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Home  Contact (cc) Dept. of Student Engagement Faculty Recources General Resources Our Services Staff |
Current Students Division of Student Life For Students You are a student at Thiel College.
You are probably expecting classes, exams, papers, projects, meeting
new people, making new friends and having a good time. Eventually, you
expect to graduate. I hope that you will be prepared for graduate school
or the "real world". You know
that Thiel has an excellent academic reputation, and you expect
some hard work will be necessary to be successful here. As with most
college settings, social life is also an important aspect of your experience
and development. You probably also realize that partying can be a social
blessing and an academic curse. Thiel is an institution that will offer you such a wide range of academic and social opportunities that you won't have time to take advantage of all that is available. You will have to choose, and thus your experience here will be, largely, what you make of it. Some sound advice given by a former student was: "Get involved. Take advantage of the opportunities offered in and out of class. Opportunities to learn about you, other people, other interests, other ideas, and an expanded world are available. Take advantage of them." Beyond the classroom, you can expect to gain in day-to-day life skills. Doing your own laundry, grocery shopping, and day-to-day chores may seem mundane, but life can be miserable if you do not learn how to manage them. There will be complex and difficult tasks to master as well as the mundane ones. You will learn critical thinking, how to see more than one side of an issue, how to evaluate problems, and how to make and be responsible for your own decisions. Changes Leading to Independence Being on your own away from home is a big step. Parents, relatives and friends will not be so readily available. You will be doing a lot more for yourself. It does not mean, however, that you will not need other people to help you out, but you will find your relationships becoming mutual and interdependent. The people who cared about you at home do not suddenly just stop, but there will be adjustments to be made by both you and your folks. You may feel angry if your parents do not quickly and gracefully accept these changes in you. Try to be patient as both you and they adjust to the changes. Working with and negotiating these, changes with your parents will preserve the peace and make your change more enjoyable. Knowing when to seek help is a sign of maturity. If you learn to speak up when you have problems, you will find people and resources here to help you. For example, most professors are quite approachable and want to have contact and to assist you. Get better acquainted with the residence hall staff. They are skilled and are trained to help you. There are also a vast array of offices, programs, and people in The Division of Student Affairs who are dedicated to assisting you. Use them as well as CC educational seminars on adjustment issues. Changes That Help You Know Who You Are During your years here, you will learn much about yourself. You will experiment with the way you want to look and behave, and the characteristics of your personality you wish to emphasize. During this time of personal exploration, you may formulate a changed view of yourself. You will learn more about your interests and ways of integrating them with your career and life plans. It is also a time in which you will more fully develop your personal values and beliefs. Some of these may differ from those you have previously learned and may require you working out some understandings with those back home. Whatever the degree of change you choose and experience, you can be certain that the person you are now will not be the same at graduation. Thiel College has a diverse student population. Your roommate may have a different religious, ethnic or cultural background. You certainly will have classes with people whose life experiences have been very different from yours. You will be exposed to a wider range of personalities, beliefs, knowledge and ideas. These will aid you in gaining a greater appreciation for differences in people and thought. You may also become more aware of the role emotions play in your life; feelings may seem more intense than they have in the past. Some of your relationships will become more intimate. A major task of the undergraduate years is learning to manage your feelings and to express them appropriately. Again, this implies taking responsibility for controlling and accepting the consequences of your behavior. If you have any questions or difficulties adjusting
