If you're getting the grades you want and accomplishing the things you desire you probably don't need the information contained in this page. You're doing something right. Keep up the good work! But, if you could use a few pointers on how to be more successful, keep reading!
a positive attitude
self-confidence
a passion for excellence
self-discipline
goal-oriented
open-mindedness
persistence
strong moral and spiritual values
curiosity
strong critical thinking skills
willingness to push limits and strive for self-actualization
Here are a few suggestions that will help you to be successful not only in this course but all other courses you take at university and perhaps even at other things you try in life!
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Try this: |
Why? |
I do this!
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Find and get to know one person on campus who knows you are there and who cares about your survival. | Every so often you might need someone who will help you solve a problem or motivate you to keep trying. This person might be a professor, an academic advisor, a student services staff member, or maybe the person who sells you your morning coffee! | |
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Find out what helpful resources are available on campus and where they are located. | There are people and resources on campus that can help you with academic and personal issues. Finances, research, clubs, special needs, career counseling, health, international exchange programs ... the list is endless, and the help is there. | |
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Understand why you are enrolled. | Who are you doing this for? What are your expectations at the end of this? Why did you pick your major? Do it for yourself. Make sure that your expectations are realistic. | |
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Set up a daily schedule and stick to it. | Are you the world's greatest procrastinator? Join the club! Time management is one of the hardest skills for a university student to acquire ... but also one of the most important. Remember, there is a time for work and a time for play. Make to do lists. Set priorities. Follow a schedule and everything you need to do AND want to do will get done. | |
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Make learning physical. | Stand up and read your textbook out loud! Rewrite your notes with colourful markers. Draw mind maps. Organize a study group. Act out a concept (even if it is the rock cycle!) DON'T just sit there listening and reading. | |
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Improve your writing skills. | Have you ever taken a course that didn't involve some writing? Good writing skills are the BEST (only?) way to convey your understanding of the material to your instructors. Taking an English course to improve your writing skills may be one of the best investments you make in your university career. | |
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Get involved. | University should be about more than just academics. When you get involved with clubs and teams on campus or even groups in the city you will feel like a part of the community. You will probably also learn valuable skills like time management and interpersonal skills. | |
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Maintain a healthy lifestyle. | When you are healthy you have the energy to accomplish the things that you need or want to do. Eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, reduce stress, drink alcohol in moderation, DON'T do drugs. | |
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Get help early. | The material you learn in tomorrows lecture will probably build on the material you were taught in today's lecture. If you didn't understand today's lecture ... well, you see where I'm going with this! There are a lot of places to get help: professors, textbook, classmates, Internet, library. | |
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Sit in the front row. | In the front row there are fewer distractions to lure your attention away from the instructor and the lesson. It's a lot easier to see the overheads and hear the instructor. And it's a good way to get to know your instructor and feel like a part of the class. | |
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Get to know your instructor. | Your instructor is the BEST source of information on the course. Don't be afraid to talk to your instructor or ask them questions. It's their job to help you learn. But if they don't know that you don't understand the material, how can they help? You have to make the first move. We're human, we have our good days and our bad, but in the end we'll do what we can to help. | |
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Remember that you are not alone. | You're not the first person to get homesick or the first to fail a test. Others have thought about changing their majors, too. Someone on campus knows what you are going through and can help. | |
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Go to every class. | "Eighty percent of life is just showing up!" There really IS a reason we run classes every week! Try this: add up the TOTAL amount of money you will spend this year by attending university (tuition, books, transportation, living expenses, etc.), then divide that number by the number of hours your classes occupy. What you will get is the amount you could be wasting on every hour of class time you miss. | |
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Do first things first. | Set priorities. Do the most important things first. Sure your room is messy and needs cleaning but with just 18 hours before your midterm test is your time best spent cleaning? When we don't do first things first we usually end up doing 'more pleasant' things first leaving unpleasant tasks undone. | |
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Maintain a positive attitude. | "We
are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With
our thoughts we make our
world." - The
Buddha
So, if you think you are a failure you will be a failure. But, if you think you can be successful you WILL be successful! |
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Learn how to deal with stress. | Midterms, assignments, failed relationships ... stress can drain us of energy and make us unhealthy. When we are stressed we can't function at our peak. Everybody will endure stress in their lives but we can minimize it's effects by learning how to deal with it effectively. | |
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Give it all you've got. | Be the best that you can be! |
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L.B. learned what it takes to be successful in GEOL1005 ... the hard way. Read about it here |
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If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. |
- Albert Einstein
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Reach for the stars! |
