ESC-100 Notes on

Student Survival Skills



Part I. Study Habits

Who Needs Them?

You do! Students work with deadlines to assignments. No matter how much a student may like or dislike a subject or class, they must devote a certain amount time and energy to it by exam time and the end of the term. This work must be done regardless of parties, football games, friends and employment. We generally can't afford to work at our own speed. Being a good student is your job, and failure to maintain good study habits may result in your being dropped from school. Eating meals at "mealtime" is a habit. You don't think much about it, or worry about forgetting it - you just do it. If studying were like that, you would not have trouble meeting deadlines and being all prepared for exams. That's what a study habit is, and you can develop them if it is important enough to your future.

Why are you going to school in the first place, why are you here? Good grades? A good job later? Personal fulfillment? Acceptance into graduate school? Once you've decided to form a study habit, use your reasons as fuel to keep it together when your willpower weakens. The only way to form a study habit is to study, study, study in the face of temptations until it's as instinctive as eating lunch at noontime. With a reason to study - a goal to work for - to pull strength from, you can develop good study habits.



Techniques For Forming The Habit

If you don't have the strength to resist temptation, or if your goals aren't clear enough for you to draw strength from, you can use a reward system for studying. Make your interests work for you. For example:

3 hours of studying = 1 phone call

4 hours of studying = 1 hour of TV

5 hours of studying = 1 hamburger

8 hours of studying = 1 weekend movie

Use your imagination. As long as you're strict with yourself by taking only what you've earned, you'll be developing a study habit. Your family and friends also need to know of and be willing to accept your goals and help you achieve them. If they control reward systems (car, TV, leisure funds, etc.), agreements should be made with them that reinforce your efforts to develop good study habits.



Part II. How To Study

Most of the things you'll learn in life won't come from books or the classroom. You're getting older and learning to be more responsible to yourself, and this responsibility gives you the chance to learn about yourself, the world, and your place in the world. No one expects you to sleep with your books or to blindly accept a professor's views. If youl take the time to learn from every available source that attracts you, you will sit down to study being confident, and feeling good.



Where To Study

The experts agree on some specific conditions that aid students in studying more effectively. These are:

1) Study in the same place all the time; you'll learn to associate that place with working: walk in, and you'll feel like it's time to get down to some serious business.

2) The room temperature should be between 65 and 70 degrees.

3) There should be good air circulation.

4) Of course, good lighting is necessary.

5) Sit upright (don't lie down on a couch); if you're too relaxed, you mind will be too slow.

6) Keep your desktop clear of materials that you aren't using at the moment. They'll distract you.

7) People walking around and talking will get in the way of your concentration.

8) Experts disagree about whether you may play music or not while studying, so your guess is as good as theirs.



Schedules For Study

You get more out of a lecture, lab, or discussion when you've done the reading and other assignments before the class meets. Scheduling your time, and following your schedule, ensures this. Use a strict schedule when the work is piled-up; use a less rigid one when there's not so much to do, but use a schedule whatever your situation is. Otherwise, you'll be cramming and losing sleep around exam time.

Don't kid yourself. Even in the unlikely event that you schedule a 10-12 hour study day, the odds are you won't follow through - and you shouldn't. The body isn't built that way. Studying is hard work. Your eyes and mind become tired and you become inefficient. If you are in a bind and must cram for days at a time, it generally means that you have put things off too long.



How Much Time Is Needed?

College course work is based on an old format of 2 hours of outside work for each class hour for lecture/discursion courses. In laboratory courses each hour of class may generate different hours of homework. Using this guideline, a 3 course load results in about 45 hour work week for the average student. Homework can range from 15 to 30 (1/3 - 2/3) hours of that load. It is really up to you to determine what the real load for any term will be for you and plan accordingly.

Scheduling study time begins with the selection of the class schedule. A schedule that permits study time immediately prior to and following a class is the most efficient. In such a schedule, the class work reinforces the reading and the homework reinforces the class discussion. Studies show that most of what is forgotten is lost from memory in the first 24 to 48 hours after exposure.

