobyou’llgetwon’tinvolvewaitingtablesorflippingburgersistogetthecareerskillsyouneedwhileyou’restillincollege.Butwhatarethose?Hereisabaker’sdozenofthemostcriticaljobskillsthateverycol-legestudentshouldtrytoget:

1. writing clearly and forcefully.Studentsoftendon’trecognizehowimportantwritingskillsareinmanyprofessions.Manystudents,withoutatraceofshame,proclaim“Ican’twrite,”andconsistentlyavoidcoursesthatrequirepapers.Butthe“Ican’twrite”excusewon’tcutitlateron,whenyouhavetowriteastrategicplanforyourbusiness,draftbriefsforyourlegalcase,orpitchyouradvertisingplaninareporttotheclient.Activelyseekoutcollegecoursesthatgiveyoulotsofopportunitiestowrite.Andusethefeedbackyougetoneachwritingassignmenttoimpelyoutoimproveonthenext.

2. Systematizing and organizing data. Manyjobsrequireemploy-eestodoquiteabitofnumberscrunchingandtocreatenumerousspreadsheetsandtables.Besureyoutakecoursesthatteachyoutheskillstodothiskindofwork—math,statistics,andthelike.Evenstu-dentsinliberalartsmajorsshouldcomeoutofcollegebeingabletohandleareasonablerangeofquantitativetasksoncetheyhittherealworld.

3. Doing research.InthisInternetagenooneseemstobeactuallyreadingbooksinalibrarymuch.Butthere’smoreinformationoutthere,sobeingabletoconductresearchisevenmoreimportantthanbefore.Coursesthatincluderesearchassignments—usuallyupper-levelclassesinthehumanitiesandsocialsciences—willgiveyouexperiencewithanumberofresearchtools,manyofthem


electronic,thatyoucanutilizewhenyoucomeupagainstresearchassignmentsatwork.(Seeour“16TechniquesforDoingResearchLikeaProfessor”onpp.118–122formoreone-research.)

4. Presenting material orally.Inmanyjobsyou’llspendmoretimethanyoucanpossiblyimagineattendingmeetingsorgivingpresen-tations.Needlesstosay,whenyourbossasksyoutocommentatameetingorgiveapresentation,it’snotsogreattopleadshynessorfearofpublicspeaking(asmanycollegestudentsroutinelydowhenaskedtopresentmaterialinclass).Collegeoffersyoumanypos-sibilitiesfortraininginpublicspeaking.Yes,there’sthespeechorcommunicationsclassorgoingoutforthedebateteam,butsmallerclassesandseminarsoftenrequirepresentations,too(seeour“15StrategiesforPainlessPresentations”onpp.67–70forsometips).

ExtraPointEr. makesureyougetproficientinsomekindofpresentationsoftware,suchaspowerpoint,andlearntouseallitsfeatures,includingvideoandmultimedia.

5. Taking notes.Maybeyouliketositbackinlectureandenjoythepassingshowwithoutbotheringtotakedownasinglenote.Ormaybeyouwriteonlyfromtimetotimeasyoufocusinonwhattheprofissaying.Notagoodideaforcollege.Andevenlessofagoodideawhenyourbossasksyoutoremindhimorherindetailofwhatplansforthebigcampaignwerebrainstormedinlastweek’sthree-dayretreat.Everycollegeclassgivesyouanopportunitytobecomeanacenotetaker,sodon’tblowthechance.(See“10SecretsofTak-ingExcellentLectureNotes”onpp.59–62forsomepointers.)

6. reading carefully.Whenyougetthathigh-payingjobasafinancialanalyst,you’llhavetointerpreteverywordoftheminutesoftheFed-eralReserveBoardforcluesaboutwhatchangesthey’replanningtomaketothediscountrate.Almosteverycollegecoursehasassignedreadings,whichyoucanusetopolishyourskillsatcarefulreadingandinterpretingdifficulttexts.(See“15WaystoReadLikeaPro”onpp.63–66forourbesttips.)


7. Basic computing.Mostjobstodayrequireevenentry-levelemploy-eestoknowtheirwayaroundmanyprograms.AndcollegecoursesallowmanyopportunitiestobecomeproficientnotonlyinMicrosoftWord,butalsoin(dependingonthecourse)Excel,InDesign,Pho-toshop,FinalCutPro,andmanyotherfield-specificprograms.Takeadvantageofthefreetraining.

5-startiP. it’dbeagoodideatofullymastertheprogramwhengiventhechance,notjustlearnenoughtodotheassignedproject.

8. making deadlines. Atcollege,manyprofessorsaresoftieswhowillofferextensions,makeups,andincompletesforawidevarietyofjus-tified(andoftenunjustified)reasons.Butoneofthemostcommonshocksexperiencedbystudentsoncetheyhittherealworldisthatmostclientsandbossesexpectthemtoactuallymeettheirdead-lines—nomatterwhatunavoidable(andavoidable)eventscameupinthemeantime.Getinthehabitoftakingyourcollegedeadlinesseriouslyandmeetingthemwithoutexception.

9. working on a team.Teamworkisoftenakeyfactorinjobsuccess.Whatworkerisaone-man(orwoman)band?Groupprojectsatcol-legeandworkwithstudygroupscangiveyouvaluableexperienceinworkinginacommoneffortwithotherhumanbeings,evenonesyoumightnotlike.Doinganinternshiporparticipatinginaresearchproj-ectwithyourprofessorscanalsogiveyouwaystopracticeworkingwellwithothers.

10. getting along with a boss. Incollege,theprofessor(orTA)isyourboss.Learntogetalongwithyourprof,whetherwhatheorsheissayingiswhatyou’dliketohear,ornot.Thinkofeachoffice-hourmeeting,eachSkypesession,oreachinformalencounterafterclassasanoccasionforpracticingyourinterpersonalskillswithahigher-up.Collegiality—thatis,gettingalongwithothers—isoneofthekeybusinessskills.


11. multitasking and time management.Acollegeloadoffourorfivecourses,eachwithdifferentsortsofassignmentsandschedules,istheperfecttraininggroundfordevelopingyourskillsatdoinglotsofthingsatonceandbalancingthetimeneededforeach.Ifyouhoneyourabilitiesforhandlingtheendofthesemester—youknow,thattimewhenyouneedtoturninthreepapersandtakefivefinals—you’llbeinagreatpositiontohandlethecrunchseasonatwork.

