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Dear
Student,
More than ever before, a college education is an essential step in preparing you for almost any career With almost no exceptions, employers today require that job applicants have a college degree.
Higher education is becoming more expensive, and some people are questioning whether a college degree is worth the cost. Yes, college is expensive, but the benefits of a college education are well worth the price tag. According to current statistics, a college-educated person receives a better salary and enjoys a healthier life, more confidence, and a more promising future for his or her children than a person who does not attend college. Of course we can all name a few exceptions: Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Bill Gates of Microsoft were college dropouts who still managed to be highly successful Such success stories are very rare, however
While you might have many reasons for being in college, we hope your primary goals are to learn and ultimately to graduate, and you will be more likely to graduate if you have a successful first year. When we were in our first year of college, college success courses, with few exceptions, did not exist, and there was no “textbook” like Your College Experience that provided strategies for making the most of college. Most colleges and universities allowed new students to sink or swim. As a result, some students did well, some hardly survived, and some dropped out or flunked out.
Beyond graduation, some of you will want to continue your education in professional or graduate school, but others will want to begin a career While it may be tough to land your ideal job immediately, your college education is an investment that will make you competitive in the marketplace
You are likely reading Your College Experience because you are enrolled in a college success course a special course designed to help you be successful. Although this book might seem different from your other textbooks, we believe that it could be the most important book you read this term because it’s all about improving your chances for success in college and in your career. This book will help you identify your own strengths, as well as areas where you need to improve. We know that if you apply the ideas in this book to your everyday life, you are more likely to enjoy your time in college, graduate, and achieve your life goals
As college professors, researchers, and administrators with many years of experience working with first-year students, we know that starting college can be challenging But through your college success course, the faculty, staff, and academic resources on your campus will help you meet that challenge. Welcome to college!
about the authors
John N. Gardner brings unparalleled experience to this authoritative text for first-year seminar courses. He is the recipient of the University of South Carolina’s highest award for teaching excellence. He has twenty-five years of experience directing and teaching in the most respected and most widely emulated first-year seminar in the country: the University 101 course at the University of South Carolina. He is recognized as one of the country’s leading educators for his role in initiating and orchestrating an international reform movement to improve students’ transition to college. He is also the founding leader of two influential higher education centers that support campuses in their efforts to improve the learning and retention of first-year college students: the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina (sc.edu/fye), and the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (jngi.org), based in Brevard, North Carolina. The experiential basis for all of John Gardner’s work is his own miserable first year of college, which he spent on academic probation an experience that he hopes to prevent for this book’s readers.
Betsy O. Barefoot is a writer, researcher, and teacher whose special area of scholarship is the first year of college. During her tenure at the University of South Carolina from 1988 to 1999, she served as codirector for research and publications at the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. She taught University 101, in addition to specialtopics graduate courses on the first-year experience and the principles of college teaching. She conducts first-year seminar faculty training workshops around the United States and in other countries, and she is frequently called on to evaluate first-year seminar outcomes. She currently serves as Senior Scholar in the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. In that role she works with both two- and four-year campuses to evaluate all components of the first year especially first-year seminars.
Letter to Students
About the Authors
Brief Contents
Your Turn Features
Preface
PART ONE FOUNDATIONS
1 THRIVING IN COLLEGE AND LIFE
Student Profile
WELCOME TO YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
Thriving in College
Making the Most of the College Success Course and This Textbook
The First Day of This Course
INTRODUCING VIPS: VERY IMPORTANT
PEOPLE
Students
Instructors
Staff Members/Administrators/Advisers
THE VALUE OF COLLEGE
Accessing Better Jobs, Higher Salaries, a Better
Life
Preparing for Graduate or Professional Education
Developing Lifelong Friendships and Professional Networks
Building Academic Skills
Considering Other Outcomes
EXPLORING PURPOSE AND SETTING GOALS
Considering Purpose
Getting Started with Goal Setting
Setting SMART Goals
MAKING CHOICES
Locus of Control and Being in Charge
Guided Pathways and the Downside of Poor Choices
BEING “HIP” IN COLLEGE: PARTICIPATING IN HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES
What Are High-Impact Practices?