to college life at Thiel College, In an effort to help our students at Thiel College, both personally and academically, The Counseling Center (CC) and the Office of Student Life have acquired these articles for faculty and staff this year. Staff and faculty are in a unique position to have frequent interactions with students. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to be aware of students’ needs and concerns, as well as be alert to changes in their behavior that may signal the need for assistance. We hope that the following information will be useful for you in your work with Thiel College students this year. Recognizing
Students at Risk Counseling and Psychological Services Did you know that at college campuses throughout the United States …
Tips To Help Recognize Students In Distress If the student elicits a need for help... The student may elicit a need for counseling directly or indirectly. Direct requests for assistance are straightforward. Making a call to the support service that is indicated (i.e. Academic Support Center, The Counseling Center, and the Health Center) and having the student establish an appointment is frequently the most direct approach. Indirect requests for assistance may become apparent by missing classes, showing visible signs of distress such as tearfulness, sudden changes in performance, grades or appearance. In these situations, it may be helpful for the faculty/staff to step out of the role of evaluator and become a “concerned mentor.” It is important to recognize that some students may be uncomfortable with communicating vulnerability or emotional factors to their faculty, particularly students from another culture. In addition, it is generally helpful to follow-up with the student later to check-in with them and determine if they made contact with the support service. If the student exhibits unusual behaviors … The student who begins to act in an unusual or atypical fashion may be signaling the need for individual attention. The behaviors listed below might suggest a problem that would require assistance:
To prevent a misinterpretation or overreaction to the student's interaction or behavior, it may be useful to look for intense and/or multiple displays of what is described above, as opposed to single, isolated occurrences. If the student experiences traumatic events or significant stressors … The student may disclose to faculty and staff significant life events or stressors that result in incomplete work, low-test scores, or poor progress in the course. The illustrations listed below might suggest a potential referral to assist them in coping:
To help support the student during these difficult times, it may be useful to set aside regular “check-in” times, make accommodations/considerations, and/or assist in referrals to campus programs such as CC, the Academic Support Center, Campus Ministry, or the Health Center. If the student shows signs of substance abuse … The student may demonstrate behaviors that indicate excessive alcohol and/or drug use/abuse. First-year students are especially vulnerable to problems with substance abuse, due to a changing environment and freedom from the control of their caretakers. Remember, substance abuse is related to lower academic performance, a tendency to drop out of college, and high-risk behaviors. Therefore, it is important for us to be familiar with the behavioral characteristics of substance abuse that potentially affect our students' successful completion of their college careers.
When attempting to talk with a student about a personal or emotional situation, it is helpful to:
Alcohol and College Life Counseling and Psychological Services Many individuals operate under the assumption that drinking is a “rite of passage” into college life, where young adults are free from parental supervision for the first time in their lives and environmental and peer influences create an expectation that tolerates, approves and promotes the culture of drinking. However, the drinking style often seen on campuses throughout the United States is one of excess. Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., Director of Harvard School of Public Health made a powerful statement, “If you are a traditional college student and you drink, the odds are seven in 10 that you are a binge drinker.” Binge drinking has been defined as men who have five or more, or women who have four or more drinks in a row at least once within a two-week period. Both the short-term and long-term consequences of excessive drinking are more widespread and destructive than most people realize which can often result in serious injuries, assaults and other social, health, emotional and/or academic problems. At college campuses across the nation …
College students drink alcohol for various reasons. Some may feel pressured to drink at social gatherings, because others are drinking or they think it is the “cool” thing to do. Others may use alcohol as “an escape” from academic or social pressures, financial strain and/or relationship or family problems. Further, students may suffer from feelings of shyness, loneliness and low self-esteem, and they may use alcohol to try to compensate. What can faculty/staff do to address this issue?