12. Seeing a big project through to its end.You’llbeinapositiontoeasilyhandlejobsthatinvolvelarge,complex,long-termprojectsifyou’veworkedon,andcompleted,amajortermpaper,ajuniororseniorthesis,orasustainedscienceexperimentwhileyou’reatcol-lege.Sustaininginterestandmotivationoverthelonghaulisaspe-cialskillthatlotsofstudentshavetroublewith.Now’sagoodtimetoknowthyenemy—atleastasregardsbigprojects—andlearnhowtoconquerit.

13. Creative thinking. Youmaynotknowit,butwhatreallycharacter-izesA-levelworkatcollege—anddistinguishesitfromB-levelwork—issomecreativesparkthatallowsselectstudentstoseetheissueunderconsiderationinadeeperandmoreinsightfulway(formoreonthistopic,seeour“Top10WaysofMakingtheLeapfromaBtoanA”onp.117).Youcandevelopyourcreativeskillsinalmostanycourse—notjustcoursesintheartsorcreativewriting(whicharealsofinewaystostimulateyourcreativity).Trytoalwaysgobeyondthemostobviouspoints,strivingfordeeperlevelsofmeaningandmoreimaginativewaysofexpressingthem.Creativityshinesthroughatanyjobinterview,andbeyond,onceyougetyouronce-in-a-life-timejob.


Top 10 Myths About study Abroad

Thinkingyoumightwanttostudyabroad?Forsome,it’llprovetobeoneofthemostrewarding,life-enhancingexperiencesoftheircollegecareers.Forothers—well,they’llenjoythefishandchips.Herearethetenmostcommonmisconceptionsaboutstudyabroad fromvisitingprofessorSaraDumont,DirectorofStudyAbroad,AmericanUniversity.Avoidtheseandyou’reguaranteedabonvoyage:

1. “with the state of the world today, it’s just too dangerous.”It’salwayswisetokeepabreastofworldeventsandtoavoidstudyinaregionthatiscurrentlyatwarorhasahighlevelofcivilunrest.Butnotsurprisingly,studyabroadprogramsusuallyaren’tofferedinthoseregions.Yourschool’sstudyabroadadviserwillbeabletohelpyouassesstherelativerisksofvariousregions.

5-startiP. checkonlineresourcesespeciallydesignedforstudentsstudyingabroadsuchaswww.gLoBaLeD.uS/SaFeTi.

2. “i can’t afford to go.”Formoststudents,affordingasemester,term,orevenayearstudyingabroadisperfectlydoable.Ifyouwillearncredittowardyourdegreeforyourexperienceabroadandyoureceivefederalfinancialaid,thenthataidcanbeappliedtoyourstudyabroadcosts.Inaddition,manycollegesallowtheirowninsti-tutionalaidandscholarshipstotravelwiththestudent.

ExtraPointEr. BewaryofthosewhotrytotalkyouintostudyingonasummerorJanuarybreak,claimingthatshortprogramscostlessthansemester-lengthprograms.Whiletheprogrampricemaybelower,financialaidisrarelyavailableforstudyoutsidetheregularsemesters.

http://www.globaled.us/safeti


3. “all programs are alike, so i just need to pick my favorite country.”Therearemanydifferenttypesofstudyabroadprogramsdesignedtomeetthewantsandneedsofallkindsofstudents.Askyourself,WillIstudywithforeignstudentsorotherAmericans?WillIhaveforeignprofessorsorAmericanones?WillIliveinadorm,inanapartment,orwithafamily?Letyourstudyabroadofficehelpnarrowyourchoices,ortalktoastudentfromyourcollegewhohasalreadygoneontheprogram.

5-startiP. someuniversitiesabroadhavespecialinstitutesordivisionsforstudentscomingfromothercountries(liketheu.s.).Thisisn’tnecessarilybad,butyoushouldfindoutwhetheryou’llbetakingtheregularcourseswiththeregularfacultyorwhethertheschoolhashiredspecial(sometimeslessqualified)teacherstoteachthe“imports”(namely,you).

4. “i don’t speak a foreign language, so i can’t study abroad.”Don’tforgetthatEnglishisthenativelanguageofEngland,Scotland,Wales,Ireland,Australia,NewZealand,partsofIndia,andahostofcoun-triesinAfrica.AndmanyEuropeanandMiddleEasterncountries—especiallytheNetherlands,Scandinavia,Israel,andJordan—arenowofferingarangeofcoursesinEnglish,too.Butevenifyoupickanon-English-speakingcountry,you’llfindmanyuniversitiesofferinghybridprograms:someofyourcourseswillbeinthenativelanguage(hereyou’llattendlectures,takenotes,andtakethetestsinthelanguageofthecountry),whileotherswillbeingoodoldEnglish.

5. “i’m not in humanities or social sciences, so i can’t get the courses to count for my major.”Whilestudentsmajoringinsubjectslikehistory,politicalscience,andlanguagestendtohavethewidestrangeofcoursesandprogramsavailable,studentsinanymajorcanstudyabroadandstayontrackforgraduation(providedtheychooseprogramsandplancarefully).ConsulttheuniversityWebsite,cata-logue,orstudyabroadofficetoseewhat’sofferedinthesciences,mathematics,orwhateveryourmajormightbe.


6. “it’s too late for me to study abroad.”Don’tworryifit’slateinthefallsemesterandyouhaven’tdoneanyplanningtostudyabroadforthespringorsummer.Normally,youapplyforstudyabroadmidwaythroughthesemesterinadvanceoftheoneyouwanttobeaway.Andevenifyoumisstheapplicationdeadline,checkwithyourstudyabroadadviser,becausemanyprogramswillstillhavespaceandcanacceptlateapplicants.

ExtraPointEr. sophomoresandjuniorsaren’ttheonlyoneswhostudyabroad—seniorsdoit,too.Justkeepinmindtheneedtoplan,ifyouneedspecificcourses.Andbeawarethatsomecountriesrequirestudentstogetvisas,soifthatprocesstakesasignificantamountoftime,youwon’tbeabletogotosomecoun-triesifyouarealateapplicant.

7. “i’d like to study abroad so i can become completely fluent in the language.”Getreal.Learningalanguagetothepointoffluencyisachallengingandlengthyprocessformostpeople,andevenayearofimmersionusuallyisn’tenoughtogetthere.Berealisticaboutyourgoals—ifyouaren’t,youwillbecomefrustratedandnotmakethemostofyourexperience.

8. “i’m going to make lots of local friends and travel as much as i can.”Thesetwoexpectationsareincompatible.Ifyouspendallyourfreetimetravelingandawayfromtheplacewhereyou’restudying,youwon’thavetheneededtimeinyournewtemporaryhometomakenewfriends.Iftravelingiswhatyouthinkismostimportant,thenrealizeyoumightenduptravelingmostlyorexclusivelywithotherAmericans.