When, How, and Why Should I Be HIP? techtip: E-mail with Style
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
2
CULTIVATING MOTIVATION, RESILIENCE, AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Student Profile
THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION, ATTITUDE, AND MINDSETS
Motivation
Attitude
Mindsets
RESILIENCE
UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Perceiving and Managing Emotions
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life
Improving Emotional Intelligence
Identifying Your EI Skills and Competencies
HOW EMOTIONS INFLUENCE SUCCESS AND WELL-BEING
techtip: Building a Digital Persona
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
3 TIME MANAGEMENT
Student Profile
MANAGING YOUR TIME
Taking Control of Your Time
Your Memory Cannot Be Your Only Planner
USING TIME-MANAGEMENT TOOLS
PROCRASTINATION
techtip: Get Digitally Organized
Overcoming Procrastination
Dealing with Distractions
MANAGING YOUR ENERGY
4
Establishing a Routine
SETTING PRIORITIES
Find a Balance
Don’t Overextend Yourself
Stay Focused
APPRECIATING THE VALUE OF TIME
Creating a Workable Class Schedule
Scheduling Your Classes in Blocks
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
HOW YOU LEARN
Student Profile
HOW PEOPLE LEARN
Learning Theories
LEARNING STYLES AND THE TOOLS USED FOR MEASURING THEM
The VARK Learning-Styles Inventory
Use VARK Results to Study More Effectively
The Kolb Inventory of Learning Styles
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Multiple Intelligences
WHEN LEARNING STYLES AND TEACHING STYLES CONFLICT
techtip: Correlate Online Learning with your Learning Style
LEARNING WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY
Attention Disorders
Cognitive Learning Disabilities
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
PREPARING TO LEARN
PART TWO
5
THINKING IN COLLEGE
Student Profile
COLLEGE-LEVEL THINKING: HIGHER AND DEEPER
Problem Solving in and out of Class
Making a Choice between Slow and Fast Thinking
Collaboration
Creativity
BECOMING
A CRITICAL THINKER
Asking Questions
Considering Multiple Points of View and Drawing Conclusions
Making Arguments
Challenging Assumptions and Beliefs
Examining Evidence
Recognizing and Avoiding Faulty Reasoning
APPLYING BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
Bloom’s Six Levels of Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomy and the First Year of College
techtip: Use your Critical-Thinking Skills in Conducting Research
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
6 READING TO LEARN
Student Profile
A PLAN FOR ACTIVE READING
Previewing
Strategies for Marking Your Textbook
Reading with Concentration
Reviewing
IMPROVING YOUR READING
Monitoring Your Reading
Developing Your Vocabulary
What to Do When You Fall Behind on Your Reading
STRATEGIES FOR READING TEXTBOOKS
All Textbooks Are Not Created Equal
Math Texts
Science Texts
Social Sciences and Humanities Texts
techtip: Embrace the E-Book
Supplementary Material
If English Is Not Your First Language
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
7 GETTING THE MOST FROM CLASS
Student Profile
BECOME ENGAGED IN LEARNING
PREPARE FOR CLASS
PARTICIPATE IN CLASS
Listen Critically and with an Open Mind
Speak Up
TAKE EFFECTIVE NOTES
Note-Taking Formats
Note-Taking Techniques
techtip: Take Better Notes in Better Ways
Review Your Notes
Compare Notes
Class Notes and Homework
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
8 STUDYING
Student Profile
STUDYING IN COLLEGE: MAKING CHOICES AND CONCENTRATING
HOW MEMORY WORKS
Connecting Memory to Deep Learning
techtip: Use the Cloud
Myths about Memory
IMPROVING YOUR MEMORY
Learning Style and Memory
Strategies for Remembering
STUDYING TO UNDERSTAND AND REMEMBER
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
9 TEST TAKING
Student Profile
GETTING READY . . .
Prepare for Test Taking
Prepare for Math and Science Exams
Prepare Physically
Prepare Emotionally
TIPS FOR TEST TAKING
TYPES OF TESTS
Problem-Solving Tests
Machine-Scored Tests
Computerized Tests
Laboratory Tests
Open-Book and Open-Notes Tests
techtip: Conquer Online Tests
Take-Home Tests
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Essay Questions
Multiple-Choice Questions
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
True/False Questions
Matching Questions
OVERCOMING TEST ANXIETY
Symptoms of Test Anxiety
Types of Test Anxiety
Strategies for Dealing with Test Anxiety
Getting the Test Back
CHEATING
What Is Cheating?
Why Students Cheat and the Consequences of Cheating
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
10 INFORMATION LITERACY AND COMMUNICATION
Student Profile INFORMATION LITERACY
Learning to Be Information Literate
What’s Research and What’s Not?