While alcohol abuse is a serious problem that can affect students academically, personally and professionally, it is a treatable problem. The first goal is prevention, where efforts are made to increase student awareness of alcohol-related facts and problems, change false attitudes and beliefs and foster each student’s determination to avoid high-risk drinking so they will be better informed and make healthier decisions about drinking. However, prevention is not a sure method of combating this problem, as there will be students who will need more individualized attention. Faculty and staff can help assist these students toward a more positive path to college life by making referrals to the appropriate campus support services. For example, CC may be helpful for students, where they may be taught several ways to reduce their risk of heavy drinking, including managing stress, documenting alcohol consumption and exploring the impact of alcohol use on reaching personal and academic goals, or participating in motivational enhancement interventions provided by a CC counselor. Suicide and College Students Counseling and Psychological Services The opportunity to pursue a college education, enter adulthood with its added responsibilities and freedoms and participation in student life can be an exciting time. However, college students may experience a significant degree of stress as the result of these same developmental opportunities. Previous research has shown that college students report a higher rate of suicidal ideation than non-college students do; therefore, becoming knowledgeable about the topic of suicide is essential when working with college students. Over the past few decades, suicide has become the second leading cause of death on college campuses. The actual act of suicide is a complex behavior that is generally not a response to a single event but a series of events, feelings and thoughts that place an individual at risk for suicidal behavior. College students who are at risk for suicide appear to share a number of risk factors. Some of the more common risk factors associated with suicide includes depression, loneliness, stress and hopelessness. Therefore, it is important to provide mental health screenings and educational opportunities for college students as a suicide prevention intervention. As the result of the increasing psychological problems that students are exhibiting on campus nationally, the U.S. Senate recently passed a bill to provide grants to colleges and universities to establish or enhance mental health programs and suicide prevention efforts on campus. Some facts on suicide are as follows …
Who is at risk for suicidal thoughts and attempts on campus? Predicting whom, how and when someone will attempt suicide is an extremely difficult task. We do know that there are certain indicators that may suggest a higher risk of suicide. Some of these risk factors include … Pre-existing psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, history of abuse Symptoms of clinical depression such as feelings of despair, hopelessness and loneliness Students who develop significant adjustment or psychological difficulties Students experiencing significant guilt or shame A previous history of suicide attempts—a person with an attempt history is at 50 times greater risk Significant loss, such as a relationship breakup, academic dismissal, loss of status, or death of family member/friend
What are some red flags for suicide risk? At least 70-80 percent of all students who committed suicide gave some clue as to their intentions before they made an attempt. Becoming aware of these clues and the severity of the student’s problems can help prevent such a tragedy. If a student you know is going through a particularly stressful situation, such as difficulty maintaining a meaningful relationship, having consistent failure in meeting present goals, or even experiencing stress at having failed an important test, watch for other signs of crisis such as ...
Factors that appear to reduce suicide risk … Research has shown that there are certain factors that reduce suicide risk or serve as “protective factors.” These factors are comprised of environmental factors as well as internal factors that can benefit a student who is having difficulty coping with personal or academic difficulties. Staff and faculty can be extremely valuable in helping our student’s access external program supports through CC, Academic Support Services and Residence Life programs. By fostering support and reducing the stigma attached to help-seeking behaviors and psychological difficulties in your communication to a student, the student will be more receptive to external supports. About internal supports, some students arrive on campus with these protective factors and some will develop them through their educational and student life experiences on campus. Faculty and staff can make a difference through mentoring, knowing their students and/or encouraging socially isolated students to join a group or an organization. External and internal protective factors for suicide include …
How you can help as staff and faculty … If a student talks about suicide, a referral is necessary, especially if the conversation includes the details of how, when or where. Regardless of the circumstances or context, any clear reference to suicide, threat of suicide or attempt at suicide is extremely serious. To assess a student's suicidal comments as a bid for attention is extremely risky. A judgment about the seriousness and the possible lethality of a suicidal thought or gesture should not be made without consulting with the Counseling Center. In interacting with students, the goal should not be in reaching an accurate assessment or opinion regarding suicide potential. Rather, it should be in recognizing any symptoms that indicate the student is troubled, and directing the student to seek the appropriate professional care. Concerned listening is your greatest tool. It is important to listen to "cries for help" because they are usually desperate attempts to communicate to others the need to be understood and helped. It is frequently the severe inner pain and desire to end a pain that leads a suicidal student to a suicide attempt. UCLA suicide prevention experts have summarized the information to be conveyed to a person in crisis as follows: "The suicidal crisis is temporary. Unbearable pain can be survived. Help is available. You are not alone." In considering how to be, helpful to a student whom you feel may be suicidal … Honestly, express your concerns about the student’s actual behaviors as opposed to voicing your opinions. An example might be “You look very tired lately and I noticed you have been missing classes. Is everything alright?” Do not be afraid to ask the student regarding suicide. It will not increase the likelihood of them acting on it. Ask directly about suicide such as “It sounds like you have a lot of pressure going on with school and your personal life. Have you felt that life isn’t worth living or have you thought about harming yourself?” If suicidal thoughts are acknowledged or the answer is “yes,” it is important that you express your concern for the student and contact CC immediately (or security if this occurs after hours). Attempt to instill some hope in the student such as “Depression is real and common in college students and is very treatable with professional help. Let’s work together with CC counselor to help you feel better.” Minimize the stigma of seeking help with comments such as “I have worked a lot with CC and admire your effort to get some help” or “I have worked with many other students that experienced difficulty getting over a relationship who sought assistance.” Explore options that you and the student may consider by consulting with CC, such as: taking an incomplete; reducing credit load; working with Academic Support Services; or taking a medical leave of absence, if necessary. If risk is imminent, do not leave the student alone until assistance arrives. Remember that in the situation it is always better to overreact (in terms of proactive behaviors) rather than discounting or denying the issues. Try to avoid the following in interacting with the student...