9. “i’m paying the same fees as i do at my home university, so i should get the same level of services, extracurricular opportuni-ties, and technology.”NOT!You’reinadifferentcountry;thingswillbedifferent.Savorthecultureyou’revisiting—anditsdistinctivecharacter.


10. “i’m not going abroad to sit in a classroom or a library.”Sureyouare.Thisisstudyabroad,afterall.You’llbegettingacademiccredittowardyourdegree,soguesswhat,you’llbeexpectedtodothework—reading,writingpapers,showingupfortutorials,andpartici-patinginclasses.Havingexperiences(the“fun”part)isgreat,butcollectingexperienceswithouttheintellectualunderpinnings(thatis,withoutthe“study”part)canbeaverysuperficialthing,andstudyabroadismeanttobeprofound.Atleastinthebestcase.


Transfer Tips—from community college to 4-year college

Communitycollegesarehot—evenamongthosestudentswhogoontogetabachelor’sdegreeatafour-yearcollege.TheRegentsoftheUniver-sityofCaliforniareportthat30percentofUCgraduatesattendedacom-munitycollegebeforetransferringtotheUC.Andamongallthoseearningabachelor’sdegreeinVirginia,athirdbeganat,orsupplementedtheireducationwith,classesfromaVirginiacommunitycollege.HerearetentipsformakingtheleapfromcommunitycollegetothebigU from visitingprofessorGlennDuBois,chancellorofVirginiaCommunityColleges:

1. Complete your associate’s degree. Nationalresearchshowsthatcommunitycollegestudentswhofinishtheirdegreeprogramgoontocompletetheirbaccalaureateatamuchhigherratethanthosewhotransferwithjustagrabbagofcredits.

2. Shop around.Examinealloftheoptionsavailabletoyouasatrans-ferstudent.Considerbothpublicandprivatefour-yearinstitutionstodecidewhichwillbethebestfitforyou.Thefour-yearinstitutionthatyouhadyourheartsetoninhighschoolmaynotultimatelybethebestchoiceforthesubjectyouwanttopursue.

3. Plan ahead.Theearlieryoubegintopreparefortransfer,thebetter.Visityourtopchoices,collecttransfermaterials,andfindoutifthereareanytransferagreementsbetweenwhereyouareandwhereyouwanttogo.Themoreinformationyouhave,theeasieritwillbetomakeadecision.

4. Know which courses actually transfer.Makesureyouarepickingcoursesthataretransferabletocollegesanduniversities.ThereareWebsites,tools,andadvisersatbothcommunitycollegesanduni-versitiestohelpyouchoosewisely.


5-startiP. manystateshave“articulationagreements”—negotiateddocumentsthatmakeclearwhat’sneededtotransferfromonehighereducationinstitutiontoanother.Thebenefittoyouasastudentisthattheagreementtakestheguessworkoutoftheprocessbytellingyouinblackandwhitewhatclassesyouneedtotakeandwhatgradesyouneedtomaketoavoidlosinghard-earnedcreditswhenyoutransfer.manystateshaveWebsiteswithdetailedinformationaboutarticulationagreementsandtheprocessoftransferring.someofthebestinclude:

Virginia:www.vawizarD.org

Arizona:www.azTranSFer.Com/CCSTuDenT

Texas:www.TCCnS.org/DeFauLT.aSP

illinois:www.iTranSFer.org

california:www.CPeC.Ca.gov/onLineDaTa/TranSFerPaTHway.aSP

5. Don’t be shy.Meetregularlywithadvisersatthecommunitycollege.Keepyouradviserinformedofyourtransferplans,andastransferapproaches,setatimetomeetwithanadviseratyourtargetinstitu-tion.Ifyoutrytonavigatethisprocesswithoutthehelpofadvisers,youmaynotbeabletomaximizeyourcommunitycollegecourses.

6. Choose a major.Pickyourmajorearly,andseekadviceaboutthebestcoursestotaketomeetrequirements.Bychoosingyourmajorearly,youcantaketheprerequisitesthatyouneedforthatprogramattheuniversity.Well-plannedcoursetakingwillhelpyoufinishyourtransferprogrammoreefficiently,savingyoutimeandmoneyinthelongrun.

7. get admitted.Makesureyouapplytoboththeinstitutionandtheprogramyouwanttoattendatthatinstitution.Ifyougetadmittedtotheuniversity,itoftendoesnotmeanyouareadmittedtothespe-cificprogramyouwanttostudy,suchasengineeringornursing.Thedeadlinesfortheuniversityadmissionsmaterialsandtheprogramadmissionsmaterialsmaybedifferent.Doyourresearch!

http://www.VaWizard.org

http://www.aztransfer.com/ccstudent

http://www.tccns.org/default.asp

http://www.itransfer.org

http://www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathway.asp


8. make them show you the money.BesuretofillouttheFreeAppli-cationforStudentAid(FAFSA)atwww.FaFSa.eD.gov.Calltheuni-versityadmissionsofficetoseeiftheyhavescholarshipssetasidefortransferstudents—manyinstitutionsdo.Makesureyoumeetallofthedeadlinesforfinancialaid.Otherwiseyoumaymissoutonassistancethatisavailabletoyou.

9. attend orientation.Youmaythinkyoudonotneedthisbecauseyoualreadyareacollegestudent.Butnavigatingtheuniversityisdiffer-ent.Takeadvantageoftheopportunitiestheuniversityhascreatedfortransferstudents.Theseorientationswillhelpeasethetransferprocess.

10. Stay focused. Thisoneiseasytoforget.Whetherit’syourassoci-ate’sorbachelor’sdegree,finishingontimeisnoteasy.Butitcanbedoneifyouarefocusedandworkhard.Keepyourgoalinmind,evenwhenyou’reworkinginyourhardestclass,whichyoudon’tmuchlike.Itwillallpayoff.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov


Thinking About grad school? The 10-step Program

Nooneshouldlungeatgraduateschool.Gettinganadvanceddegreecantakefouryearsinthebestcase(tenyearsintheworst)andcancoststensofthousandsofdollarsifyou’renotluckyenoughtolandafellowship.AndnooneshouldbeginplanningforgraduateschoolinOctoberoftheirsenioryear.Puttingtogetheragoodapplication—onethatcanreallysell—istheproductofanumberofyearsofcarefulplanninganddoingtherightstufftogetyourselfreadyforgraduateworkinyourdesiredfield.

