Description
And You Thought Getting into College Was Hard . . .
Students who assume they can figure out college on the fly often learn things the hard way—they look back and think, “If only I’d known this from the start!” College Rules! will save you the time and trouble, setting you up for academic success from the get-go. Lesson #1: College is different from high school, and even those who were at the top of their class will need practical advice on how to successfully transition to college life. This updated and expanded third edition of College Rules! reveals strategies that aren’t taught in lectures, including how to:
Study smarter—not harder
Plan a manageable course schedule
Master e-learning technologies
Interact effectively with profs
Become a research pro—at the library and online
Organize killer study groups
Feel engaged—even in “yawn” courses
Survive the stresses of exam week
Succeed even as an alternative or adult student
Set yourself up for stellar recommendations
Saving time, energy, and aggravation by doing everything right the first time will free you up for that pizza break, ultimate frisbee game, or ski trip even quicker. Why? Because College Rules!
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 You’re in the Big Time Now 7
Doing College • But What If I Wasn’t the World’s Greatest High School Student? • Six Ways College Differs from High School • Start Off Strong
Chapter 2 Where to Find the Help You Need 21
I Need Help! • Getting Hassle-Free Help
Chapter 3 A Few Words About Professors 30
Just What the Heck Do Professors Do? • I Have an Appointment with One of “Them”--Now What? • Hangin’ with Your Profs • What Do Your Profs Think about You?
Chapter 4 Zen and the Art of Course Selection 41
Racking Up the Credits: How Many Courses Should You Take? • Ommmm: Creating a Balance • Working with Your Advisor • Choosing Your Professors • Making a Plan • Withdrawal Symptoms • Know Thy GPA
Chapter 5 Major Decisions: Selecting a Field of Study 56
Help! I Don’t Know What I Want to Do When I Grow Up • So Many Choices! • Double (or Even Triple) Majors • Major Assistance Is Out There • Why Choosing a Major Choosing a Career
Chapter 6 Classes, Work, and Play: Adjusting to the Demands of College 69
Lots of Changes • Characteristics of Well-Rounded Students
Chapter 7 Timely Tips: The ABC(&D)s of Time Management 82
The Forty-Hour Mindset • The Alphabet Approach: The ABC(&D)s of Managing Your Life • The Advantages of Excelling at Time Management
Chapter 8 “I Think I Can, I Think I Can”: Getting and Staying Motivated 96
Setting Goals You Can Accomplish • Getting Motivated • And Staying Motivated • Reviving Your Motivation
Chapter 9 Igniting the Fire: Discovering Your Inner Learner 110
What Is Your Orientation? • Is Interest Really All It’s Cracked Up to Be? • Faking It • Who’s to Blame for Success and Failure? • Get Your Learning Groove Back
Chapter 10 Arrrrrrrgh! and Other Ways to Handle Stress 122
Good Stress/Bad Stress • What Causes College Stress? • Academic Stress • Nonacademic College Stress • What Does Stress Do to You? • Reducing Stress Levels
Chapter 11 What’s It All About? Understanding How You Learn 134
Profiles of Amazing Students • Learning Matters • How the Learning Thing REALLY Works
Chapter 12 Can You Believe That? 146
How Certain Are You? • Is It Really That Simple? • How Quick Should Learning Be? • Who’s in Charge? • Are You Math-Brained or English-Brained? • Transforming Your Beliefs
Chapter 13 Shhhhh . . . A Moment of Silence, Please: Concentrating While You Study 157
Creating a First-Rate Learning Environment • Getting Rid of Distractions • Six Ways to Improve Concentration
Chapter 14 Your Course Syllabus Is Your Friend 169
Anatomy of a Syllabus • What Can Your Syllabus Do for You?
Chapter 15 What’s Up, Doc? Understanding Your Prof’s Expectations 180
Why Bother Figuring Out the Tasks? • Figuring It Out • But What If You Still Don’t Get It? • Smart Strategy Selection
Chapter 16 Take Note! 192
Write On: Some Terrific Note-Taking Tips • Be Creative: Use the Split-Page Method of Note Taking • You’re Almost There: Self-Testing Using the Split-Page Method • Different Strokes for Different Folks: Modifying the Split-Page Method
Chapter 17 Words! Words! Words! 207
How Can I Be in College and Still Need to Learn New Words? • Building Your Vocabulary • Using Context • Using the Dictionary or Glossary • Using Word Structure • Knowing a Word
Chapter 18 Active Reading 219
Reading for Learning • Warming Up: Previewing Before You Read • Annotation: Text Messages for Active Reading • The Nuts and Bolts of Annotation • A Sample Annotation • Studying Your Annotations
Chapter 19 Three Rs and an M: Remembering What You Have Read and Heard 234
Reflecting: Thinking About Information • Rehearsing: Getting Information into Your Memory • Reviewing: Keeping Information in Memory • Monitoring Your Learning
Chapter 20 Studying Smarter 251
Being Flexible: Selecting and Modifying Strategies • Acting like Einstein: Studying in the Sciences • Beyond Freud and Mead: Studyingin the Social Sciences • The Art of the Dance: Studying in the Humanities • Parlez-Vous Français? Studying Foreign Languages • X + Y = What? Studying Mathematics
Chapter 21 Learning 2.0: Technology, College, and You 266
Tech to Expect • Reading on the Screen • Taking Notes on Your Laptop • To Help or Not to Help: Online Lecture Notes • Classrooms Without Walls • Exams Go High Tech • Are You a PC or a MAC? • Password Protect Yourself • If You Wouldn’t Put It on Your Resume, Don’t Post It Online • Keep It Clean
Chapter 22 Everything You Wanted to Know About Research and Presentations but Were Afraid to Ask 281
Finding Resources in the Library and on the Web • Forget the Five-Paragraph Essay • The Confusing World of Plagiarism • Creating First-Rate Presentations
Chapter 23 It’s More than Multiple Guess: Prepping for and Taking Objective Exams 296
Studying for Objective Exams • Tips for Taking Objective Exams • Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe . . . If You Have to Guess • An A+ for You: Evaluating Your Test Performance
Chapter 24 Bluebook Blues: Prepping for and Taking Essay Exams 309
Studying for Essay Exams • It’s All in the Way It’s Worded • Elements of a Good Essay • Put It in Writing
Chapter 25 Is That Your Final Answer? 322
Smart Exam Prep • A Word About Cramming • Surviving Midterms and Finals
Chapter 26 Just the FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions 331
One Final, Unsolicited Piece of Advice
About the Authors 336
Index 338