Always remember to take care of yourself and to create an opportunity to discuss a crisis with a colleague or staff member at CC. Contact CC, Campus Security or the VP of Student Affairs if you have a concern regarding a student and suicide issues. In summary, be Watchful, Listen; Take it seriously and Get Help at All Times! Managing Disruptive Student Behavior on
Campus National trends have shown an increase in disrespectful, disruptive, and even violent student behavior on campuses, which interferes with the quality of student life. Thiel College is not an exception to these national trends, and the number of reported incidents of disrespectful and disruptive behavior has increased in recent years. Individual faculty and staff members are encouraged to provide a first-level response to problem student behavior unless they feel threatened or the behavior warrants attention that is more serious by the college. Therefore, it is important for us to be able to identify problem behaviors and determine the appropriate course of action. The primary goal should be to help prevent problems from initially occurring. However, if prevention fails, then faculty and staff should be prepared to identify, address, and attempt to resolve the problems. Furthermore, while the university environment is a place where the free exchange of ideas and concepts can take place in an atmosphere that allows for debate and disagreement, all classroom behavior and discourse should reflect the values of respect and civility. Both students and faculty/staff share the responsibility to maintain an appropriate learning environment that should reflect these values. What is disruptive behavior…? Frequent interference with the classroom environment
Behavior that can be misinterpreted as disruptive…
Some possible reasons for disruptive behavior…
Preventing problematic behavior…
Preventative measures are simple tools in which you are able to provide clear communication, as well as impress upon students the importance of respectful classroom behavior and their responsibility for making the classroom a meaningful and productive place. Being proactive and directly confronting disruptive behavior can enhance student learning. Addressing problematic behavior…
Classroom disruption by students constitutes a significant breach of the behavioral expectations at the university. You should respond directly to the problematic behaviors that are disruptive to the academic environment. Experience indicates that despite the common fear that responding to problem behaviors will escalate the behavior, the opposite is true. Concurrently, other students have expressed gratitude when faculty members respond quickly and effectively to problem behaviors. However, if you feel threatened, seek assistance immediately from other faculty and staff, campus security, and/or university personnel. Overall…
For Parents and FamilyWhat Can Parents Expect? By sending your child to college, you probably realize that their life is going to change. You may be asking yourself if they will be homesick, if they will make friends, if they will succeed academically, and if they will change or be different because of this experience. The truth is that their life will change and so will yours. There are many unknowns for you and your child at this time. Your child is moving from adolescence to adulthood, and this is/will be a challenging time for both of you. Some of your hopes and dreams may go unrealized, and others may be surpassed. The challenges that your son or daughter will face will help them to broaden their world of experience. To meet these challenges will be their "job" for the next few years. This information describes some of the changes you can expect. Your son or daughter will probably think, feel and act differently as they grow and change. They will seek to become more competent, independent, self-sufficient and socially skilled. They may not go about this in the most efficient manner or in a way that you totally understand, but with encouragement and support, the vast majority makes it through the process successfully. Changes Leading to Independence Although it may be difficult to see your child leave home, remember they are learning skills leading not only to a successful education and career, but also to a satisfying life. As students become more self-sufficient, their reliance on you will begin to change. They need the freedom to formulate personal goals and plans. Your ability to be flexible will be a steadying influence on their change. They need the courage to have trouble of new challenges with the knowledge that you will be there to help. As you begin to relinquish more and more of your control, your child will learn to help and be helped by others. It will be important for your child to know the security of their home is always there, and that a parent is still a parent even when encouraging and allowing more for independence. Changes That Help You to Know Who You Are As your child grows, a normal part of their development will be the experimentation with a variety of roles in an effort to establish their individuality. As a parent, you may find this to be both amusing and alarming. We hope it will comfort you to know that after experimenting with these various roles, the vast majority of young adults return to the values and beliefs learned at home. However, as the experimentation