KEYS TO COLLEGE SUCCESS

1
KEYS TO COLLEGE SUCCESS

• Academic
• Advisement
• Room 3117

2
(No Transcript)
3
Keys to Your Success

• Increase your Knowledge of the College and its
  Services/Resources
• Learn to take Notes Effectively
• Use Study Strategies
• Learn Exam Strategies
• Learn how to Deal with Professors Tough Classes
• Stay Healthy

4
College Services Resources

• Attend the College Orientation session
• http//www.mdc.edu/prospective/orientationhandbook
  .pdf
• Check out the Colleges Webpage
• http//www.mdc.edu/main/
• Get a Campus Map
• Get an Academic Calendar/Planner

5
College Services Resources

• Check out the College Catalog
• http//www.mdc.edu/main/images/CollegeCatalog2006-
  2008_tcm6-1668.pdf
• Know the Students Rights Responsibilities
• http//www.mdc.edu/policy/student_rights_and_respo
  nsibilities.pdf

6
Learn to take Notes Effectively

• Take Clear ,Concise Notes
• Sit near to the front of the class
• Be a good Listener
• Ask questions
• Rewrite your own study notes with lecture notes
  into a single set of notes.

7
Use Study Strategies

• Time management
• Do not study for more than 2 hours at a time
• Try to study during daylight hours
• Prioritize, Learn to say no!
• Use memory strategies

8
Learn Exam Strategies

• Prepare
• Learn the exam format
• Review course outline, notes
• Review previous test
• Summarize highlights on single sheet

9
Objective Exams

• Scan the exam to determine types of questions
  asked.
• Always read follow directions!
• Determine the exams scoring rules and use them.
• If wrong answers are penalized, dont guess,
  unless you can reduce the choices to two.
• Answer easy question first.
• Mark difficult questions and return to them
  later.

10
True-False questions

• Pick out key words or group of words on which the
  truth of falsity of a statement hinges.
• If any clause in a statement is false, the
  statement is false.

11
Multiple-Choice questions

• Multiple-choice questions are essentially
  true-false questions arranged in groups.
• Usually only one alternative is totally correct.
• Eliminate obvious false choices.
• Of the remainder, pick the alternative that
  answers most fully all aspects of the question.

12
Essay questions

• Plan your time.
• Read through the entire exam first.
• Follow directions carefully and make sure to
  number the questions correctly.
• Pay attention to key words List, Describe,
  Compare Contrast and Outline.
• Your opening statement summarizes what you are
  going to say.
• What follows should support your opening
  statement.
• Your conclusion should show how your body text
  supported your opening statement.

13
Learn how to Deal with Professors Tough Classes

• See your professors during there office hours.
• Get feedback from other students on which
  professors to avoid.
• Make sure the professor knows your name.
• Problems with faculty should be handled honestly
  and clamly.

14
Stay Healthy

• Stay away from Fast foods and candy bars.
• Gallons of coffee and Sodas are not the way to
  survive finals.
• Sleep and Study in Small Shifts.
• Exercise often during exam weeks.
• Pasta, peanut butter, cereals, yogurt and fresh
  fruit will provide natural and sustained energy.
• Make time to relax.

15
TIPS FOR FRESHMAN I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME...

• Class attendance really does correlate with your
  grade. GO TO CLASS
• COMMUNICATION IS KEY- especially when dealing
  with professors and advisors.
• BE ON TIME TO CLASS. Walking in late distracts
  both the professor and other students

16

• DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP
• COLLEGE IS NOT A CONTEST. You don't have to
  compete with anyone else for your grade. Learn at
  your own pace and don't feel inferior if you
  don't understand something the first time around.
  
• SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR SURVIVAL. Make
  friends. Talk to everyone.

17

• READ WHAT YOU ARE GIVEN! Read your mail!
• Don't take policy advice from other students,
  check with offices on campus
• JOIN IN ALL THE ACTIVITIES YOU CAN.
• DON'T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE FACULTY AND STAFF.

18

• Get a copy of your school's code of ethics (
  honor code). A simple mistake could cost your
  degree.
• MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE, be a good listener,
  stick to your own convictions, and strive past
  your dreams.
• ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT IS CRITICAL! See your advisor
  on a regular basis to make sure you are on track
  with your academic program, courses, etc.
• PAY ATTENTION TO DEADLINES! If you miss one, it
  could cost you not just money, but grades as well
  (ex. drop/add, fee payment, course withdrawal).

19

• SAVE ALL COLLEGE PAPERWORK. You may need to
  defend a course selection when you apply for
  graduation or you may need to prove you dropped a
  class.
• SAVE EVERY GRADE REPORT. Computers have been
  known to lose grades, courses, credits, etc.
• Periodically ask for an unofficial copy of your
  transcript.
• BE SURE YOUR RECORDS MATCH THE REGISTRAR'S

20
Keys on Being a Successful Student

• Know the Course Syllabus
• Know the Grading System
• Know your Instructors
• Attend Class
• Do the Homework
• Be Organized
• Behave Like a College Student
• Honesty is the Best Policy
• Ask for Help
• Learning Takes Time

21
Know the Course Syllabus

• In each class, you will receive a syllabus for
  the course. The syllabus contains
• The teachers name and office hours
• Grading criteria for the class
• Dates for important assignments
• The attendance policy
• Required textbooks, the course outline, and more.
  