When you sit down to study, have a set amount of work to do in that sitting. Then you can gage yourself as you work, know approximately when you'll be free, and determine how long you can break for. Don't plan on doing more than 2-3 hours of work at one sitting. You'll do more efficient studying if you let your mind rest occasionally with peace and quiet between study periods. If you can't afford the time to take a break, at least mix-up the order of the subjects you study and the type of work you do so that you won't be doing the same type of work for too long.

Plan on using most of your free time in between a day's classes to do some form of studying. Your best investment would be to review notes from that day's classes already attended (time to think about the material instead of writing notes), and to review past classnotes from those classes yet to come (to be oriented for effective listening and understanding during the upcoming classes).



Making It All Meaningful

When the year begins, make sure that the professors give good pictures of what their courses will be about (you may have to ask questions to get the picture). Understanding this will help fit the bits of information presented in the course into large, more meaningful pictures. If material means something to you, you'll learn and enjoy it more easily.



Self-Testing Techniques

1) Make up illustrations on the material you've studied. Think of examples from your experiences that show you understand a concept. If you truly understand it, this sill be no problem. And your own examples are easier to remember at exam time.

2) While reviewing for an exam, talk to someone (or yourself) about the topic you've been studying. Study sessions with friends are fine. If you can make clear arguments and explanations, and intellectually discuss the topic, you're in good shape. In study sessions you'll pick up some stray information you might have missed, along with new approaches to the topic. Also, other people may be able to catch you in mistakes before you thoroughly learn those mistakes as facts. Get together with other students taking your course: it's relaxing to know that there are other people in your position.

3) When you study some courses such as languages, flash cards are helpful. Don't buy pre-printed ones: use file cards to make your own. A foreign word on one side and its English translation on the other side, an equation on one side and a list of its applications on the other side; flash cards give you the opportunity to drill yourself repeatedly, memorizing in the way that some course work demands.

4) Write a brief outline of a chapter or lecture, and see how well you can fill in some key words, concepts and examples that relate to your outlined headings. This presents the topic as a large picture, and you try to put the pieces of the picture in their proper places.



Part III. Taking Class Notes

Note-Taking

In most classes, especially lectures, some of the information that is given won't be found in your textbook. Therefore, it's your responsibility to record that information for future reference and study. Use abbreviations, initials, short phrases and other symbols to represent important ideas that seem worth remembering, or that may pop-up on an exam. Time is better spent listening to the lecture than on writing long, neat, grammatically correct sentences. People who write elaborate notes often miss other important information presented in class because they were to busy writing or searching for dangling participles. Careful listening is a most important skill.

Relate the lecture material to the reading material. When the text and the lecturer disagree, ask questions so that you understand the disagreement and can prepare a strategy for handling that subject in future assignments or exams .



Assembling The Pieces

While the class is still fresh in your mind (preferably the same day as the class), you may want to re-write your notes. This not only serves as a review of the material, but it also is an opportunity to elaborate on the details you've recorded. Now write complete sentences that follow logical trains of thought. Include any diagrams or graphs that may help you to better understand the material. Also include examples, illustrations, and practical implications (those given in class you your own) which may make the subject matter clearer and more meaningful to you. Material that is personally meaningful is easily understood and remembered later. Use your own words when rewriting the notes, but be careful not to distort the original meanings while doing so.



Your Notebook

Your rewritten notes from a class can be kept in a single notebook so that they'll be handy for review and reference. If you miss a class, leave a few blank pages so that you can later fill in the material in its proper sequence. You can get missing notes from a classmate or your professor.



Using Your Notes

The best notes aren't any good unless you use them:

1) Review each day's notes the same day that you take them: keep them fresh in your mind.

2) Before each class, while you sit and wait, review the notes from that class's previous meeting to orient you for the upcoming class: then you'll take more relevant notes.

3) Do a weekly review of each week's notes at the end of that week, along with a review of that week's text readings.

4) Periodically, and a few days before an exam, review your notes for that exam, along with the text readings.

All this may sound like a lot of reviewing, a lot of time and a lot of work. But, compared to all of the last-minute cramming and sweating you'd otherwise be doing, it's not really so bad.



Part IV. Reading Skills

Reading is the most important learning skill one can acquire for success and enjoyment throughout life. It is an integral part of our personal and working lives. Consider how much time everyday is spent reading newspapers, letters, books, menus, directions or signs. Eighty-five per cent of college work, for example, involves reading. The better you read, the more you will succeed in study or work and enjoy the time you spend with books.

