Nut's Academic Tip of the Week
 

Here we go...

Tip #1:

Get to know your professors -- talk to them -- either a formal meeting in their office or after class. In my experience, many professors assume you don't care, unless you prove otherwise.

Tip #2
 

When you are selecting your seat in the classroom, sit in the "T." (Anywhere on the front row or any seat down the middle ailse of the classroom.) Studies show the speaker will make eye contact with these areas most.

Great thread Nut!! Thanks for the tips.

Nut, your tips are on the money. I've used them and they've worked for me.

Thanks for the positive comments!
 

Tip #3

Go to class. An empty desk sends a powerful message. Plus, don't think you can rely on someone else's notes, you may not understand everything that they write down and you'll learn the best by taking your own notes.

Tip #4
 

Read the directions carefully before beginning a test. Briefly flip through the entire test first, and then start by answering the easier questions.

Tip #5
 

Utilize "free-time" during the day for study time.

I know everyone has a different schedule, but for me (when I was in school) I wasted a lot of time in the morning & afternoon -- between & after classes -- by just goofing off. Too often I would save homework for the evenings.

The library is usually not as busy during the day & you can get a great deal accomplished (and save your evenings for other things!)

Tip #6
 

While Taking the Test...

Keep your work neat -- write legibly -- print and/or write on every other line if necessary -- and use good grammar.

Studies show neat work tends to be graded higher.

(My personal pet peeve as a teacher were "bubble writers" -- those who would dot their "i"s with a circle! ARGH! Often they would use pepto pink pens -- which I also despise!)

Tip #7
 

Richard M. Felder of NC State & James E. Stice of UT-Austin give the following advice on test-taking:

STAY IN MOTION!!! Work on a problem until you get stuck. Think about it for a minute or two, and if nothing comes to you then drop it and go on to another problem. Don't spend 30 minutes sweating out an additional five points on a problem and run out of time, leaving a 40-point problem untouched. You may later have time to return to the first one and you're much more likely to think of how to do it then.

So true
 

As a undergrad, I had one of those huge classes (you know) where the attendance dwindled. I went because I thought the professor was funny. He told personal stories that related to what we were learning.
On a day that some of us came to class during a storm, he gave us extra credits.
During the final exam, a LOT of the questions referenced his personal stories (eg. "The lost toy bunny story is an example of _______")

Great advice!!

Tip #8
 

Writing the Paper

Remember that if a paper fails to communicate well, then its research--no matter how well done--will have little impact. There is an old piece of advice that says, "write like you speak." This is terrible advice, at least for formal papers. Good written communication is somewhat different from good spoken communication.

1. Watch your sentence structure. Students and scholars too often seem to assume that long, complex sentences are symbolic of profundity. They are not; they are mostly just cumbersome. Simple, subject-verb-object sentences are best. They are powerful. Still, if you do not vary them occasionally, numerous short sentences do not "read" well. So, after several simple sentences, add a longer one. But do not go too far the other way. Consider "Rourke's Rule of 2s": "Sentences more than two lines long or with more than two commas are probably too long to be understood easily, especially if there have been two in a row."

2. Rely on active tense, action verbs. Avoid the passive tense (No: "Politicians are disliked by many people." Yes: "Many people dislike politicians."). Similarly, action verbs (made, jumped, went) are better than verbs of being (is, are, were). In general, active/action verbs generate more interest.

3. Use standard English. Colloquial English typically does not make a good impression unless you are writing fiction. Obscenities and other forms of gutter English are almost never acceptable.

4. Avoid starting too many sentences with adverbial or adjectival clauses or phrases. These are the short phrases (such as "In the morning, we went...") that are often followed by a comma. Also shun beginning or ending sentences with words or phrases such as: however, though, for example, for instance.

5. Watch your paragraph length. Paragraphs over one page in length are usually too long. They may contain redundant statements or more than one major idea. Rework such paragraphs to delete unnecessary text or to separate ideas into additional paragraphs. At the other extreme, one-sentence paragraphs are not acceptable. Remember that each paragraph should have a topic sentence and several others that explain or develop that topic.

