Challenges for College Freshmen - Part 4 of 6

The fourth challenge, and one that I feel is very crucial, is self-discipline; just being able to manage yourself and everything you need and want to do.   At the beginning of the semester it will seem like you have endless hours to fill.  If you are taking 15 credits, that means you will be in class 15 hours a week.  That is far different from high school when you spent around 7 hours a day in school.    Those 15 hours will be spread out over five days, possibly with several hours between classes, and there will be no one there to tell you to get moving and go to class.   Several challenges present themselves:

• Actually going to all classes.  (Once you miss a class it is harder to return, and when you do you will feel uncomfortable because you do not know what happened last class.)
• Getting into a good study routine because there is no one telling you that you have to.
• Figuring out exactly what to study.  Professors may not give you an assignment for each class, but they are expecting that you are reading and learning the textbook and learning your notes as you go along.
• Turning off distractions – quit playing computer games, checking your various social media sites or watching endless episodes on Netflix.
• Asking for help when needed.
• Making good choices.

Some strategies include:

• Be sure to study the syllabus for each class.  You should be seeing textbook chapters that go along with the lectures.  You can also see when exams are scheduled so you are not surprised.
• Get into good study habits the first week.  Go to the Library after classes.  Plan exactly when you will study.  Make academics your priority!
• Start reading ahead in the textbook.   Review and learn notes after every class.
• Plan to attend all classes.  Don’t even consider the possibility of not going.
• Make sure that the friends you are meeting and the choices you are making will lead you to success, not in the other direction.

As the semester progresses and you accumulate lecture notes and start to prepare for exams you will be glad you are comfortably settled in good habits!

Next blog will deal with nutrition.  Colleges and universities are trying to attract students, and one way they do this is with a large variety of dining options, not all of which are healthy.

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

Challenges for College Freshmen - Part 3 of 6

Another major concern for freshmen, as confirmed by my grandson and all of my work with students on academic probation, is procrastination.  This is a difficult problem to tackle as it is totally up to the student to control.   

My probations students tell me they procrastinate because:

·       There is something better to do – more fun, more interesting, easier, etc.

·       The academic work seems overwhelming

·       They are distracted/tempted by friends, socializing, social media, etc.

·       They just don’t want to do the work

One thing that contributes to the procrastination is that you are making an immediate choice to either do something right now that is pleasurable or something that will contribute to your long-term success but is far in the future and maybe not pleasurable.

I do feel this is a difficult problem to fix, but things that have worked for my students are:

·       Start productive habits at the very beginning of the semester and don’t vary.  For example, go to the Library immediately after class to study or work on assignments.

·       Remember the Nike slogan, “Just do it.”  It will be uncomfortable the first few times you pass up a fun activity for studying, but eventually you will enjoy your success.

·       Before the intrinsic pleasure of doing well begins, reward yourself with something you enjoy AFTER you are done studying.

·       Break a large assignment down into small, doable parts and just do the first thing.

·       Unfortunately, if your friends only want you to party and are not interested in your success you might want to find new friends.  Friends should want what is best for you!

·       Review your major.  Maybe you are not interested in the material and need to find an area where you do want to learn.

·       Make a to-do list and enjoy crossing things off. 

·       Review your longer-term goals for the semester as well as when you graduate.  It seems helpful to write these down and post them where you are reminded of them every day. 

The next blog is one of my picks: self-discipline.   With all of the free time you will have and no one to tell you what to do, how will you be sure you are productive and doing what needs to be done? 

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies  and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the  upper right link.

Challenges for College Freshmen - Part 2 of 6

As a college student you will actually spend less time in the classroom than in high school but receive a greater amount of information.  Also you will often be expected to learn the information in the textbook on your own.  The responsibility for learning the information is entirely the student’s.

One challenge facing students, then, is exactly how to go about successfully learning the information.  When you are sitting down to study and learn, what should you be doing, how should you be interacting with the text (both the textbook and your lecture notes)?  Most of the students I have worked with on academic probation do not know how to learn – their basic strategy is rereading and then rereading again.

The keys to learning are to be actively processing the information and working with it in different ways, self-testing, repetition and then spacing the learning out over time.  (Sorry, but this eliminates ignoring the class during the semester and then pulling an all-nighter before the exam!)  Here is what I mean:

Actively processing the material (not just rereading):

• When reading your textbook, take notes either in the textbook margins or separate notes
• When studying lecture notes, highlight main topics
• Rewrite your notes or combine them with the textbook material for new notes
• Rework the information into a review chart, study cards, or some other format

Self-testing both as you are learning the material and after you fully understand it:

• As you are reading the textbook or your lecture notes, stop after each main topic and restate in your own words what you have read without looking at the information.  Check yourself and try again if not totally correct.  This is recitation.
• Once you have mastered the material continue to self-test – make study cards and go through them, create a quiz for yourself, continue to practice recitation with the material, cover up the information on your review chart and try to remember it.
• Form a study group and quiz each other.
• Use a computer app such as Quizlet and create various quizzes.

Another key is that you have to review the information many times.  Do not quit when you feel you have mastered it.

• Make study cards and use them several days every week. (Remember to use self-testing: read front, think about information on back, check yourself, go over any you miss until you know them, repeat tomorrow.)
• Learn notes after each class and then review the previous notes to see how the information all fits together.

The final piece is that you have to space your learning out over time – one session before the exam will not do it.  Your memory needs time to fully consolidate the information.  And it is important to forget and work to relearn the information later.  This speaks for itself.  Start learning after the first class and keep up your efforts throughout the semester.

The next blog will deal with a concern of my grandson’s and almost every college student – procrastination!

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.