Reading is basically the understanding of words and the association between them. To improve your reading skills you must increase your ability to see and understand the grouping of words, or ideas, at a speed and in a manner that is comfortable for you. To be a good reader, concentrate on what you are doing and learn to use your eyes to the best of your ability. Move them at a rate that allows your brain to absorb the main ideas printed on a page. Bad readers are usually distracted and read each word without grasping the relationship between them. This causes them to retrace or reread the material.

Most people do not perfect their reading after the fifth grade. High school or college students are often bad readers. They overlook the need to continually use and improve good reading habits. Remember your eyes, like fingers for the piano or legs for skiing, must be trained to be skillful.

If you would like to improve your reading skills these seven steps can help:

1) Evaluate your reading habits.

2) Provide the right atmosphere.

3) Use your eyes efficiently.

4) Continue to broaden your vocabulary.

5) Adapt your speed so you understand the material.

6) Practice on a regular basis.

7) Enrich your life with good books.



Evaluate Your Reading Habits

Analyze your present reading habits so that you know where to improve your skills:



Do you use your lips, throat or You are still using the

mind to vocalize" words? childhood habit of sounding out

each word. This slows you down.



Do strange words constantly stop Your vocab. needs improving.

your progress?



Do you read every single word? You should span

phrases or thought units

instead of individual words.



Do you go back over what you have You are not paying attention.

read? Concentration means good comprehension.



Do you always read at the same Speed should vary depend on the

speed? material and your purpose for

reading, e.g., fiction, news papers, textbooks.



Has your reading speed and compre- Skillful reading is an art and

hension remained static for a number needs continual practice. The more

of years? you read, the more you will enjoy and remember.



Provide The Right Atmosphere

Your approach to reading, whether it is for pleasure, information or study, will influence your ability to do it well. Learn to enjoy it in an atmosphere conducive to reading.

Choose an area where you can read with a minimus of interruption. This should include proper light, a pencil for marking highlights in books or taking notes and a dictionary near at hand.

Location and posture can influence your attitude. Sitting up in a good chair will make you more alert. Reading in bed is usually not the place to concentrate since it is an area associated with relaxation and sleep.

Average readers should hold a book about fifteen inches away from their eyes. It should be held on a slant for optimum viewing.

The sounds of radio, television or music are distracting. You can understand and remember better when your full attention is given to the process of reading.



Use Your Eyes Efficiently

It is the eyes that see printed words and transmit them to the brain. Understand how they work and give them the opportunity to perform well. Eyes perceive words only when they stop moving or make what is called a "fixation." It is during this pause that the brain records what the eyes have seen. Depending upon your "eye span" you will perceive one, two or more words in each fixation. The average college student, for example, has a span of 1.l words and makes 4 fixations per second.

Vocalizing words impedes reading progress. Poor readers are inclined to whisper, use their lips, enunciate silently in their throat or visualize the words in their minds. If you have any of these bad habits, they should be broken because they slow down understanding. Learn to move your eyes continually forward at a pace that allows your brain to understand the meaning of the printed matter.

Train your eyes to increase their span by taking in more than one word at a time. You can make your eyes fix on related words, phrases, or short lines in one brief stop. This sentence, for example, should be read in five fixations: "The cost of oil has risen/because of limited national resources and increased imports."

Don't allow your eyes to go back over words. Think about what you are seeing and keep going at a speed that is fast enough to remember at the end what you read at the beginning. Faster reading, with no retracing, helps comprehension. This does not, of course, mean you cannot review what you have just read.

Many people need glasses to read well. Blurred words, continual eye fatigue or itching and stinging eyes might mean you need glasses. If you think your eyes need correction, have them examined by an eye doctor. If glasses are prescribed, do not hesitate to buy and wear them.



Continue To Broaden Your Vocabulary

The person with a good grasp of words is usually a good reader and a good student. Words are the basis of human communication and enable people to convey their thoughts and emotions to each others This is why the first word uttered by a child generates such soy and pride in the parent.

