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MyCollegeSuccessStory.com:
Academic Success Tools
Here's a collection of free academic success tools for
college-bound and current college students -- to help you
achieve greater academic success, better grades.
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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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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
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
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 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
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.
More tools coming!
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.
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