CHOOSING, NARROWING, AND RESEARCHING A TOPIC
USING THE LIBRARY
The 20-Minute Rule
Scholarly Articles and Journals
techtip: Conduct Effective Searches
Periodicals
Books
EVALUATING SOURCES
Relevance
Authority
Bias
USING YOUR RESEARCH IN WRITING
THE WRITING PROCESS
Steps to Good Writing
Know Your Audience
The Importance of Time in the Writing Process
Citing Your Sources About Plagiarism
USING YOUR RESEARCH IN PRESENTATIONS
Guidelines for Successful Speaking BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE PART THREE PREPARING
FOR LIFE
11 MAJORS AND CAREERS
Student Profile
CAREERS AND THE NEW ECONOMY
Characteristics of Today’s Economy
BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL MINDSET FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
WORKING WITH AN ACADEMIC ADVISER
Prepare for Your First Meeting with Your Academic Adviser
Know the Right Questions to Ask about Your Major
Learn How to Select Your Classes
Explore Course Options and Pay Attention to Your Grades
Deal with a Mismatch
FINDING CAREER RESOURCES ON YOUR CAMPUS
GETTING TO KNOW YOURSELF
Assess Your Career Competencies
Clarify Your Personal and Workplace Values
Understand Your Skills, Aptitudes, Personality, and Interests
Using the Holland Model
GAINING PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Internships and Other Professional Work Experiences
techtip: Join the Professional Community
Part-Time Work in College
MARKETING YOURSELF AND PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Branding “You, Inc.”
Building a Résumé
Writing a Cover Letter
12
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
RELATIONSHIPS
Student Profile
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS
What Your Instructors Expect from You
What You Can Expect from Your Instructors
What You Can Expect from Your Peer Leader
Make the Most of the Learning Relationship
Understanding Academic Freedom
Handling a Conflict between You and an Instructor
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Roommates
Romantic Relationships
FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Marriage and Parenting during College
Relationships with Your Parents
COMMUNICATING IN A DIGITAL AGE
GET INVOLVED
To Greek or Not to Greek?
Working
techtip: Build a Digital Persona
Community Service
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
13 DIVERSITY
Student Profile
EXPLORING DIVERSITY
Ethnicity, Culture, Race, and Religion
Other Differences You Will Encounter in College
Stereotyping and Microaggressions
OVERCOMING DISCRIMINATION, PREJUDICE, AND INSENSITIVITY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
Raising Awareness
What You Can Do to Fight Hate on Campus
SEEKING DIVERSITY
Seeking Diversity in College
Seeking Diversity in the Workplace
Seeking Diversity in Life
techtip: Go Beyond the Filter
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
14 WELLNESS
Student Profile
UNDERSTANDING WELLNESS
Managing Stress to Maintain Wellness
The Importance of Good Nutrition
Exercising to Maintain Wellness
Getting Enough Sleep to Maintain Wellness
Spirituality
Emotional Health
MAINTAINING SEXUAL HEALTH
Communicating about Safe Sex
Avoiding Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Using Birth Control
Protecting Yourself and Others against Sexual Assault and Violence
ALCOHOL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
The Use and Abuse of Alcohol
Tobacco and Marijuana techtip: Surf for Health
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
15 MONEY
Student Profile
LIVING ON A BUDGET
Creating a Budget
Cutting Costs
UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL AID
Types of Aid
Navigating Financial Aid
Qualifying for Aid
How to Keep Your Funding
ACHIEVING A BALANCE BETWEEN WORKING AND BORROWING
Advantages and Disadvantages of Working
Student Loans
MANAGING CREDIT WISELY
Understanding Credit techtip: Master Budgeting, Version 2.0!
Debit Cards
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE
Glossary Index
your turn features
Make Good Choices
The Decision to Become a College Student
Does Your Planner Work for You?
Select Your Best Study Times
Accept the Challenge to Do Your Best, No Matter What!
If You Had a “Do-Over”
Buy Your Course Materials
Going Back in Time
Choose Review Methods That Work for You
Understand Academic Integrity
Your Online Image through an Employer’s Eyes
Ponder Your Academic Major Choice
Let Previous Work Experience Guide Future Career Choices
What about Online Relationships?
Go for Diversity
Resist Junk Food Temptations
Miscellaneous Expenses
Stay Motivated
What’s Behind Your Current Motivations?
The Predicament of Too Many Obligations
Where Are You on the Cycle of Learning?
Follow the Examples of Others
Do ALL the Required Reading
Use What You Have Learned
The Fun of Improving Your Memory
Avoid Becoming Discouraged
Learning from Motivational Speakers
Planning an Exciting Future
Dealing with Family Meddling
Don’t Let Harassment Ruin Your College Experience
Being Mindful of Stress
Using Money-Saving Strategies
Work Together
Are You Surprised?
Past Challenges
Considering People Skills
Staying on Task and on Time
Scheduling Your Classes
Sharing Different Approaches to Learning
Moving from Opinion to Logical Conclusion
Comparing Textbook Reading Strategies
Tackle Math as a Team
Do You Ask Questions in Class?
Using Learning Styles to Study and Remember
Is It Worth the Time and Effort to Get Organized?
Is One Type of Exam Better than Another?
Information Literacy A Survival Skill?
What Can You Believe?
Marketing Yourself to Employers
Evaluating the Rumor Mill: Were Those Stories True?
Explore Involvement Opportunities
Exploring Diversity in Your College Success Classroom
