Strengthen Your Academic Skills

If you think your skills aren't quite up to speed for college, don't give up. Take time to prepare yourself. There are many ways to get a college degree. You just have to take the path that's right for you. Follow these tips:

• Use test score information to see where you need work. Score information from the ACT®, SAT, PLAN, PSAT can tell you what subjects you need help with and what you can do to raise your skills to the next level. Remember, a low score doesn't necessarily mean you're bad in a subject. It just means you haven't mastered the subject yet.
• Work with a tutor to learn what you don't know yet.
• Take a summer or night school class.
• Check out study aids—books, videotapes, audiotapes and computer programs—at your school library, a public library, or a local bookstore.
• Ask your counselor or a teacher about ways you can build your academic skills.

Making the Most of College Part 1

It matters more what you do at college than where you do it. I believe that the student who does each of the following at the College of New Jersey will grow more educationally and personally than a Harvard student who just goes through the motions. And for the reasons described above, his career will not be impeded for the lack of a designer-label diploma.

Academics

Get the best teachers. It can make all the difference. Here are ways to unearth them:

• Many campuses post the student evaluations of professors on its website or in a booklet available through student government.
• Get the list of teaching award winners, usually available from the college’s office of academic affairs.
• Ask the department (for example, English, Biology) administrative assistant, “Who’s good?” Admins get to see all the student evaluations of professors.
• Of course, ask friends for recommendations.
• Enroll in at least one more class than you plan on taking. Show up for the first session of each class and drop the one you like least.

The most valuable courses you’ll probably ever take include: writing, public speaking, basic computer applications such as spreadsheets, word processing and database, critical thinking, career exploration, human sexuality, and a course with an ideology different from your own. If you’re a conservative, take a course in radical politics. If you’re a liberal, you’re out of luck. On many if not most college campuses, conservative courses don’t exist, except those bashing conservatism. To get a conservative perspective, you’ll probably have to join the campus Republican or Objectivist club.

Maximize your chances of getting a professor taking you under wing by visiting during office hours with such questions as, “In class, you said X. Y seems to make more sense. What am I not understanding?” Or, “I really value your opinion. I’m not sure what concentration within psychology I should choose. Could you give me your thoughts?” Or, “I was fascinated by your description of your research. Do you need any help?”

Also, ask a favorite professor if you can do an independent study with that professor-—a one-on-one course on a topic of your own choosing. Most colleges allow these and they are perhaps the very best way to customize and personalize your education, and find a mentor.

Another way to customize your education is, when receiving a term paper topic that doesn’t interest you, to ask the professor if you could substitute a paper or project on a topic of greater interest. Usually, the professor will agree.

How to Get Better Grades – Part 2 of 5

Your Term Paper is Due in Just Two Days!

You know you should have started on it weeks ago, but the due date seemed so far away. So you bagged it. Now the gig is up: a ten-page paper is due in just two days - with references and everything. And you haven’t even started! Here’s what to do.

Step 1: If possible, choose a topic you care about. If the assigned topic - for example, the aftermath of the War of 1812 - bores you to tears, ask the teacher if she’d let you write on a topic you care more about: for example, the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on America. Surprisingly often, the teacher will say yes.

Step 2: Gather information on your topic. Try to think of it as a treasure hunt - you’re looking for nuggets on your topic. Before heading to the library, see what you can find online. Two awesome sources: Google (try using the scholar section instead of just searching) and a huge online library of reference materials at www.refdesk.com. Add your own ideas as they come to you. TIP: Write all notes on a computer so it's easy to move things around.

Step 3: In light of the information you obtained, write your thesis statement. That’s the one main point you want to make in your paper. TIP: Teachers love provocative yet plausible thesis statements.

Step 4: Place each piece of information into one of a few categories. Each category will be one of your paper’s major headings.

Step 5: Within each category, put each piece of information in a logical order. Ask yourself, “Which should go first? Which should go second?” and so on. You’re going to start seeing your paper appear before your very eyes.

Step 6: Turn these ordered pieces of information into smooth paragraphs. Add, subtract and revise material as you see fit. Rule of thumb: When in doubt, start each paragraph with a topic sentence - saying what the paragraph will be about. Then be sure that the rest of the paragraph fulfills the topic sentence’s promise.

Tip: Don't spend much time just staring at the screen. Keep adding, subtracting, and revising stuff even if you're not sure the changes are good. The constant changing keeps you feeling like you're making progress, and probably sooner than later, your paper will get better and better.

Step 7: Write your conclusion. Again, don’t stare at a blank screen. Write whatever comes to mind and revise. It’s much easier to revise than to generate brilliance out of thin air.
Good conclusions start with a summary of the paper’s main point(s) and move on to discuss the implications of those points.

Step 8: Write the title and introduction. Remember, your teacher is going to be reading dozens of term papers. Trust me, her eyes will glaze over quickly. So, if she comes upon your paper and sees an intriguing title and introductory paragraph, your paper will be greeted with a sigh of relief. She’ll read the rest of your paper with a positive predisposition - that usually means a good grade.
Here’s an example:

Step 9: Put your paper away, for at least an hour, ideally a day. Then reread it and revise. Viewing it with fresh eyes can be invaluable.

Step 10: Show a draft to someone you trust. Revise. Print!

Bonus Tips
• If you have a few days before the due date, show a draft to your teacher. Often, she’ll be willing to give you feedback on it. That almost ensures a good grade when you submit your revised final version. If she refuses, try a friend or even your parent.
• If you get a bad grade on the final draft, you might ask the teacher if you can rewrite based on her feedback and resubmit. If she says yes, it’s an almost guaranteed way to up your grade.