MyCollegeSuccessStory.com:
Empowering Academic, College, and Career Success
Academic Success Tools for Students
Here's a collection of free academic success and college-writing tools for college-bound and current college students -- to help you achieve greater academic success, better grades.
Want to Reprint? |
- Academic
Success in the New Year: Making and Keeping Resolutions -- a new year (or term) is perfect time to make changes
to negative behaviors that lower your grades. Find tips for making positive academic success resolutions.
- Advanced
Active Reading to Learn Key Concepts -- students can be more actively engaged in reading, enhancing learning of
key terms, by using techniques of questioning, outlining, and note-taking.
- Back to School/Back to
Campus: How to Make This Year YOUR Year! -- success in school provides a mental and emotional lift. Now is
perfect time to examine past educational experience, make plans to improve performance.
- College
Reading: How Much Effort and How Much Spending on Textbooks? -- college students are required to read much more,
at a more advanced level, than in high school, but professors don't all use readings in the same way.
- College
Reading: Making the Most of the Whole Textbook -- students will get more out of college reading by getting acquainted
with chapter resources in textbooks, including concepts, cases, sidebars, tables, and much more.
- College Reading:
Set Yourself Up for Success -- some key success tips for students as they set about upon their reading assignments,
including goal-setting, ideal setting, attention-span awareness.
- College
Study Do's and Don'ts: Tips for Thriving in College -- proven study skills tips for improving academic
performance in college.
- Common Writing
Errors and Vocabulary Mistakes in Essay Writing -- highlights common writing style and vocabulary usage errors.
- The Course Syllabus:
Know It, Love It, Understand It, Benefit From It -- explains the importance of the course syllabus,
your roadmap for each college course.
- "Dress" Your Writing
Assignment to Impress: How to "Package" Your Paper to Please Your Professor -- stresses the importance of
following each professor's guidelines for submitting papers.
- Effective
Note-Taking: Critical Note-Taking Do's and Don'ts -- a collection of critical tips to help you take better notes
and actively listen and learn in class.
- Eight
Ways to Improve Your Memory -- techniques for college students to help kick your reading and memory of your
reading into high gear, such as visualizing, flash cards, study guides.
- First-Year Success:
25 Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year -- high school success (or lack of it) doesn't
automatically apply to college, but here are 25 expert tips to help all students survive -- and thrive -- in college.
- A Five-Component
Plan for Writing a Research Paper -- suggestions for how to break down a research paper assignment into five components,
giving five different deadlines, and not waiting to last minute to finish the paper.
- Five Fundamental
Problems to Avoid in Your Research Papers -- avoiding these key problems will go a long way toward
improving your grades.
- The Five-Paragraph
Formula for College Writing -- insecure college writers can benefit from following a writing formula that can be
applied to many essays, papers; the basic building blocks of which are five paragraphs.
- Five Tips for Finishing
the Semester (Term) Strongly -- even with just a few weeks left in a semester, students can make strategic moves to
improve academic performance, raise grades, finish strongly.
- Five Tips for
Managing Multiple Deadlines -- five student recommended strategies for managing all your college projects
and deadlines, including obligations not directly related to the classroom.
- Four Student
Behaviors That Will Endear You to Professors -- want to make the grade as a student, make your professor happy? Do these four things:
attend all classes, sit toward the front of the classroom, participate in class, and meet deadlines.
- Going the Extra
Mile to Impress Your Professors -- going above and beyond the requirements of an assignment, doing more than
other students, is a great way to impress your professor and obtain better grades.
- High School Seniors:
Preparing for Your Next Step -- find seven tips for navigating all aspects of college applications and thriving in
your senior year -- and beyond.
- How to Develop a
Topic for Your Paper -- been assigned to write a research paper but don't know how to choose a topic?
Find tips and suggestions for developing a topic related to your interests.
- How to
Perform Well in Online Discussion Boards: 5 Tips -- a college professor provides key tips for how students can
succeed in online discussion boards/forums.
- How to
Succeed in College Assignments -- learn five critical tips for improving your performance on academic assignments.
- How to Write an
Abstract -- a short tutorial on writing student research paper abstracts, which are capsule
descriptions, thesis summaries, typically about 200-350 words in length.
- How's Your Word Usage?
Common Word Usage Errors That Students Should Avoid -- proper word usage is a mark of careful and sophisticated
writers, while incorrect word usage can result in lower grades. Here are tips for improving the word usage in your writing.
- Identifying,
Understanding, and Evaluating Research Sources -- a discussion of the major sources students use in developing and
writing research papers. Includes primary, secondary, tertiary; traditional and online.