6. Rely on transitions between paragraphs. Conventions like "On the other hand," "Still," "Also," "Nevertheless," "Thus," "However," or "As a result" help the reader get from one thought to another. They smooth the reading process.

7. Avoid clichés. "They fought like cats and dogs over which policy to adopt." Ugh!

8. Get to the point. Do not beat around the bush; save a tree; avoid word pollution.




Copyright ©2003 The McGraw-Hill Companies

Nut, these tips are great. They're easy to incorporate and simple, unlike a lot of the more complicated study strategies you get as study tips. It's given me some ideas for things to do this year as VP Scholarship for our school's CPH! Thanks a million!

Re: Tip #8
 

I work as a tutor in my college's writing lab, and points 1 and 8 are the problems that we see most often. But as a science major... WATCH OUT FOR #2!!!!!!!! As part of my web project, I wrote a "How to Write a Lab Report" thing, and 98% of the science faculty wanted passive tense and no personal pronouns.

Overall, that was great advice. I'll have to pass that along to the coordinator.

Re: Re: Tip #8
 

DolphinChica, thanks for your comment -- I'm a history/English person, so I admit that I know very little about science. :)

Tip #9
 

Success is 99% sweat & 1% intelligence.

Re: Tip #9
 

What didn't you tell me this earlier, lets say about a year ago!

Tip #10
 

Rewrite your notes by hand

You have five senses, as we all know (well, except for Haley Joel Osment). The more senses you use while studying, the stronger the information gets stored into your brain. Think about it: do you remember something better if you just read it, or if you read it AND copy it?

For this reason, one of the best study tips is rewriting ALL of your notes by hand starting two weeks before the exam, and as you recopy, say the words out loud. This way, you're reinforcing the information on many levels: you're reading the notes, processing them to physically copy them down, speaking the words, and hearing yourself speak the words. With all of these paths going, it makes it much more likely that you'll remember the information.



www.soyouwanna.com

Tip #11
 

Preparing to Study...

Eliminate all distractions

• This would include TV, loud radio music, boom-boxes, etc.
• Clasical music played softly may be helpful
• Be aware of when you start to daydream - and stop right away

www.how-to-study.com

Tip #12
 

Tips for Taking Multiple Choice Tests

FIRST ANSWERS ARE USUALLY CORRECT

Don't speed through the items with the idea of going back to change answers you are unsure of. If you take time to think through each question, your initial answer will usually be the correct one. Although there are always exceptions to this rule, the best approach in most cases is to carefully answer each question the first time you go through the exam, and change only those answers that are clearly mistakes.

WHAT TO DO IF MORE THAN ONE ANSWER SEEMS CORRECT

If you're utterly stumped by a question, here are some strategies to help you narrow the field and select the correct answer:
Ask yourself whether the answer you're considering completely addresses the question. If the test answer is only partly true or is true only under certain narrow conditions, then it's probably not the right answer. If you have to make a significant assumption in order for the answer to be true, ask yourself whether this assumption is obvious enough that the instructor would expect everyone to make it. If not, dump the answer overboard.

If you think an item is a trick question, think again. Very few instructors would ever write a question intended to be deceptive. If you suspect that a question is a trick item, make sure you're not reading too much into the question, and try to avoid imagining detailed scenarios in which the answer could be true. In most cases, "trick questions" are only tricky because they're not taken at face value.

If, after your very best effort, you cannot choose between two alternatives, try vividly imagining each one as the correct answer. If you are like most people, you will often "feel" that one of the answers is wrong. Trust this feeling -- research suggests that feelings are frequently accessible even when recall is poor (e.g., we can still know how we feel about a person even if we can't remember the person's name). Although this tip is not infallible, many students find it useful.







http://www.socialpsychology.org/testtips.htm#taking

Re: Tip #11
 

Including GC? :D

I am so bad at that...

Re: Re: Tip #11
 

Surely it's okay if you stick mainly to the Academic boards! LOL

Nutbrnhair,

Thanks for the tips! I've finally convinced myself to sit in the "T" zone ;)

T Sitters Are Cool
 

Oh, that makes me so proud! :)

Re: Tip #12
 

any tips for taking Written Essays exams ?