Whattodo?Followourstep-by-stepguidetogettingreadyforthegraduateschoolofyourchoice:

1. Don’t fixate too early. There’snopointmakingadecisionaboutwhethertogotograduateschooluntilyou’vefinishedabouthalfofthecoursesinyourmajor—especiallytheupper-divisionoradvancedcourses.Onlythencanyouseeifyoulikethefieldenoughtodevoteyourselffull-timetoworkinginit.Andifyou’regoodenoughinittomakeityourprofession.

rEalitychEcK. YououghttobegettingmostlyA’s(oratleastmoreA’sthanB’s)inyourmajorareaifyou’reseriouslythinkingaboutgraduateschool.Atmanyofthebetterschools,onlyoneintenapplicantsgetsin,andit’slikelythattheonewon’thavehadtoomanyB’sandc’s.(evenatlesserschools,you’retypicallyexpectedtohaveallB’sorbettertostandafightingchanceofgettingin.)

2. get the tools.Manygraduateprogramsexpectyoutohavecertainskillsbytheendofyourundergraduatecareer—perhapstheability


toreadinoneormoreforeignlanguages,proficiencyinstatistics,orcompetenceinsomeparticularsciences.Makesureyouknowwhat’sneededforyourfieldandthatyou’vetakenthecourses—evenifnotrequiredfortheundergraduatemajor—thatfurnishtherelevantskills.Otherwiseyoumighthavetroublegettingintogradschoolinthefirstplace,orhavetoplaycatch-uponceyougetthere.

3. Don’t overload with one professor.It’stemptingtotakefourorfivecourseswithoneprof,especiallyifyoulikehimorherandaregettinggoodgradesinhisorhercourses.Butthere’sapitfall:exposuretotoofewpointsofviewmightstifleyourdevelopmentinthefieldandhamperyourabilitytogetthreeexpertlettersofrecommendationtoapplyforgraduateschool.Castyournettoonarrowlyandyou’llcomeupshort,comeapplicationtime.

4. Take the professional-level courses in the department. Focusonthehardercoursesandbesurenottoskipthejuniorseminar,seniorcolloquium,orundergraduatethesis.Thisiswhereyoucandistin-guishyourselfasaseriousplayerinthefield,atleastamongtheundergrads.Justwhatyouneedtodotopositionyourselfforgradschool.

ExtraPointEr. skipthethrowawaycourses—thosecoursestaughtbylessrigorousprofessorsorintendedforthegeneraluniversitypopulation(andhencetooeasytoprepareyouforgradschool).Yourundergraduateadvisercansteeryouawayfromthese,ifyouonlybothertoask.

5. Try before you buy.Ifyoucan,asaseniortakeagraduatecourse(especiallyifthere’soneinthesubfieldinwhichyouareinterested).Ordoaninternshiporjoinaresearchprojectwithafacultymem-berinyourareaofinterest.Thatwayyou’llgetatasteofgradu-ateschoolorgraduate-levelprojects—allthewhilebuildingupthoserelationshipsthataregoingtonetyouthosestellarlettersofrecommendation.


6. get at least 600s on your gres.Someuniversitieswon’tevencon-sideryouforadmittancetothegraduateschoolifyourGREscoresarebelow600.Fortopgradschools,700isoftenthefloor.

5-startiP. itwouldn’thurttoinvesttwentybucksinoneofthosetelephone-book-sizedgretest-prepbooks.You’llhaveaneasiertimeonthetestifyouknowthekindsofquestionsthat’llbeasked.

7. get three bang-up letters of recommendation. Gradschoolspaylotsofattentiontobothwhatthelettersofrecommendationsayandwhomtheyarefrom.Goodletterscomefromtenuredfacultyinthefieldwhohaveanationalreputation,whohavegivenyouanA,andwhocantalkaboutyouandyourworkindetail.Lessgoodlettersareoneswrittenbysomeonewhomnooneinthefieldhaseverheardof;fromfacultyinfieldsotherthanyourmajor(unlessyou’regoingintoajointgraduateprogram);fromTAs(ratherthanprofessors);and,worstofall,fromfamilymembers,yourminister,oryourFacebookfriends(whowouldreadthose?).

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. Besuretosaveallyourgradedworkandgiveittotheprofessorwhenitcomestimeforlettersofrecommendation.Thatwaytheprofwillbeabletoincorporatespecificinformationaboutthenatureandqualityofyourwork,ratherthanjustwritinghowniceyouaretobearound.Amoreinformed—andspecific—letterisabetterletter.

8. give a great sample.Manygraduateschoolsaskyoutoprovideawritingsample,andthesamplecanbecriticalafterthefirstcutintheadmissionsprocess.Besuretosubmitastrongsample—onethathasatopic,methodology,andqualityofargumentationandwritingthatdemonstratesyourreadinessforgraduate-levelwork.


Andpayspecialattentiontothesuggestedlength.Aschoolthatexpectsatwenty-pagejournal-sizedarticlewillnotbehappytoreceiveyourhundred-pageseniorthesis.(Conversely,aschoolthat’slookingforasubstantialpieceofworkwon’tbebowledoverbyyourfour-orsix-pageshortpaper.)Ifindoubt,askyouradviserwhat’sexpected.

9. write a killer personal statement. Thepersonalstatementyousubmitshouldfocusontheoneortwoprojectsyou’dliketopursueonceyougetintograduateschool.Besuretoincludeevidencethatyoucanactuallydotheproject(s)—thatis,thatyouhavetheintel-lectualtoolsandthebackgroundnecessaryforcarryingoutwhatyou’reproposing(there’snopointbluffingorblowingsmoke).Yourpersonalstatementismeanttobeanintellectualplan—notageneralautobiography,yourmusingsaboutthestateofthefield,oratesti-monialabouthowmuchyoulovethefield.Atleastnotifyouhopetogetintograduateschool.

5-startiP. cognoscentimightwanttotailortheirapplicationstoparticulargradschools(ratherthansendingthesamestate-menttoall).Thatway,ifyou’vedonesomeworkorhavesomeinterestthatwouldparticularlyappealtosomegraduateschool,youcanhighlightthatinyourapplication.

10. Don’t romanticize grad school.There’slotsofdrudgeworkandmanycoursestobetakeninallaspectsofthefieldyou’regoingtobestudying.Ifyou’regoingtogradschoolinpsychology,forinstance,don’tassumethateverycoursewillbeprobingthemindsofdeathrowinmatesorimprovingyourparentingskills.Andkeepinmindthatgradschoolisalonghaul.Fourtotenofyearsofyourlifecouldbeabigbiteifyouthinkthateconomicsmightbekindafunsothatyoucanfigureoutwhetherthestockmarketwillbehitting14,000againinyourlifetime.Makesuregradschoolisreallyforyou—andyouknowwhatitreallyinvolves—beforeyousendinthatapplication.


