Challenges for College Freshmen - Part 6 of 6

One major change in college compared to high school is the amount of reading you are expected to master.  You are expected to learn the information you are reading on your own, it often is not repeated in class. Multiple other blogs have addressed how to read and learn, but a brief overview is to:

1. Preview what you are reading.  Look at the entire selection and see what the topic is, how it is organized, and what help is offered in the book (learning objectives, bold print, definitions. Etc.)
2. Be an active reader.  Monitor your comprehension.   Stop periodically and restate in your own words what you just read.   Take margin notes or separate notes.  Look for the organization.  Be alert for signals from the author.
3. After you are done, take a few minutes to go back and review what you have read and your notes.

Another major change both in high school and college is the number of eBooks replacing paper books.  There several benefits (more portable and lower cost) and problems (harder to read and comprehend).  You will find a wide range of “friendliness” with eBooks.  In some cases, you will be able to see all the pages in the section while you are reading one page.  This is very helpful with seeing the big picture and how the information all fits together.  In other cases, you just see the page you are reading.  Some strategies you can use to successfully learn from eBooks and articles on-screen are:

• Preview entire selection so you see the overall organization even if you have to scroll the entire chapter before starting to read.
• Use the same active strategies as when reading print – monitor comprehension, restate information in your own words after each section, reread if not able to restate the information, etc.
• If you are having trouble retaining the information, take separate notes.
• Consider printing out some of the material and annotating.

At my institution the fall semester is about to begin. Next week I am teaching a one-week freshman orientation program.  One thing I share with students in the program is advice from upperclassmen who were on academic probation and what they learned about how to be successful in college.  I will also share this advice in the next blog.  Enjoy the end of summer!

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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 5 of 6

While you are at college, one concern is eating healthy and staying healthy.  The pool of available students is shrinking and colleges and universities are working to attract the best students through multiple venues including updating their dining options.  At my institution there are multiple choices including an all-you-can-eat buffet for every meal including unlimited desserts.  Many students find it very difficult to make healthy choices and also, in some cases, find time to eat between back-to-back classes.  It is hard to make eating a priority when there are so many other things vying for your time and attention.

The related issue is staying healthy.  Germs will spread through the dorms like crazy.  If you have been working at being healthy, chances are even if you catch a cold or the flu it will be mild and over quickly.  Remember to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer often!!!

Some ways you can eat nutritionally and stay healthy are:

·       Eat breakfast.  From grade school on we know it is hard to learn if you are hungry.

·       Go easy on the sweets!  Some are okay but not every day at every meal!

·       Be sure to eat fruits and vegetables every day.  Fresh fruit especially is handy to eat between classes so you are not too hungry.

·       Try to eat colorfully – red apples, green veggies, yellow bananas, orange carrots.

·       Keep healthy snacks in your room for a quick bite to keep your energy up.

·       Make plans to meet friends for a meal.  That is a great way to maintain friendships.

·       Start or maintain an exercise schedule.  I often see groups of friends walking to the gym or running together.

·       Make every effort to get enough sleep.   Try to maintain a regular schedule so your body recognizes when it is time to sleep and when it is not.  (It goes without saying that short, power naps are good; going back to bed for hours in the middle of the day is not!)

If you do find yourself getting sick, it is better to take a day to rest and get well quickly rather than push yourself and get sicker.  Email your professors so they know you are sick and not just skipping their class.  Make friends with people in your class who you think are the A students and ask to copy their notes.

The last blog in this series will deal with a big concern of mine – eBooks.   These present benefits (lower cost, less to carry) as well as challenges (comprehension and retention).

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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.