- Improve Your
Writing With These 25 Words That are Sure to Impress Your Readers (and Your Professors) -- good writing skills
are one of easiest ways to improve your grades, and these 25 words will build your vocabulary and impress your professors.
- Introduction:
Tips for Writing the Most Important Part of the Essay -- find excellent suggestions for improving the introduction
of your essay to help keep your reader interested in your essay!
- Next Step After
High School? Some Alternatives to College -- college is not for everyone, at least not right after high school.
Here are some alternative choices for teens.
- The Power of
Outlining When Writing College Papers -- a review of the types of outlines you can use to improve
your writing (and the grades you receive on your college papers and other written assignments).
- Presentation
Skills Checklist -- a checklist of polished presentation behaviors that will knock the socks off your instructor
and classmates, helping you earn a good grade when you present.
- Punctuation and
Grammar Do's and Dont's: Avoiding Pesky Mechanical Errors that Hurt Your Writing Grades -- a collection of
do's and don'ts represent the most common grammar and punctuation issues in student papers.
- Quintessential
Study Skills Pledge -- taking this pledge will help empower you to greater academic success.
- A Seven-Step
Plan for Writing, Editing, and Revising Your Assignments -- Educators advise student writers to follow a
seven-step plan for producing high-quality writing: prewrite-write-edit-revise-edit-proofread-revise.
- Strategies for
Planning Writing Assignments -- if you fear or loathe writing assignments, this article will help you by
providing strategies for effectively tackling a typical college writing assignment.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Analytical/Sequential Learning Style -- an overview of analytic/sequential learners, who
prefer linear steps that logically follow each other and prefer working on projects in small chunks.
- A Student's
Brief Overview of Argumentative Essays -- tips for writing an argumentative essay. Writing effective argumentative
essay requires becoming a complete expert on the issue you're writing about.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Auditory Learning Style -- an overview of auditory learners, who prefer to absorb information
through their sense of hearing. They tend to be fond of speaking out loud and listening to themselves talk.
- A Student's
Brief Overview of Comparative Essays -- tips for writing comparative essays. Writing an effective comparative
essay involves pointing out similarities and/or differences in two or more works.
- A Student's
Brief Overview of Descriptive Essays -- tips for writing descriptive essays. Writing an effective descriptive
essay involves vivid details about a person, place, object, experience, or memory.
- A Student's
Brief Overview of Expository Writing -- learn about expository writing, the major umbrella term for most college
writing assignments, including descriptive, narrative, argumentative, and comparative essays.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Global Learning Style -- an overview of auditory learners, who prefer to absorb information through
their sense of hearing. They tend to be fond of speaking out loud and listening to themselves talk.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Kinesthetic/Tactile Learning Style -- an overview of kinesthetic/tactile learners, who prefer to
take in information through movement, manipulation, and touch, easily learning dance steps and athletic maneuvers.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of Narrative Essays -- tips for writing narrative essays. Writing an effective narrative essay involves
drawing the reader into the experience you are narrating, recreating it.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Research Paper -- college research paper guidelines. In preparing a research paper, students
need to showcase research on topic, adding analysis and assertions to thesis.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of Using Keywords to Search for Research Sources -- tips for keyword search. A major part of research
for college writing assignments is the keyword search, to find both library and Internet resources for your research papers.
- A Student's Brief
Overview of the Visual Learning Style -- an overview of visual learners, who prefer to take in information through
sight and like to learn through reading, diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, and pictures.
- A Student's Guide to
Making the Most of Your Time -- even if you've developed a system for managing your time, students can squeeze
out even more time-management efficiency using these simple techniques.
- Study Groups:
A Key to Success in College -- study groups are great places to get feedback from other students on study habits
and challenge one other to understand, memorize, and retain information.
- Study
Skills Assessment -- this free assessment examines a variety of academic
success and study skills topics to give you an idea of your abilities.
- Successful
Intelligence: Use Your Smarts to Solve Problems in School -- Successful Intelligence theory asserts that a person's
overall intelligence comprises three distinct elements -- a combination of analytical, creative, and practical thinking skills.
- Superb Sentences:
Building Blocks to A+ Writing Assignments -- your goal in writing is to artfully create sentences, ensuring smooth
transitions between sentences and paragraphs, while avoiding these common sentence pitfalls.
- Three Powerful
Tips to Improve Student Writing -- three tips beyond beyond grammar, writing mechanics, and professor preferences
-- straight from faculty who regularly assign writing projects to students.
- Time
Management Do's and Dont's: Conquering the Time-Management Monster -- time management may seem overwhelming, but
take comfort in the many students who have conquered it, sharing key time management tips -- do's and don'ts.
- 10
Negative Behaviors That Can Affect Your Grade -- here's a collection of the most offensive student behaviors that rile
professors and can seriously affect your grades.