BonustiP. onceyou’venarrowedyourchoicesdowntooneortwo,besuretovisitthegraduateschoolsyou’rethinkingabout.Whileyou’rethere,sitinonaclassortwo,talktosomeoftheprofessorsyou’rethinkingofstudyingwith,and,mostimportant,asklotsofquestionsofthegradstudentswhoarealreadythere.Theyhavebeenwhereyou’regoing.


10 Tips for finding a Job

Manystudentsareworriedabouthowthey’llfinishcollege.Wehopethisbookhashelpedthem.Butsomestudentsareevenmoreworriedabouthowthey’llfindajobaftercollege—especiallygiventheiffyemploymentoutlookforrecentcollegegraduates.Whatisthebestwaytoapproachthejobmarket?

Whenyouareactuallylookingforajob,itisalwaysa“bad”mar-ket.Themarketinthelastfewyearsjusthappenstobealittlemoreso,especiallyifyouhappentobeanautoworkeroraBigLawassociate.ButwhilemanypeoplelosttheirpositionsduringtheGreatRecession,othershavefoundinterestingandrewardingjobs.Thereisnoonemagicformulaforfindingajob,buttherearewaystotakecontroloftheprocessandenhanceyourodds.Herearetentipsforfindingajobfromvisitingprofes-sorSusanSchell,directorofcareerservicesatUniversityofArkansasLawSchool:

1. Know what it takes.Differentfieldshavedifferentapplicationrequirements,andyouneedtoknowwhatthoseareforthefieldyouareinterestedin.Doyouneedaresume,acoverletter,awritingsample,aportfolio,andsoon?Youalsoneedtoknowwhatthesematerialslooklikeinyourfield,andwhichskillsandexperiencesyouneedtoemphasize.Alegalresumeisdifferent,bothinformandcontent,fromamanagementresume,whichinturnisdifferentfromamarketingresume.Don’thaveaclue?Trytoarrangeaninforma-tionalinterviewwithaprofessionalinthefieldtowhichyouaspireandlearnwhatittakes.

2. Perfect your application materials. Alwayshaveyourapplicationmaterialsreviewedbysomeonewhoisabettereditorthanyou.Afterpolishingandmassagingyourresumeahundredtimes,youareprobablytooclosetoseethenitsthatneedtobepicked.Haveyourmaterialsreviewedagainwheneveryoumakerevisionsoraddupdates.Don’tknowanygoodeditors?Ifyouareinschool,tryyourcareerservicesoffice.


3. activate your network.Telleveryoneyouknowwhattypeofjobyouarelookingfor.Thereisnosininlookingforemployment,soyouneedtogeteveryoneinyournetworkworkingforyou.Whileyourhairstylistisnotalawyeroramanagementconsultant,heorshemayknowone.Followupeveryleadyouaregiven;youneverknowwhoknowsthepersonwhocangetyouthejobyouwant.

5-startiP. ifyouhaveaprofessorwho’sworkedinindustryorinextra-universityworkinthefieldyou’reconsidering,makesuretoinvitehimorhertousehisorhercontacts.oftenevenaninformalrecommendationfromaprofessorcanopendoors.

ExtraPointEr. ifaparent,familyfriend,olderbrotherorsister,oremployerofyoursworksinthefieldyouwanttogointo,enlisthisorherhelp,too.Youneverknowwhohasthecontactsthatcount.

4. Join a professional organization. Mostoccupations,fromrestau-rantmanagerstoengineers,haveprofessionalassociations.Joinone.(Manyhavestudentrates.)Attendmeetings,gotoseminars,andreadthematerials.Justasananthropologistwould,youshouldlearnthelanguageandcustomsofyourfield,theissuesoftheday,andidentifythekeyplayers,sothatwhenyoulandaninterviewyouwill“speakthelanguage”likeanative.

5. Be patient and persistent. Setasidetimeeveryweektocheckforpostings,todoresearchonemployersinyourfield,andtosendoutamanageablenumberofapplications.Itisprobablynotrealistictotrytosendouttwentyletter-perfect,individuallytailoredapplica-tionsinaweekend,sopaceyourself.Itisbettertosendfivehigh-qualityapplicationsthantwentygenericapplications.Treatthejobsearchasamarathon,ratherthanasprint.Whenyouworkonthejobsearchregularlyratherthaninfitsandstarts,itiseasiertostayfocusedandcontrolthestressthatinevitablyaccompaniesit.


5-startiP. ThreeofthemanyWebsitesthatwillhelpyouinyourjobsearcharewww.JoB-HunT.org,www.weTFeeT.Com,andwww.CareerJournaL.Com.Theyprovidejobsearchtips,careerresearchinformation,companyprofiles,andmanyotherfea-tures.check‘emout.

6. Don’t treat an interview as an interrogation. Ifyouarefortunateenoughtolandaninterview,treatitasanopportunitytoestablishaprofessionalrelationshipwiththeinterviewer.Knowtheemployerandbepreparedtoaskintelligentquestions.Engagewiththeinter-viewer,anddonotbeshyinlettingtheinterviewerknowhowmuchyouknowabouttheemployerandhowmuchyouwanttoworkthere.Beenthusiastic,notdesperate.

BEst-KEPtsEcrEt. it’salwaysagoodideatodoalittleWebresearchonthecompanybeforetheinterview—and,whenpos-sible,ontheindividualswhowillbeinterviewingyou.You’llmakeamuchbetterimpressionwhenyouknowwhatthecompanyisdoing—andhowyoumightfitin.Andwhileyou’reatit,googleyourselfandcheckoutyourownfacebookpagetoseewhatyourinterviewermightbelearningaboutyou(thiswillindicatewhatyou’llneedtotrytoexplainaway).

7. Practice out loud. Trytoanticipatethetypesofquestionsyouwillbeasked,andpracticeyourresponses.Ifyoulackexperienceorfeeluncomfortableininterviews,findsomeonetodoamockinterviewwith.Aswithotherskills,communicationskillsgetbetterwithprac-tice.Andwhileyoumaythinkyouhaveaperfectanswerinyourhead,youwon’tknowituntilyouactuallyarticulateit.Inaninter-viewthereistheansweryouplantogive,theoneyoudogive,andtheoneyouwishedyou’dgiven.Withpractice,thosethreeanswerscometogether.

http://www.job-hunt.org

http://www.wetfeet.com

http://www.careerjournal.com


8. Be “on” from the start.Inthisageofsecuritycameras,youcouldberecordedfromthemomentyouhittheemployer’sparkinglot.Actliketheemployeriswatchingyoufromtheoutset.Dressthepart.Befriendlyandrespectfultoeveryoneyoumeet.Stayfocused.Evenifyouareleftcoolingyourheelsinthereceptionarea,donotbetemptedtocheckyourphone.Ifyoucannotresistthetemptation,leaveyourphoneinthecar.