takes place, you will find it challenging to understand and support what is going on with your son or daughter. You can make a significant contribution to their growth by allowing the student the liberty to explore various alternatives and come to their own conclusions about things like academic major, career options, friends and other life style choices. You can also serve as a role model for openness to change while remaining constant with your personal values. It will also be important for you to realize that inevitably some of your child's choices will be less than perfect. Changes in Relationships Here at Thiel College, the student will meet people from different geographic locations as well as different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. They will be encouraged to appreciate the diversity among people. It will be important for parents to share in this process and encourage the exploration of our diverse world. As the student becomes more familiar with diversity, they will become more comfortable learning from interacting with different types of people. Thiel College offers a multicultural environment to promote the attainment of better communication skills and improved management of relationships with others. You become the beneficiary as your son or daughter becomes more mature, gains more wisdom, and is able to better live in our diverse world. Learning Disability Assessment: Consultative Services Individual counseling services are available for students concerned about issues relative to having a particular learning disability. We offer Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder screenings for those students concerned with this as a possible explanation for experienced underachievement. In addition to CC direct service role in meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities, CC also offers consultative services to college administration, faculty, and support personnel whose positions place them in contact with students whom they suspect may be disabled. At the request of these parties, CC will discuss options for working with these students and/or for referring these individuals for possible evaluation. For students who have identified learning disorders who may be in need of more specialized, comprehensive neuropsychological or psychiatric assessment, CC also acts as one source of information for referring those students to appropriate services. As part of CC’s consultation process and in part because of the need to use, the most up-to-date and relevant sources of diagnostic information, CC engage in applied and normative research activities. The results of these ongoing projects will be used to more fully understand the characteristics of learning problems and to develop means for earlier identification of problems before they become an absolute obstacle to student matriculation. Consultations to Parents and Confidentiality Consultations to concerned and/or interested parents via phone or in-person are available and welcome at CC. Parents are encouraged to call and discuss any concerns they may have regarding the well-being of their daughter or son with a CC counselor at 724-589-2754. It is important to understand that strict and complete confidentiality applies for all students who receive services at CC and who are 18 years old or older, and that no information will be released to anyone without the student's written consent. CC is not at liberty to confirm or deny that a student has visited CC, nor to disclose any information without a signed Release of Information form. What the CC counselor can provide is general consultation that is specific to your concerns, suggestions and recommendations on how best to enhance your student's well-being, as well as ways to encourage your student to visit CC when appropriate. Other on-campus services that are available to your student may be presented as complimentary sources of assistance. You know your student better than they know anyone, and you are most often the first place a distressed student will turn to for help. Please recommend CC as a resource to your daughter or son, and please do not hesitate to call the CC counselor if the need arises. Consultations and TrainingCC offers consultative services to college administration, faculty, and support personnel on request. Services include training in conducting programs and consultation regarding program development. Call 724-589-2754 for more information. Outreach Training: Consultative ServicesCC’s professional staff is available to train college students, faculty and staff in conducting their own programs and to consult with members of the college community regarding program development and resource materials. Outreach programming requests are made by contacting the CC at 724-589-2754 or by email to mmartin@thiel.edu. Thiel College faculty, staff, or student groups interested in arranging for presentations pertaining to suicide prevention should also contact the CC for further discussion. For more information, call 724-589-2754. Diversity: Consultative ServicesCC's professional staff is especially sensitive to issues of diversity and their impact on student adjustment, identity and growth. As such, we are committed to providing consultative services to help you or your organization explore and appreciate individual differences while valuing inclusion (similarities).
