College Success Strategies

In this module, we will learn all about textbooks - you will learn how to

Find out what textbooks and resources you will need for your classes

Use strategies to save money on these items

Textbooks can be a really big expense in college.  In this video, I will share strategies to save money on textbooks.

Instead of physical textbooks, sometimes, professors require e-texts.  This video will provide some extra tips for how to potentially save money on these items.

Not all college students are coming right from high school but many are. This module will help you prepare for the transition between high school and college.

For some students, college is the first time they are 100% in charge of their own schedule with no reminders from parents or guardians. That can be overwhelming! In this module, you will learn:

How to build a great schedule that allows you to have room for things that are important to you outside of school.

In this module, we will look at how to take a college class schedule and add other academic and personal priorities so you will be able to build a schedule that works for you.

What changes in college?

• Before college, parents, teachers, or other adults often have a bigger hand in helping you manage your schedule – but in college it is all you.

• Even if you were easily able to manage your own schedule in high school, the complexities of the college schedule – different classes on different days, meetings, clubs, homework, etc. will be different in college.

• In my experience as an advisor, students who do not do the MUST-DO organizational tasks always earn lower grades than they are capable of.

In this module, you will learn strategies to stay organized so you don’t lose track of assignments and responsibilities in college.

These “must-do” strategies are things that, in my experience personally and as an advisor, are essential to college success!

Now that you have some basic organizational strategies, these tips will help you take your organizational skills to the next level so you can maximize your potential in college!

Accomplish even more by making good use of confetti time.  What is confetti time?  Watch the video to find out!

Remember that schedule you created with the set times for studying and other times for fun? If you work hard while working during those study times, you will get your stuff done and then you can really enjoy your free time later. If you let your phone, friends, or other temptations derail your scheduled study time, you will always feel behind.

In this module, you will learn strategies to focus and be disciplined during your scheduled work times to reap the benefits later.

In this video, you will learn eight strategies to help you get your work done efficiently!

Just like you might have been taught way back in elementary school, it is a good idea to get things ready before you go to bed.

In this module, you’ll learn 6 things you can do before you go to bed to make your next day go more smoothly.

These tips will help you ensure that you can start each day off on the right foot by preparing the night before.

Time in class is valuable. That is what you are paying tuition for! Otherwise, you could just learn on your own…

In this module, we will learn some tips for getting the most out of being in class.

Where you sit in class can impact how well you are able to focus and learn.  This video will help you determine the best place for you so you can reach your potential in class.

In this video, you will learn some more things to keep in mind to help you get the most out of class time - the class time you are paying for!

Maybe you got a 4.0 – or higher – in high school…or maybe you got low grades in high school – that doesn’t mean you can expect the same grades in college.

In this module, you will learn:

1. Tips for approaching homework and for studying for tests.

2. Tips for managing test anxiety

Doing your homework helps YOU reinforce the content and should help your teacher teach you better.  In this video, we will look at ways to approach homework, including what to do if you don't understand how to do your homework.

Over the course of my five college degrees, I have studied for a lot of tests.  In this video, I will share my favorite and most successful tips for studying for tests.

Test anxiety impacts most students but if you experience severe test anxiety, it is important to get professional help from someone trained specifically in that area. The tips I am providing here are good for the type of anxiety that is common when people face a test situation and could help you feel less anxious and better able to do your personal best on tests.

The same practices that help with in-person tests can help here but in this video, I will provide some other helpful tips specific to online tests.

Large assignments are part of college, as you put together the things you are learning at a higher level. They can feel overwhelming, especially if you are not used to doing that type of work. In this module, you will learn

1. Best practices for approaching large assignments

2. How to navigate a typical large assignment – a research paper

This lecture is designed to help you develop a good mindset toward approaching large assignments.

In this lecture, we will go through how to break down the assignment of writing a research paper into small, manageable steps.  Follow along with the resource. 

Tip: Save the "Breaking Down a Research Paper" resource and modify it to help you complete your large assignments.