Your vocabulary should grow as you mature. At every grade level and stage of life, it is necessary to increase the number and understanding of words. Get to know their structure, that they are composed of roots, prefixes and suffixes, each with its own meaning.

Knowing the origin of words helps in understanding new ones. Most English words derive from Latin or Greek. This is why some knowledge of these languages is helpful. If you know the derivation of a word's parts then you will be able to analyze its meaning, e.g. biography, a written account of a person's life, comes from two Greek words: bios meaning life and graphin meaning write.

Always have a dictionary nearby whether you are reading for pleasure or for work. When you are reading textbooks or technical books, familiarize yourself with the glossary that is sometimes printed in the back to define special words. Use it whenever necessary.

Maintain a list of new words you see or hear. Be on the lookout for ones you don't know. Jot them down, look them up, and then make a point of using them in writing or speaking at least twice as soon as you can. At the end of a month review your list and see if you remember their meanings and how to use them.



Adapt Your Speed So You Understand The Material

A good reader must learn to balance speed with accuracy. Don't expect to read everything at the same rate. Like a well-tuned car, your eyes must adapt to the terrain. Above all, you must understand and remember what you are reading.

Read with a purpose, be aware of what you are reading and why. Your speed should be adjusted to the type of material. Don't expect to whiz through a chapter of biology or calculus at the same rate as a chapter of a novel.

Scanning material first can be helpful in nearly all types of reading. Get in the habit of surveying headlines, chapter headings and subheads first Look for the main ideas. Next you will want to know the important details that support them. Read carefully the first and last paragraphs which should state the most important facts and conclusions. You should read the straight material in between at a faster rate that allows you to understand the matter in as much depth as you want. Just remember to keep your eyes moving forward.

If you are reading for enjoyment you can skim more easily over the lines, paragraphs and pages. It is not important that you take in every word or sentence in depth. As in most writing, each paragraph usually has one main ideas supported by details in which you may or may not be interested. Try to span as many words as possible with a continuous rhythm of eye movements or fixations.

When you read a newspaper or magazine, or non-fiction, you want to grasp the highlights and some details. This kind of reading is for general information. It differs from your leisure reading because the material is more serious, not as light or as easy to comprehend as fiction. But it still sight not be necessary to take in every word or every sentence completely.

Studying requires close reading because you still need to remember more details to support the main ideas. Read each chapter for the important concepts and as many details as necessary to comprehend the material. Underline major points and make margin notes to highlight your observations. After you have finished reading, question yourself, review the summary if there is one, and then look back to see if you have understood the material.

Graphic material can help reading comprehension. Do not overlook the importance of tables, maps, graphs, drawings and photographs which are included to reinforce your understanding of the text.



Part V. Get the Most Out of Your Textbooks

A textbook, properly used, is invaluable to you in any course. It adds to the knowledge you gain in class as well as prepares you for successful classroom work. It can and should serve as a permanent resource book after the course itself has been completed. The following steps have proved to be very helpful in using textbooks, and they can se applied to any assignment.

What is the meaning of the title of the chapter, what are the meanings of the headings and subheadings, what do the important words mean in their context, what do the tables, diagrams or graphs try to demonstrate, what do the concluding remarks mean?

If it is literature you are reading, what is the meaning of the title, from what point of view is the author writing, what is the setting, the historical period, the tone, mood and style? Is symbolism being used to convey a message?

Why did the author choose to develop ideas in this particular order; why did he/she spend so much time on certain points?

How would you rate the effectiveness of the author's style of presentation? Does she/he use humor, exaggeration, irony, satire? Are many examples used? Are the graphs and pictures appropriate and easy to understand?

For whom is the author writing? Ifhe/sheis writing a history text, ishe/shetrying to influence the reader's point of view? Ifhe/sheis dealing with psychology, doeshe/shebelong to a special school of thought and does this attitude shape his ideas?

When was the book written? Have new developments rendered the author's opinion out of date?

Ask questions in class. Bring specific inquiries raised by your reading to class and pose them to the professor and to other students. Make certain you are an active participant and that your reading plays an active part in your classroom work.



Underline And Take Notes

Mark your text freely and underline key statements. Bracket key phrases and put light check marks around significant points. After you have read a few paragraphs, return to your markings and underline the phrases and sentences that seem most important. Be careful to select only the main ideas. If you underline well, you will have a clear picture of the most important material when you review.