9. make that first impression count.Witheveryoneyoumeetattheorganization—andespeciallywiththeinterviewer—youwanttomakeyourfirstimpressioncount.Standupstraight.Looktheinter-viewerintheeye.Smileandextendyourhandforafirm,butnotknuckle-crushing,handshake.(Again,theseintroductorybehaviorscanbepracticedwithyourfriendsandfamilytopolishyourbehaviorandenhanceyourconfidence.)

10. Be positive. Stayupbeatthroughouttheinterview.Smile—itwillregisterinyourvoice.Donotlettheinterviewer’sfacialexpressionsortoneofvoicethrowyouoffyourgame.Donotassumethatapar-ticularansweris“wrong”orthatyouhave“blownit.”Stayconfident.Ifaskedaboutaperceivednegative,donotmakeexcusesorprovideelaborateexplanations,giveitonesentenceandmoveon.Remem-berthatthereisno“perfect”candidate;justbethebestyoucanbe.

A ndsowecometotheendofTheSecretsofCollegeSuccess.Ordowe?

Thoughyouprobablyhaven’tbeencounting,ifyou’vereadthebookstraightthroughfromthebeginning,you’veseenover600tipsforcollegesuccess(634,tobeexact).Butthethreemostimportanttipsarestilltocome.Thetipsthatyouwillwrite—anddo.

Somestudentshavefoundinthisbookmanytipstheycanseethem-selvesusing.Startingrightaway.Othershavethoughtuptheirowntipswhilereadingours.Andstillothers—well,you’rethinkingthatifonlyyouthoughtaboutitforaminuteortwo,you’dbeabletocomeupwithmuchbettertipsthanwehave.

Whicheveristhecaseforyou,gogetapencil—orifprefer,youriPad,netbook,Blackberry,ordeviceofchoice—andanswerthefollowingquestion(100points,notimelimit):

Whatarethethreebesttipsforcollegesuccessthatyouresolvetodo—100percentofthetime,withoutfail,nomatterwhatthesituation?

5-startiP#1.

.

9The end—And The Beginning

188 CHaPTer 9: TheEnd—andtheBeginning

5-startiP#2.

.

5-startiP#3.

.

Congratulations!You’vejusttakenthefirst—andmostimportant—steponyourpathtocollegesuccess.

GotaTip?JointheCommunity! 189

got a Tip? Join the community!

wanna share? Perhapsyou’resopleasedwithyouranswersthatyou’dlikeothersinthecollegecommunitytoknowaboutthem.Gotowww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/TiPSandpostyourtipsthere.

Andwhynotpostsomethingonourwallatwww.FaCeBooK.Com/

ProFeSSorSguiDeorfollowusatwww.TwiTTer.Com/ProFeSSorSguiDe?

wanna talk? [email protected]—aquickanswerisassured!AndifyouwanttoinviteLynnandJeremytocomespeakatyourschool,checkoutwww.THeSeCreTSoFCoLLegeSuCCeSS.Com.Agoodtime—andlotsmoregreattips—areguaranteedforall.

FLaSH! Areyougoingtoacommunitycollegeorgettingyourdegreeonline?ifso,wehavespecialtipsforyou!Lookforthematwww.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com.

http://www.professorsguide.com/tips

http://www.facebook.com/professorsguide

http://www.twitter.com/professorsguide

mailto:[email protected]%E2%80%94a

http://www.thesecretsofcollegesuccess.com

http://www.professorsguide.com

http://www.facebook.com/professorsguide

Top 10 People we’d like to Thank

#10. Kate Bradford.Oureditor.Takesalotofpatiencetobeaneditor.Andalittlevision,too.

#9. arthur Klebanoff.Ouragentandfriend(goodcontract-writer,too).

#8. Tom Hapgood.DesignedourWebsiteandkeepsallourgraphicsmodernandcool.

#7. michael Kohlmeyer-Hyman.OurbusinessmanagerandJeremy’sbrother.Ifthere’sabetterguy,wedon’tknowhim.

#6. The U.S. News & World Report crew.KenTerrell,SaraClarke,BrianKelly,andTerrieClifford.TheygetoutourblogeveryWednesday,andhadtheideaoftipsforcollege.

#5. all the folks at wiley in editorial, production, and marketing.LesleyIura,DimiBerkner,MeredithStanton,JimThomson,JenWenzel,NanaTwumasi,andPamBerkman.They’vedoneyeo-man’sserviceingettingoutthisbookinrecordtime.

#4. Jeff Puda for the cover; maureen Forys, Jon Schleuss, and Corrine Kohlmeyer-Hyman for the layout; and Sue Blanchard for the Professors’ guide™ logo. Howboringwouldthebookbewithoutthem?

#3. Professors David Christensen and richard Lee for endless infu-sions of tips (especially when we were running dry).

#2. all our past and present students. Youwerethebetalabthatshowedthetipswork.

Andthenumber-onepersonwe’dliketothank:

#1. you!Withoutyouthere’dbenoonetotellthesecretsto.Bummer.

weB resources

AcademicEarth,96www.aCaDemiCearTH.org

calendars,electronic,31www.googLe.Com/CaLenDar,www.iSTuDiez.Com,www.airSeT.Com,www.30BoxeS.Com

careers,185www.JoB-HunT.org,www.weTFeeT.Com,www.CareerJournaL.Com

communitycollege,transfer,176,www.vawizarD.org,www.azTranSFer

.Com/CCSTuDenT,www.TCCnS.org/DeFauLT.aSP,www.iTranSFer.org,www.CPeC.Ca.gov/onLineDaTa/TranSFerPaTHway.aSP

electronicresources,119www.CoLumBia.eDu/Cu/LweB/ereSourCeS

financialaid(FAFSA),177www.FaFSa.eD.gov

first-yearexperience(FYE),92www.CoLLege.uCLa.eDu/FiaTLux,www.unC.eDu/FyS

flashcards,85www.STuDyBLue.Com

footnotes,styles,122HTTP://memoriaL.LiBrary.wiSC.eDu/CiTing.HTm

foreignlanguages

“falsefriends,”85HTTP://en.wiKiPeDia.org/wiKi/FaLSe_FrienDS

resources,86www.LivemoCHa.Com,www.CHineSePoD.Com,www.FrenCHPoD.Com,www.SPaniSHPoD.Com,www.iTaLianPoD.Com,www.raDioLingua.Com