Tip #13
 

Writing & answering the essay test:

Begin with a strong first sentence that states the main idea of your essay.
Continue this first paragraph by presenting key points
Develop your argument
· Begin each paragraph with a key point from the introduction
· Develop each point in a complete paragraph
· Use transitions, or enumerate, to connect your points
· Hold to your time allocation and organization
· Avoid very definite statements when possible; a qualified statement connotes a philosophic attitude, the mark of an educated person
· Qualify answers when in doubt. It is better to say "toward the end of the 19th century" than to say "in 1894" when you can't remember, whether it's 1884 or 1894. In many cases, the approximate time is all that is wanted; unfortunately 1894, though approximate, may be incorrect, and will usually be marked accordingly.

Summarize in your last paragraph

Restate your central idea and indicate why it is important.







http://www.mrsvowell.org/essaytest.htm

Re: Tip #13
 

Thank you so much.

Re: Tip #11
 

First of all - NutBrnHair - THANK YOU! These are awesome!


In my psychology class, we learnt that most people recall best in a situation most similar to how they learnt. This means, learning in a situation resembling a test situtation (as you list above) is good. People also recall best in the same emotion/physical state as they learnt.

Funny note: this also means that if you learn your material drunk, you will recall best if you write your test drunk.... :p

"The way I see it, you study high, take the test high, get high scores! Right? Riiiight"

Or not, but personally I've never tried it so I dunno.

I gotta go buy something for my exam tomorrow....bbl. :p

Establishing a Chapter Scholarship Program
 

Step-By-Step Guide to Establishing a Chapter’s Scholarship Program


Once you and the Executive Board and/or the Scholarship Team have determined your chapter’s scholarship strengths and needs, you can implement this step-by-step plan for effective scholarship programming.

1. If your chapter does not have a Scholarship Team, establish one to assist you with scholarship programming and in meeting the academic need of the chapter.
2. Utilize the support and expertise of your Advisors with all programming.
3. Facilitate a chapter’s goal setting session.
4. Create and provide scholarship incentives and resources for members.
5. Create and provide as many opportunities as possible to recognize the academic achievements of members.
6. Provide programs and resources that meet the needs of individual members, such as distributing handouts on time management or presenting study tips at each meeting.
7. Plan scholarship programs that encourage the entire chapter’s participation.
8. Evaluate your scholarship budget and look for ways to increase these funds if necessary.





"Academics Matter" 1997

Dang Gina! I don't know how I missed this! Great advice!

Can I post a tip?

Along with going to class, and meeting your prof, the last of the golden trillogy of being a good student is..... DOING YOUR HOMEWORK!

So simple, yet so hard!

Re: Tip #10
 

I always remembered it the first time . ..

We need more tips in this thread so feel free to post away.

Btw, I'm going to try to do a few things with this forum like make a page listing certain links to references for graduate school, law school, undergrad programs, etc. If you have any ideas or info that you would like to add just feel free to pm me.

-Blaine

Re: Tip #2
 

I realized this long ago, but another wonderful reason to sit exclusively in the front row, is to not have to see people's "backs & cracks" due to their low pants and short shirts.

Also, it is less distracting to not have people moving around in front of you, and you can easily see and hear.

Yay for back to school!!!

Yes! Need more tips!!! I just signed on to be an academic advisor. Or, what are some good websites to use as an academic-tip resource?

Study Tips
 

Great index for Dir of Scholarship to use:

http://www.utexas.edu/student/utlc/h...s/stutips.html

Re: Tip #6
 

Kinda picky, aren't you?

Re: So true
 

I had a similar experience: I was taking a class on "American English", and the professor kept talking about the etymology of various American words. I found it fascinating, and jotted down the info just for kicks. Well, guess what was on the test? All the trivia!! I got an A+ in that class, and I guarantee you, it was the only one I ever got!

These are wonderful, NutBrwnHair!! We had Study Buddies, and paired up on similar classes to hold each other accoutable.

Re: Re: Tip #10
 

I'm going to go with Nut on this one. I took three different languages, and the only way to remember which was which was the re-writing the lessons on a daily basis.