Writing in the margins can also be helpful. Challenge the author directly in the margins of the text. Ask questions, disagree, change statements, rephrase concepts in your own language. By actively engaging the author's ideas, you will read more alertly and remember what you have read.

Note taking is an individual matter and each student will have to decide what the best technique is for him/her self. There is no question that to make learning active and to retain what you have read, you must take notes. These notes will be very useful at a later time, reminding you of your immediate reaction to specific passage in the textbook and reviving information you have forgotten.

A journal or reading log can be useful. After you have read a section or a chapter, record your thoughts so you will have a personal and active encounter with the textbook. You may want to keep an informal reading log, Jotting down perceptions or expressing yourself creatively. You may want to be more formal and summarize whole chapters in a brief paragraph. In any event, the transfer of your thoughts to paper will be of great help in reviewing and in writing essays or term papers later on.

Study guides, outlines and supplements which accompany many texts are extremely helpful. These guides often give synopses of the material and raise provocative questions that make you see far more deeply into the textbook itself. Use the best study guides and supplements available and refer to them as you read. Return to them when you review for an exam.

Text supplements that are mentioned in the author's suggested additional readings or bibliography should be consulted. Often a point that seems obscure in your text can be clarified by a special study of the subject.



Part VI. How To Prepare For Examinations

The key to both success and enjoyment in college lies in your ability to use time wisely. In order to have fun while getting the most of these years, you need to establish a pattern of good study habits and skills. Such habits and skills will help you get the necessary work done as the months and years go by, and you will handle exams with a minimum of stress and a maximum of achievement.

Authorities in education generally agree that successful preparation for an examination starts in the beginning of each term and continues throughout. Six overall steps are suggested:

1) Make a term study plan.

2) Use good review techniques.

3) Develop a confident attitude.

4) Organize pre-exam hours.

5) Pace the exam carefully.

6) Reassess your grades and work.



Use Good Review Techniques

If you have applied yourself during the term then preparing for exams is largely a question of review. The time needed is not as extensive as some students think provided you have been working consistently. Review for weekly quizzes should take no more than 30 minutes, a mid-term hour exam 3 or 4 hours, and a final examination 6 to 8 hours.

Your preparation for a final exam should be carefully scheduled into the week prior to exam day. Organize a schedule that does not interfere with your regular study for on-going classes. Beware of racing your motor. Make sure you still allow time for rest and relaxation, with no longer than 1 or 1 1/2 hours of review at one time. Your mind needs breaks.

Plan your review systematically and consistently. Go from main idea to main idea, using the textbook chapter headings or your instructor's term outline as a guide. Go from chapter notes to chapter notes or from class notes to class notes, recalling the important headings and ideas in each. If certain points are difficult for you to remember, then reread the textbook. Otherwise stick with your notes. Don't plan to learn something for the first time.

Making summary notes is often helpful, depending on the amount of material to be reviewed. In 4 to 8 pages you can outline the main points of your detailed class and text chapter notes. Headings with indented numbered points under them make relationships more obvious. This procedure will also help reinforce the major ideas and important details.

Summary notes can also serve as a self-test toward the end of your preparation for exams. Put a sheet over each page and slowly uncover the first heading -- see if you remember the main points under it. As you go, ask yourself what, when, etc.

Try to predict the exam questions. Be alert throughout the term to the emphasis instructors put on certain topics, aspects or ideas. They often give clues to points that are important or particularly need review.

Ask your professor whathe/sherecommends for pre-examination work. Use his comments as a guide but don't try to outguess him.

Group reviewing can be helpful. But it shouldn't take the place of working on your own. Limit discussions of significant points and possible test questions to 30 or 40 minutes, with no more than 4 or 5 people.

Avoid cramming. If you have followed a regular schedule of study and review, you should not have to cram the last day. Remember, forgetting takes place more rapidly right after learning. If you have to cram, be selective. Don't attempt an exhaustive review.



The Other Things To Do

1) Every professor has favorite areas in the subject he/she teaches. Watch carefully in class to determine these interests. You can wisely spend your time mastering those areas.

