Time Management and College Success Strategies Topics Covered - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Time Management and College Success Strategies

Topics Covered • High School vs. College • Time Management • Active Listening and Note-Taking • Strategic Reading • Systematic Studying • Test Taking Strategies

Note Taking • Use abbreviations • Skip spaces • Think before you write • Don’t write down everything

High School vs. College

Time Management

General Time Management Tips • Determine your most/least productive times of day. • Plan enough time to study. • Study at the same time and location each day. • Make use of your free time — read ahead, if possible. • Plan study periods after class periods. • Space study periods. • Plan for weekly reviews. • Leave some time unscheduled by allowing time for other activities. • Be flexible! A schedule is intended to free you from anxiety, not cause it!

Planning Schedules: Organizing Your Time • Long Term • Intermediate • Short Term

Overcoming Procrastination • Post your lists • Schedule down time • Reward yourself • Get started • Tell others

Active Listening

In Class Note Taking • Use abbreviations • Skip spaces • Think before you write • Listen for clues • Copy the board • Don’t write down everything • Take notes in every class every day • Ask if you don’t understand

The Cornell Method • Create a margin • Take notes • Edit your notes • Quiz yourself

Strategic Reading

SQ3R • Survey • Question • Read ( Systematically with checks/question marks, underlining, circling, numbering, etc.) • Recite • Repeat and Review

Why SQ3R? • Allows you to use time wisely • Eliminates the need to re-read • Creates a ready-made study guide • Provides a strategic way of reading

Systematic Studying

With Whom to Study? Studying Alone or in Groups

Forming Study Groups • Choose carefully • Be comfortable • Look for different learning styles • Limit your group • Start out slow

How to Study • Be Selective and Organize Information • Distribute Practice • Create Interest • Be Intentional • Create Background

Where to Study • Create a “study place”

Test Taking Strategies

Essay Test Tips 1. Do I really understand what the question asks me to do? 2. Does the first sentence of my answer repeat the question and forcefully show the reader how I will develop my answer? 3. Have I done preliminary planning of my major points? 4. Do major points stand out? 5. Are the major points supported with examples and facts? 6. Are there clear transitions between major points? 7. Would someone who had not taken this class be able to understand the concept discussed in the way I explained it? 8. Have I completely covered all major points needed to answer the question? 9. Did I stick to the question? 10. Have I concluded with a summary statement? 11. Did I proofread for misspelled words, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, subject/verb or pronoun/antecedent agreement errors, and other errors which might cause the reader not to understand what I have written? 12. Is my handwriting readable, and have I left enough space for comments or additions?

True False Test Tips • Absolute qualifiers usually make it false • General qualifiers sometimes make it true • Negative words and prefixes mean nothing • If partially false, it is false • If guessing, assume it is true • Questions with reasons tend to be false • Circle negative words

Multiple Choice Test Tips • Cross out incorrect answers • Read all possible responses • Choose “all of the above” (especially if you know at least one is correct)

General Test-Taking Skills Before the Test • Reduce test anxiety • Relax • Preview the test • Do a memory dump

General Test-Taking Skills During the Test • Read the directions • Answer the easy questions first • Go back to difficult questions • Follow your instincts • Answer ALL questions • Ask the instructor to explain ideas that are not clear • Try to answer questions from the instructor’s point of view • Use the margin to explain why you chose the answer • Circle key words in difficult questions • Express difficult questions in your own words • Use ALL the time allotted for the test

Reviewing Returned Tests — What to Do and Why Bother? • Check for errors in point calculations • Find out what you missed and why • Read the instructors comments (especially for essays) • Analyze the types of questions used • Determine from where the questions were derived • Correct and understand what you missed • Ask questions • Review

Closing Advice • Trapper Keepers Actually Make Sense • Kiss Up • Look Pretty • Get to Know Everyone • Being Boyfriend/Girlfriendless is O.K. • Be Cheap • Pick Favorites • Risk Looking Like a Geek