freshmanseminar(FS),Seefirst-yearexperience

gradeinflation,16,www.graDeinFLaTion.Com

IRS,Seetaxbenefits

jobsearch,Seecareers

journals,Seeelectronicresources

languages,Seeforeignlanguages

http://www.academicearth.org

http://www.google.com/calendar

http://www.istudiez.com

http://www.airset.com

http://www.30boxes.com

http://www.job-hunt.org

http://www.wetfeet.com

http://www.careerjournal.com

http://www.VaWizard.org


http://www.tccns.org/default.asp

http://www.itransf

http://www.cpec.ca.gov/OnLineData/TransferPathway.asp

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov


http://www.unc.edu/fys

http://www.studyblue.com

http://www.livemocha.com

http://www.ChinesePod.com

http://www.French

http://www.spanishpod.com

http://www.italianpod.com

http://www.radiolingua.com


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/false_friends

http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/citing.htm


194 WebResources

library,Seeelectronicresources

OpenCourseWare,95-96

mastersiteswww.oCwConSorTium.org/uSe/uSe-DynamiC.HTmL,www.oCwFinDer.Com

universitieswww.oCw.miT.eDu,www.oyC.yaLe.eDu,HTTP://oCw.nD.eDu,HTTPS://oLi.weB.Cmu.eDu/oPenLearning/ForSTuDenTS/FreeCourSeS,HTTP://weBCaST.BerKeLey.eDu,HTTP://oCw.uCi.eDu,HTTP://oCw.TuFTS.

eDu,HTTP://iTuneS.STanForD.eDu,HTTP://oCw.uSu.eDu

papers,Seefootnotes

professors,evaluationof,22www.raTemyProFeSSorS.Com

studyabroad,171www.gLoBaLeD.uS/SaFeTi

taxbenefits,20www.CoLLegeanSwer.Com/Paying/ConTenT/Pay_

Tax_BeneFiTS.JSP,www.irS.gov/newSroom/arTiCLe/0,,iD=213044,00.HTmL,www.irS.gov/PuB/irS-PDF/P970.PDF

technology,recommendations,26,145www.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/TeCHreCS

textbooks,

metasites,31www.BigworDS.Com,www.BeSTBooKBuyS.Com,www.CHeaPeSTTexTBooKS.Com

onlineretailers,31www.amazon.Com,www.Bn.Com,www.eFoLLeTT.Com,www.HaLF.Com

recommendations,31www.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/BooKreCS

rentals,31www.CHegg.Com,www.CamPuSBooKrenTaLS.Com,www.BooKrenTer.Com

WorldCat,119www.worLDCaT.org

TheWebisconstantlychanging.SoifyouknowaWebsitethat’dbeespeciallyusefultocollegestudents,pleasee-mailittousat:www.ProFeSSorSguiDe.Com/weBreSourCeS.We’llincludeyoursugges-tionsinthenexteditionofthisbook.

http://www.ocwconsortium.org/use/use-dynamic.html

http://www.ocwfinder.com


http://www.oyc.yale.edu

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com

http://www.globaled.us/safeti


http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/articl e/0,,id=213044,00.ht ml,

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

http://www.professorsguide.com/techrecs

http://www.bigwords.com

http://www.bestbookbuys.com

http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.bn.com

http://www.efollett.com

http://www.half.com

http://www.professorsguide.com/bookrecs

http://www.chegg.com

http://www.campusbookrentals.com

http://www.bookrenter.com

http://www.worldcat.org

http://www.professorsguide.com/webrsources


http://ocw.nd.edu

https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/forstudents/freecourses

http://webcast.berkeley.edu

http://www.ocw.uci.edu

http://www.ocw.tufts.edu

http://www.ocw.tufts.edu

http://itunes.stanford.edu

http://www.ocw.usu.edu

index

academiccalendar,SeecalendarAcademicEarth,7adviser,26,34,36,38,74,80,151,159,

162,165,176,179,181advisingcenter,32analyticalpaper,Seepaper(s)AP(advancedplacement),35,38,80articulationagreement,176Associate’sdegree,175,177attendance,Seeclass(es)attentionspan,3,57,60

calendaracademic,27organizingyour,31

career(s),7,19,20,48,125,165,167–170,183–186

catalogue,Seecoursecataloguecellphone,2,31,43,60,65,137,157,158cheating,139,155class(es):

advanced,4,16,38,70,93,156,163,167,178

attendanceat,2,9,11,19,48,62,72,76,84,93

closed,37–38distribution,28,38,71,88easy,36,39–40,164,179elective,88Englishcomp(osition),76–79,157first-yearexperience(FYE),7,28,36,

92–94freshmanseminar(FS),7,28,36,

92–94foreignlanguage,7,28,34,84–87,

97,173gen(eral)ed(ucation),38,40,93gettinginto,18hard,35,36,39,50,71,80,147,

177,179

introductory,4,12,16,35–36,38,39labscience(s),88–91large,18,71,103lowerdivision,4,12,16,35–36,38,39math,35,38,80–83,157missing,11,19,72,93,137,150online,7,18,21,38,77,95–98overloadof,11,35picking,2,26,34–36,128registeringfor,18,34required,26,34,35,36,38,40,

88,157schedulingof,48,49science,88–91small,18,71,72,127,168upper-division,4,16,38,70,93,156,

163,167,178Webpagesfor,8,31,37,97,118,144withdrawalfrom,147,151,153

comments,Seepaper(s);professor(s)communitycollege,6,21,37,38,175–177computer,8,26,31,51,54,145,158computerlab,19,32confidence,14,68,71–74,186corequisite,89counseling,19,159course(s),Seeclass(es)coursecatalogue,27,34,92,172courseschedule,27curve,Seegrade(s)

databases,electronic,Seee-resourcesDATexam,89discussionsection(s),15,30,39,62,64,

72,73,100,106,117,149DuBois,Glenn,175Dumont,Sara,171

eight-semesterplan,21,26,162electronicdatabases,Seee-resources

196 Index

e-mail,5,32,77,116,128,152Englishcomp,Seeclass(es)e-reader,7,27,31,57,66e-reserves,118e-resources,7,31,32,79,118–120,168.exam,Seetest(s)exercise,Seerecreationextensions,Seepaper(s)extracredit,13,155

Facebook,5,6,9,28,32,48,57,98,136,152,158,180,185,189

FAFSA,Seefinancialaidfirst-yearexperiencecourse(FYE),

Seeclass(es)finalexam,Seetest(s)financialaid,6,19–21,160,171,177footnotesstyles,122foreignlanguage,Seeclass(es)four-yeardegree,Seeeight-semester

planfreshmanclusters,14freshmancomp,Seeclass(es)freshmanseminar(FS),SeeclassesFYE,Seeclasses