• Keep your syllabus and read it often throughout
  the semester.
• Keep other handouts that your teachers give you.

22
Know the Grading System

• Early in the semester, find the answers to these
  kinds of questions
• What factors will the teacher use to give me a
  final grade in this class? In other words, what
  grading criteria is used for this class?
• How much do quizzes and tests count toward my
  final grade? How many quizzes and tests will we
  have? What is the teachers policy for making up
  a test or quiz that I miss?
• How will homework affect my grade? What is the
  teachers policy on accepting late work?
• Does attendance count toward my grade?
• Is there an exit competency that I must meet in
  this class? In other words, do I have to get a
  grade of 2.5 or 3.0 in order to meet the
  prerequisite for another class I need to take?

23
Know your Instructors

• Your teachers name, phone number, and office
  location are on your class syllabus.
• During the semester, you may need to go to the
  Department of Language Skills to leave a homework
  assignment for your teacher. It is very difficult
  to get a message or an assignment to the right
  teacher if you do not know the name of your
  teacher.
• You must learn the names of your teachers.

• All teachers are required to have office hours
  every week. Check your teachers syllabus for
  the days and times he or she has office hours.
• You do not need an appointment to go to your
  teachers office at this time. This is a good
  time to ask questions and get further
  explanations of ideas discussed in class.

24
Attendance

• The instructor can drop you from the class if you
  miss more than four (4) class meetings in a
  4-credit class, or six (6) class meetings in a
  6-credit class.
• After the 6th week of the semester, the student
  may be dropped from class and receive a W as a
  grade if the student has been doing passing work.
  If the student has not been doing passing work,
  the student will receive a grade of 0.0.

• Your instructors expect you to attend all class
  sessions.
• Most instructors understand that emergencies
  sometimes happen if you have an emergency,
  please contact your instructor as soon as
  possible.
• You must complete assignments that you miss when
  you are absent. It is your responsibility to
  find out what the assignment was and do it!

25
Do the Homework

• Be sure you know how homework will be graded.
• Dont be afraid to ask your teacher if you do not
  understand how to do an assignment. Go to your
  teachers office hours, call, or send an e-mail.
• DO NOT do homework during class time!
• Do your own work. Do not copy homework from
  someone else. You will not learn by doing that!
• Plan to spend 1 to 2 hours doing homework or
  reading for a class for every hour you spend in
  the class. For example, you should plan to spend
  4 to 8 hours a week doing homework for a 4 credit
  class.
• You may need to work fewer hours at your job if
  you are taking two or three classes.

26
Be Organized

• Use a notebook with dividers and pockets. Keep
  notes for each class in a separate section of the
  notebook.
• Keep a list of all homework assignments that each
  teacher gives in each class.
• Have your homework ready to hand in at the
  beginning of class. Be sure your name, the date,
  and the class are at the top. Put it in the
  pocket of your folder.
• Talk to your teacher about ways to stay
  organized.
• Staying organized will help you be more
  successful in the class because you will not lose
  assignments or forget to do them.

27
Know What Kind of Behavior is Expected at
CollegeStudents are expected to behave in the
classroom in a way that promotes a good learning
environment. Your teacher may give you some
rules for classroom behavior with the syllabus.
Here are some general rules for behavior in the
classroom

• Arrive on time. Parking is very difficult at the
  beginning of the semester, so please give
  yourself enough time to find a parking space.
• Speak English in the classroom from the time you
  enter until you leave.
• Turn off your cell phone during class.

• Do not interrupt the teacher or other students
  while they are speaking. If you have something
  to say in a discussion, raise your hand and wait
  for the teacher to recognize you.
• Do not do homework during class time.
• Show respect for your teacher, yourself and other
  students by paying attention in class and
  participating in class discussions.

28
Honesty is the Best Policy

• Consequences for Cheating or Plagiarism include
  
• Receive a failing grade on the assignment, paper,
  quiz, or test.
• Receive a failing grade in the class and be
  withdrawn from the class.
• Be expelled.
• The consequences will be decided by your
  instructor, the department, and the College
  division.

• Students are expected to be honest in their work.
  Cheating is dishonest. Another word for this is
  plagiarism. The following behaviors are
  considered cheating
• Copying a classmates homework.
• Copying from a classmate during a test or quiz.
• Using answers for tests or quizzes that you have
  received from another student.
• Using papers written by another student, or
  downloading a paper from the internet, and
  turning it in as your own writing.

29
Understand that Learning Takes Time

• Hours of study and reading are necessary for
  faster learning.
• Making mistakes is a normal part of the learning
  process. Your teachers can help you to learn
  faster if you are honest about your own work. Do
  your best work, and learn from your mistakes!
• Be patient with yourself! Improving your English
  language skills takes time and practice. To make
  faster progress, speak English as much as
  possible during the day.
• If you start to feel discouraged, talk to your
  teacher, a tutor, or a counselor or advisor.
  Dont quit or give up!
• Stay motivated! Keep your goals in mind and
  steadily work toward them. You can do it!

30
Graduation is Success