1. Who can use the Counseling Center, and
what does it cost? 2. How do I make an appointment? 3. What will happen at my first appointment? 4. What if I need to talk to someone sooner
than my scheduled appointment time? 5. What if I need to talk to someone when the
clinic is closed? 6. What is your policy on confidentiality? An exception to confidentiality would be a situation in which you were assessed to be a danger to yourself or others. In this situation, we have a legal obligation to inform the appropriate authorities. If you have any questions about this policy, please raise them with your counselor. 7. Is there a limit on how many sessions I am allowed at CC? If you have already attended counseling here during your college career, and feel that it would be helpful to talk to someone again, please feel free to call the CC and set up a "re-intake" appointment. Depending on your situation, you will either be given a referral to a counselor in the community, or be seen by a counselor. We will always see a student in an emergency, regardless of the number of previous sessions they have attended. 8. What if I am worried
about a friend or family member? ASAP assists students with improving academic performance through assessment, counseling and referral. ASAP addresses a range of study skills including time management, reading comprehension, test taking, and note taking. Regarding writing issues, the college provides writing tutors for undergraduates. ASAP helps students with issues of organization and style. However, we do not offer editing services. ASAP also provides assessment and coaching for ADD/ADHD and LD. ASAP is housed in the CC at 201 HMSC. Individual appointments can be made with a counselor by calling 724-589-2754. We are available Monday - Friday: 8:30am – 4:30pm. ASAP: Time Management "Filling days had never
really been a problem for Will . . . most things one could do in
a day took half an hour. Reading the paper, having a bath, tidying
the flat, watching Home and Away and Countdown,
doing a quick crossword on the toilet, eating breakfast and lunch,
going to the local shops . . . That was nine units of a twenty-unit
day (the evenings didn't count) filled by just the basic necessities.
In fact, he had reached a stage where he wondered how his friends
could juggle life and a job. Life took up so much time, so how could
one work and, say, takes a bath on the same day? He suspected that
one or two people he knew were making some pretty unsavory short
cuts." Time can slip away from us unnoticed when we do not actively plan to meet goals. This is particularly a problem for students in the fast-paced quarter system. The materials in this section will help you organize your time and reduce procrastination. Hitting the Ground Running If you are new to Thiel College, you will soon find that the quarter system moves quickly. Get yourself off to a good start with the following three step-scheduling plans to hit the ground running. First: Overview Your Quarter
Download ASAP Quarter Overview: pdf 2nd: Make a Weekly Task List
3rd: Make a Blueprint for the Week
Download ASAP Weekly Overview: pdf Organizing Yourself at Thiel College If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to complete, and if it seems impossible to complete your work in a timely manner, it can be enormously helpful to write a study plan. Here is how you do it. 1st: Develop a Task List
2nd: Make a Schedule in a Date Calendar or on a Weekly Blueprint, with Specific Plans to Tackle High Priority Tasks
Download ASAP Weekly Blueprint: pdf Smart Tips M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Timely T = Take a Break! I = Invigorate Yourself! P = Plan Your Study Space! S = Set Your Priorities!
Procrastination: Overcoming Procrastination and Writer's Block In studies conducted over several years, Dr. Boice, Professor of Psychology at SUNY, Stony Brook, found that the characteristic that marked new faculty at SUNY who moved through the tenure process without difficulty was their ability to work at a moderate but consistent pace. He found that all faculty who had difficulty making tenure had difficulties with "procrastination." Dr. Boice found that procrastinators work constantly, but put their time and effort into low priority tasks while high priority tasks wait. In addition, when procrastinators do work on high priority tasks, they work in binges. (Dr. Boice considers a work session lasting over ninety minutes to be a binge.) Moderate workers worked in thirty to ninety minute sessions, frequently getting their work done between other activities. Because of this work style, moderate workers accomplish more work over time because they do not face burnout. In addition, they spend far more time socializing, recreating and resting. New faculty who work at a moderate pace experience fewer difficulties with writer's block. Do you have the characteristics of a person who procrastinates?
