Learning Assistance Center

Top 10+ Tips for New Students

1. Keep a monthly calendar and mark off important dates, e.g., exam dates, deadlines, meetings with instructors.
   
   
2. Schedule time to review and edit class notes as soon after class as possible.
   
   
3. Understand that to remember any piece of information permanently requires active memory strategies and 6-8 hours of sleep. Rereading a chapter does not provide for long term storage of the information read.
   
   
4. Find a quiet place to study and be a little selfish with your time. Learn to say no.
   
   
5. Be an active reader. Take notes. In your own books, write in the margins. Highlight the most important parts with your own “shorthand.” Avoid rereading irrelevant stuff.
   
   
6. Exercise a bit; it stimulates blood flow to the brain and relieves tension.
   
   
7. Locate all available resources: Library, Tutor Center, Counseling, Student Activities, Career Transfer Center, Financial Aid, and the gym!
   
   
8. Understand free time. In college, you are more independent in how you allocate your time; however, you do not have as much free time as you initially might think you do.
   
   
9. Save all course materials until you have received a final grade. Save on disks or thumb drives, including syllabi and notes. Instructors do make mistakes.
   
   
10. Associate new information with prior subject knowledge. Avoid learning randomly; information on a topic belongs in its own “folder,” whether it comes from readings, lectures, handouts, labs, internet, or videos. Retrieval depends on organized storage, so no random storage!
    
    
11. Most importantly, go to class. Professors often highlight what is most important to study or add information not in your book. If you must miss, email the instructor immediately and contact a fellow student for notes, handouts, and assignments. Show up at the next class prepared.