- 10 Tips for
Academically Thriving in College -- includes strategies for not only surviving, but thriving in college.
Here are 10 tips to help college students succeed academically.
- 10 Tips for Avoiding
Plagiarism -- plagiarism is a serious offense in college, with penalties from failing assignment to being
expelled. Here are tips for students to avoid plagiarism.
- 10 Tips
for Better Test Preparation -- the most important thing you can do for success in college is developing good test-taking preparation
skills and habits. Use these 10 key test prep tips for better results.
- 10 Tips for Creating
Sharp PowerPoint/Slideshow Slides -- college professor explains 10 expert tips for creating sharp, simple, successful PowerPoint slides.
- 10 Tips for
Excellent Note-Taking -- improving academic performance starts with taking excellent notes.
Here are 10 tips for excellent note-taking.
- 10 Tips for
Finding Life Balance in College -- college is an exciting but extremely challenging time.
Use these 10 tips for coping, finding life balance in school.
- 10 Tips for
Getting Good (or Better) Grades -- a college professor offers his personal set of suggestions
that all students can use to get good (or better) grades in college.
- 10
Tips for Improving Your Grades and Achieving Academic Success -- a collection of 10 solid suggestions
that any student can use to improve grades and academic performance.
- 10
Tips for Proper Classroom Etiquette -- good manners and classroom etiquette should be common sense for most students.
Being courteous and polite will predispose professors to like and respect you.
- 10 Tips for
Time Management -- tackling procrastination, prioritizing, exercising discipline, developing a system, and reaping
rewards are key tips to taming the time-management beast.
- 10 Tips
for Working in Student Teams -- learning to work in teams is vital to academic and career and job success.
The key to successfully working in student teams is following these 10 tips.
- 10 Ways to
Build and Use Your Vocabulary -- college professors complain that student writing often lacks the sophistication
expected at college level. Learn proven techniques to build your vocabulary.
- Test-Taking
Do's and Don'ts: Key Tips for Academic Success -- reviewing these do's and don'ts will help you learn how to
best prepare and study for exams. You will perform better on tests and achieve the academic success you desire.
- Tips for
Class Presentations: A Baker's Dozen -- polishing your presentation skills is a great way to impress teachers.
Solid preparation and avoiding bad habits can result in terrific presentations.
- Tips for Polishing
Your Writing: A Baker's Dozen -- writing assignments need not produce anxiety, but you must be willing to
put in the time to edit and revise multiple times and enlist others' help.
- Top
College Stressors That Affect Academic Performance -- stress is inevitable in college, but not all
stress affects academics. Reviews the major sources of stress for students, and what to do about them.
- The Top
15 Writing Flaws That Can Lead to Lower Grades -- a review of the top 15 college student writing flaws that
can lead to lower grades, along with suggestions on how to fix them and improve your writing.
- Top
Online Tools for Students -- a review of five great online tools to make job of being a student a little bit
easier, to make completing those tough assignments every semester a little easier.
- Top 10
Key Words Used in Essay Exam Questions -- one way to improve your performance on essay exams is to
have a better understanding of what the professor is seeking by examining testing key words.
- Transition
Words and Phrases to Help Your Written Assignments Flow -- College papers often lack flow because students
have made little or no effort to connect paragraphs. Use this article to strengthen your transitions.
- Two Secrets to
Interacting Constructively with Professors -- make your professor your ally. Here are two student strategies
for interacting with your professors that should have a positive impact on your grade.
- Understand
What You Read Through Active Reading Techniques -- experts agree that active reading techniques result
in improved comprehension and retention. If you are not actively engaged in reading, you won't learn or retain as much
- Understanding
Academic Writing: How to Make Your Paper Sound Impressive -- improve your grades, reputation with your professor.
Learn how to make academic paper sound impressive by following these 12 keys to successful academic writing.
- Using Research
Sources Effectively -- an overview about using sources when writing research papers in college, including
issues of evaluating, using, and developing a system of organizing sources.
- Ways in
Which College is Different From High School -- understanding the key differences and learning how to bridge
the gap between high school and college should have a greater chance for success.
- What's Your Learning
Style -- and How Can You Make the Most of It? -- knowing your learning style is important because it deals with
how you manage information, how you prefer to study, and how you go about solving problems.
- When It's Time to Meet With Your Professor: 10 Do's and Don'ts for Office Visits -- some basic rules for when, why, and how you should visit with your professors during office hours or for a specific appointment.
See also... Get more information (definitions and links) on key academic terms by going to our College Success Glossary.
Other Academic Success Tools and Resources:
Other College-Related Articles (From Our Sister Site, QuintCareers.com):
Order your copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Study Skills, by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., and Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
|