Basic Principles for Working Effectively
Information on this page is from: Hints for Becoming a Successful Student at Thiel College
ASAP: Concentration and Memory "Memory depends very much on the perspicuity,
regularity and order of our thoughts. Many complain of the want
of memory, when the defect is in the judgment; and others, by grasping
at all, retain nothing" Students frequently express concern about their memory. They worry that it is not as good as another student's or that it has grown worse with age. While some students may have unusually good memories, we all have to work to retain information. Memory and recall degrades quickly. Consequently, it is helpful to build a process of reviewing into one's study habits. Long and Short Term Memory Memory degrades quickly. Psychologists estimate that we forget 80% what we have learned within 24 hours. To be able to recall new information later for, say, an exam, and a student must transfer new information from short-term to long-term memory. Several strategies can help.
The Power of Concentration From College Success: Study Strategies and Skills, Jean A. Reynolds, ©1996 by Allyn & Bacon, Boston. A, B, & C Study Time
Many students have been taught to manage their time inefficiently. They save intensive study for evenings when friends, roommates or family members are present, noise levels are high, and fatigue is building. Even if you are unusually alert at that time of day, you might not be able to concentrate on one subject for an extended period. Looking for smaller blocks of high quality study time throughout the day will keep you fresher and improve your memory. By identifying your time, and scheduling appropriate tasks for each one, you can increase your concentration and memory dramatically. Here is how it works. If you have a free hour between classes, label it "A" time and go to the library to work on high-concentration tasks, such as taking notes from your course texts or solving a problem set. Later, while you are waiting in the noisy student lounge, you can review your notes from class and write them as questions on flashcards, preview reading material or identify potential exam questions based on lecture notes - this is "B" time. In the evening, when you are feeling tired and restless, reread your course text or review your flashcards - this is "C" time. If your only independent time comes in the evening, do "A" tasks first and find a quiet place to study. Even though you are shortening your study time slightly, you are doubling or tripling your efficiency. In addition, a quiet walk or some reflection time is "A" time too. Although it cannot be used for reading, you are free for intensive thinking about the subject you are studying. Remember that your study area is also a factor in determining A, B, or C time. Choose quiet settings for high concentration "A" tasks. Noisier settings are suitable for "B" tasks - preview/review and process, and only "C" tasks - repetition and drill - should be done in loud areas. Sometimes you can also enrich your study time-even changing it from "C" time to "A" time - simply by eliminating noise and/or other distractions. ASAP: Reading Skills "For a long time, February had been a
hard month for me, dominated by fighting the blues and waiting
for spring to come. My first February in Oxford was a real zinger.
I fought it by reading, something I did a lot of at Oxford, with
no particular pattern except what my studies dictated. I read hundreds
of books. That month I read John Steinbeck's The Moon Is Down, partly because he had just
died and I wanted to remember him with something I had not read before.