GA(graduateassistant),SeeTA(teachingassistant)

GMATexam,89Google,28,118,139,185grade(s):

A,3,12,13,14,16,78,117,149,156,163,170,178,180

B,3,13,16,118,149,156,163,170,178borderline,111–112,138C,3,16,69,78,149,150,154,156,

163,178,curved,16,37,54D,156disputing,17,131–132,138,154F,153,156forgivenesspolicyfor,153–154gettingbad,152–155,159gettinggood,11–14,126incomplete,152–153,156,169inflationof,16whatcountsforthe,70,76,90,93,

100.Seealsograding

grading:percentages,10,50,53processof,15–17systemof,43

graduateschool,125,178–182graduatestudent,SeeTA(teaching

assistant)GREexam,89,180

handouts,8,64,68,69,118,135health,mentalandphysical,10,49,54,

103–104,153,160healthservice,19homework,3,10,12,49,50,56,72,

80–81,82,100,107honorsprogram,26

incompletes,Seegrade(s)illness,Seehealth,mentalandphysicalinter-libraryloan(ILL),97,120internship,10,20,127,169,179interview,SeejobinterviewiTunesU,7

job,Seecareer(s)jobinterview,170,184,185,186

labreport,89,91labsciences,Seeclass(es)languagerequirement,Seeclass(es)laptop,Seecomputerleaveofabsence,160lectures,4,10,30,39,50–51,64,72,

98,100–101,106,111,130,144–147,150,156–157.Seealsonote(s)

lecturenotes,Seenote(s)librarian,79,120library,31,32,55,95,118–120,167,174loans,student,20

makeup,Seetest(s)major:

fieldofstudy,7,19,26,27,28,71,88,93,162–166,172,176,178,179

studentsinthe,16,20,35math,Seeclass(es)mathlab,19,32,83MCATexam,89

Index 197

memorizing,4,50,56,85,102,108midterm,Seetest(s)minor,27,165,166

netbook,Seecomputernote(s):

andtestpreparation,12,59,60,61,62,146

difficultiestaking,144–147,168forpapers,121–122frommeetings,132lecture,8,48,50,59–62,83,

100–101,102,103,105,106,118,130,147

reading,51,56-57,66,100,101

officehours,5,13,31,37,53,62,67,77,81,82,86,91,103,106,116,126,129,130,131,150,152,169

onlineclasses,Seeclass(es)OpenCourseWare(OCW),7,95,97oralpresentations,Seepresentationsorientation,18,26,34,162,177

paper(s),3,4,8,9,10,13,49,53,56,60,61,62,97,98,113–116,131,132,138,154,155,167,170,174analytical,113,115bibliographyfor,122commentson,167.Seealso

professor(s)conclusionof,78–79,117,122consultingwithprofessorabout,72,

116,138draftsof,78,122,135extensionson,43,128,132,138,152,

156,169footnotesin,122goingoveryour,130gradingof,16,117logicalstructurein,114plagiarismon,Seecheatingproofreadingof,79,116,155quotesin,115research,48,51,52,53,73,74,

113,115,118–122,170.Seealsoe-resources

rewritingof,13term,Seepaper,researchabovethesisof,54,78,114,117topicsfor,63,117,118,,

parents,2,11,21,26,27,31,32,36,50,74,94,151,157,160,163,184

plagiarism,SeecheatingPowerPoint,7,60,68,69,145,168prerequisites,37,40,42,89presentations,3,4,56,67–70,73,77,

93,126,168procrastination,52–54problemsets,9,12,14,56,80–81,83,

107,157professor(s),74,159,165,169

answeringquestionsof,72,90,126appointmentswith,128,130askingquestionsof,10,72,93,113,

120,121,125–126,130,131,138buildingarelationshipwith,94,

125–128bad,37,42–45collaboratingwith,10,20,127,169,

179commentsfrom,9,12,13,73,112,117,

127,150,151,154e-mailingyour,5,127,128,133,

134–136,139.Seealsoe-mailgoingtoseethe,32–33,37,58,

72–73,77,82,118,129–133,146,152

good,39,164officehoursof,Seeofficehoursrecommendationsfrom,184

quiz(zes),3,8,9,14,48,49,50,72,107,156

reading,2,3,8,9,10,39,50,56,63–66,97,111,117,118,126,130,132,144,156,157,168,174.Seealsonote(s)

recommendations,lettersof,94,125,179,180

recreation,19,30registration,4,18,31,34research,3,118–122,167,168.Seealso

paper(s)

198 Index

researchpaper,Seepaper(s)reviewsession,5,9,13,62,82,103,106Reznick,J.Steven,92Rojstaczer,Stuart,16

Schell,Susan,183scholarships,Seefinancialaidsectionmeeting,Seediscussion

section(s)seniorthesis,Seethesis,seniorservicelearning,7Skype,5,31,133,169sleep,Seehealth,mentalandphysicalsoftware,27,169stress,52,70,158,184studentloans,Seeloans,studentstudyabroad,7,20–21,171–174studying,9,12,32,49,50,52,55–58,

150,157,158.Seealsotest(s)studyguide,73,107.studygroups,13–14,57–58,73,82,98,

169studyquestions,56,59,64,106.substanceabuse,158,160summerschool,21,37–38syllabus,17,27,33,34,37,40,43,44,

56,59,97,101,106,118,134,139,144

TA(teachingassistant),2,3,4,15,18,36,81,106,154,180

taxbenefits,20technicalterm,60,65,115,145test(s),4,8,13,60,72,83,97,98,131,

132,138,154,156andhomework,12,89–90clarityon,110–111essay,4,11,16,101,102,109

figuringoutwhat’sgoingtobeonthe,2,105–107

final,9,10,12,48,59,73,158,170goingoverthe,130,149,151make-up,128,132,152,169midterm,12,53,59,73,149–151,158multiplechoice,16,101problemsolving,101,110,111shortanswer,16,101,110taking,108–112managingtimeduring,108,109multiplechoice,109preparingfor,3,11,12–13,49,51,52,

54,66,72,100–104,150practice(orpretest),73,82,103samplequestions(orproblems)for,

82,107studyingfor,3,11,12–13,49,51,52,

54,66,72,100–104,150Seealsonote(s)

textbook,4,7,8,12,30–31,57,64,76,83,126,157

thesis,senior,10,37,170,179,181time-management,48–51,55,170.See

alsotest(s)transferring,37,164,175–177tutoring,19,32,82Twitter,152,189

withdrawal,Seeclass(es)writing,Seepaper(s)writingcenter,19,32,79Website:

college,7,27,38course,8,31,37,97,118,144

workstudy,21WorldCat,119

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