2) Find out in advance how straightforward the exam will be. Some professors may have tough questions, so for your own safety, ask the professor.

3) If the exam will be the essay type, pay close attention to major concepts, key experiments and established arguments in your studies. If the exam will be multiple choice, concentrate on key words (definitions) and more minute concepts. Before any exam, find out what type of test it will be, what topics it will cover, and what the grading policy will be. This is all important information.

4) At any point in preparation for the exam that you start to get nervous, RELAX. You'll work better relaxed, and retain more relaxed. Don't bring on unnecessary tension by trying to guess how hard the test will be. Don't be concerned if others seem to know more about the subject than you do. Five minutes before exam-time is too late to learn a worthwhile amount about the subject, and any last minute cramming will be overall damaging to your relaxation. With relaxation comes clear thinking and easy access to what's in your mind. But if you feel some fear, don't make things worse by fearing that fear: a small amount of tension helps to keep you awake, alert, and functioning effectively during an exam. Remember, the average student passes. If you're having difficulty, the odds are that other people are having difficulty too. They are going to make it -- so will you.

5) Life can be broken down into areas such as societal behavior, physical makeups, past history, etc. Each subject in school is part of life and all subjects are somehow related to each other. This is to your advantage when you take an exam. You can use what you've learned from people you've known, trips you've taken, books you've read, past and present courses, and just general living. If you only stop to think during an exam, you can raise your test score just because you've been alive for a while.

6) Don't go into the exam tired or just having finished a large meal -- you can't afford to fall asleep (even with your eyes open) in a hot stuffy room. Get a good nights sleep before the exam and save heavy eating for afterwards.

7) Be sure you have all the supplies you need before leaving for the exams

8) Plan a schedule so that you arrive early and have a choice of seats with good lighting, etc. Remember: a snow storm is not an excuse for missing or arriving late for an exam. Many professors follow the rule that the only good reason for missing an exam is a death in the family -- your death!



Pace The Exam Carefully

When the exam begins, listen to the instructions and then start reading through the entire test. Organize your thoughts.

Budget time for each question. They might be equal in sorting, so answer the easy ones first. Remember to number the answers to match the questions. RELAX.

Think carefully about one question at a time. Your first sentence should be clear and contain some, if not all, of the main points in your answer. The instructor wants a focus on the question and direct answers.

Answer the questions that are easy for you first. Do it quickly (don't spend time there just because its comfortable) but not without some caution.

Jot down key words as guides for your writing. Indenting paragraphs, numbering points under them, or making a rough diagram or outline can be helpful to you and the person correcting.

Write legibly or else the instructor will not be able to read easily and your mark will suffer. Short form or objective questions demonstrate your ability to recognize detail and your judgement in choosing among alternatives. Attention must be given to key words like all, none, never, might, or should. Fill in the easy ones first and mark the spaces clearly. Avoid leaving blanks, an answer might be correct even though you are not sure. An omission will probably count against you. In multiple choice, cross out what you think is wrong and think about what is left. Be sure to completely erase if you change an answer.

Essay questions test your ability to express yourself, to interpret and to organize material. The instructor never expects one question, or even an entire exam, to be a demonstration of all you know. Important cue words will give you the key as to what or how much the instructor wants you to write. The ones most frequently used are: analyze, compare, contrast, criticize, define, describe, discuss, elaborate, enumerate, evaluate, explain, illustrate, interpret, justify, list, outline, prove, relate, review, state, summarize, trace. Each one of these term-s calls for some specific type of material, so think about their meanings in advance.

Finish each question as well as you can and then go on to the next, leaving some room at the bottom for possible additions. When answering essay questions in exam books some students find it helpful to use only the right-hand pages, leaving the left page for additional remarks or highlights.

Make answers as concise and clear as possible. Do not waste time with long-winded or repetitious sentences.

Guess (as long as guessing isn't penalized: some professors may subtract the number of wrong answers from the number of right answers. In that case don't guess. Find out the grading policy before you take any exam).

If you have time, reread everything carefully after you have answered all the questions. You might have left out a key word or remember some other points. But don't make changes unless you detect a definite error. Your first answer is best unless you absolutely know otherwise. Don't play answer roulette with multiple choice guesses.