I reread Willie Morris's North toward Home, because it helped
me to understand my roots and my 'better self.' I read Eldridge Cleaver's Soul
on Ice and pondered the meaning of soul." Like any skill, reading speed and comprehension can be improved. You simply need to learn a little bit about it and then work on it. Take a few tips from Clinton. Read quickly, and read frequently. Know why you are reading what you are reading. The following information will help you begin the process of improving your reading speed and comprehension. Selective Reading Even before you work on your reading speed, reduce your reading load by becoming a selective reader. There is nothing more frustrating as a student than carefully reading a text which never comes up in class, is never brought up by the professor, and is not an important addition to your own learning or academic plans. Read Efficiently by close reading only important texts. Ask yourself:
Read Selectively within texts
Overcome Fears that interfere with your good judgment including
Speed Reading Most of us could improve our reading speed by learning new skills and practicing. Many of us learned to read word by word in grade school, and we have never been taught to improve upon that method. When reading word by word, our eyes often skip back to a previous word or line. We might also fixate on a single word even after it has been read. These mechanical issues slow us down, and working to reduce these issues would in itself increase our reading speed. In addition to these mechanical difficulties, the average college reader, and most likely you, sound out each word as you are reading. If someone hooked electrodes up to your throat, you would find that you are sounding out each word. You are still virtually reading to yourself, just as you learned to do in grade school. This type of reading is referred to as "sub-vocalizing." It is the slowest form of reading. "Auditory reading" is faster. Auditory readers "hear" the words they read, but they do not sub-vocalize to themselves. "Visual reading" is the fastest. Visual readers do not "hear" what they are reading. They simply see a word and understand its meaning. Students often ask if it is possible to become a visual reading. The answer is "yes." Think of the phrase "University of Chicago." How often have you seen that? Have you had the experience of knowing what "University of Chicago" means before actually hearing it in your mind? Visual readers do not stop to hear the phrase or words. They are able to trust that they understand the meaning without the extra step. How much faster is auditory or visual reading than sub-vocalization? Does reading faster reduce comprehension? The Speed Reading Method Speed-reading offers, a simple skill that with time and practice can help the average college reader to double his/her reading speed. This method reduces skip back, fixation and increases the fixation zone. In addition, it will help you to reduce vocalization, or sounding out each word as you read. Prepare Yourself to Read
Practice Reading More Quickly
Note: You may use a finger rather than a pen. Your finger or pen should move under the words you are reading and guide your eyes along. In other words, the pen or finger should "push" your eyes, not the other way around. This will be uncomfortable at first, but you will quickly become accustomed to it. Survey: Look over the text. Think about the issues that the text will address. Question: Think of a question that interests you: this helps to boost your interest, focus and motivation. Developing interest is key to being motivate to recall what you have read. Read Read with a mission. Actively seek the information of importance. Read quickly rather than at a leisurely pace so that you do not bore yourself into inattention. Recite and Reflect: Stop and think. What have you read about? How does it connect to other materials you are reading or know about? Take a quick note or recite important points aloud. Connecting new information to old will vastly improve your recall of the new information. Review: Review your notes and text frequently but briefly. Short, frequent review sessions are a quick way to improve your recollection of new information. A quick way to build in review is to take your text to class and review the text and your previous notes in a few minutes as you wait for class to begin. Reading Effectively When setting out to read a text, it is important to set your own agenda. Think about how important the text is to you. You might determine this by deciding whether you will use the text for a paper or whether the professor might test on the text. You might learn well from text, or you might learn more from lecture. All of this factors in when you decide whether to read for the big picture, or for detail.
Information taken from How to Study by Arthur W. Kornhauser (University of Chicago Press)
These are ideas for over viewing a chapter in a textbook. Use some of these ideas, not all. In addition, spend only a few minutes pre-reading.
ASAP: Note Taking Taking notes on a lecture involves a complicated process. A student must listen to the lecture attentively, make decisions about what information is important, translate the information into his/her own language and then write it down. This process promotes active learning and critical thinking. Too often students lose the full benefit of a lecture by not taking notes or taking poor notes. One good method of note taking is the Cornell Method, developed by Dr. Sauk at Cornell University. The Cornell Method of Note Taking The Cornell method of taking notes offers a structure that encourages good note taking and builds in frequent, quick reviews that increase your comprehension and recall of material. This method of note taking will very likely improve your grades.
ASAP: Test Taking Being a good test taker is essential to being a successful student. In this section, you will find strategies for improving your performance on exams. These strategies have been pulled from research on students who test well. In addition, this section offers advice on managing test anxiety and provides a simple relaxation technique that can help reduce test anxiety. Test Taking Tips
Managing Test Anxiety Everyone becomes anxious before an exam. A certain amount of anxiety is a healthy thing and improves performance. However, when your anxiety interferes with your performance, it is time to do some soul searching and to confront the thought process that leads to excess anxiety. Here are some common pitfalls and solutions:
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