Student Success Statement

"It is our duty to concentrate all our influence to make popular that which is sound and good, and (to make) unpopular that which is unsound (and not good)."

-Joseph Smith

Just like police officers have duties, we do to. Our duty is to make right choices. For example, we need to follow laws so that we won't get in trouble. 

Successful Students 9

9. . . . don’t cram for exams. Successful students know that divided periods of study are more effective than cram sessions, and they practice it.

If there is one thing that study skills specialist agree on, it is that distributed study is better than massed, late-night, last-ditch effort known as cramming. You’ll learn more, remember more and earn a higher grade by studying in four, one hour-a-night session for Friday’s exam than studying for four hours straight on Thursday night. Short, concentrated preparatory efforts are more effective and rewarding than wasteful, inattentive, last moment marathons. Yet, so many students fall to learn this session and end up repeating it all over again until it becomes a wasteful habit. Not too clever, huh?

When you cram, you are taking a short cut, and short cuts never produce any real worthwhile results. Also, when you take shortcuts, you fell rather rotten knowing that you could have done better but didn't  Shortcut cut you short. You can’t plant watermelons seeds and harvest fresh watermelons the next day. It takes time. Cramming for a test or project and expecting to make high scores the next day is like planning watermelon seeds and expecting them to harvest the next day. Plus cramming for a test or project doesn't help you academically, so why even do it. Plan ahead, prepare ahead. Give yourself plenty of days and weeks to prepare for upcoming accountability opportunities.

Student Success Statement

 

 

"Whats right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right."

 

-Howard Cosell

 

 

 

There are a lot of trends out there that are very popular but not right. Many people follow them to "become popular" even though they know that it isn't right. For example, some girls now at days wear the tiniest clothes but they just do it to "fit in". They don't look good at all when they wear some clothes but they do it anyway. Another example would be drugs. Most people now at days just do it because everybody else is doing it. Some people don't even know what they're doing but they think that they're all that just because they do it.

Successful Students

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7. …understand the actions affect learning. Successful students know their personal behavior affect their feelings and emotions which in turn can affect learning.

If you act in a certain way that normally produces particular feelings, you will begin to experience those feelings. Act like you’re bored, and you’ll become disinterested. So the next time you have trouble concentrating in the classroom, “act” like an interested person: lean forward, place your feet flat on the floor, maintain eye contact with the professor, nod occasionally, take notes, and ask questions. Not only will you benefit directly from your actions, your classmates and professor may also get more excited and enthusiastic.

8. …talk about what they’re learning. Successful students get to know something well enough that they can put it into words. Talking about something, with friends or classmates, is not only good for checking whether or not you know something, it’s a proven learning tool. Transferring ideas into words provides the most direct path for moving knowledge from short-term to long-term memory. You really don’t “know” material until you can put it into words. So, next time you study, don’t do it silently. Talk about notes, problems, readings, etc. with friends, recite to a chair, organize an oral study group, pretend you’re teaching your peers. “Talk-learning” produces a whole host of memory traces that result in more learning.

High School Graduation- Pleasure or Pain

When you graduate you get to feel the pleasure and joy. You get that good feeling inside you knowing that you achieved something and that high school is finally over. You family will also be very proud of you because of what you just accomplished. If you don’t graduate you will feel pain. You will feel disappointed in yourself knowing that you didn't accomplish anything. You will see all your friends crossing stage and graduating and you will not be part of that. You family will also be disappointed in you because they were counting on you to graduate and you let them down. 

Successful Students

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5. Don’t sit in the back of the room. Successful students minimize classroom that interfere with learning.

Students want the best seat available for their entertainment dollars, but willingly seek the worst seat for their educational dollars. Students who sit in the back cannot possibly be their professor’s teammate (see no. 4). Why so they expose themselves to the temptations of inactive classroom experiences and distractions of all the people between them and their instructor? Of course, we know they chose the back of the classroom because they seek invisibility or anonymity, both of which are antithetical to efficient and effective learning. If you are trying not to be part of the class, why, then, are you wasting your time? Push your hot buttons, is there something else you should be doing with your time?

6. …take good notes. Successful students take notes that are understandable and organized, and review them often.

Why put something into your notes you don’t understand? Ask questions now that are necessary to make your notes meaningful at some later time. A short review of your notes while the material is still fresh on your mind helps you to learn more. The more you learn then, the less you’ll have to learn later and the less time it will take because you won’t have to include some deciphering time, also. The whole purpose of taking notes is to use them, and use them often. The more you use them, the more they improve. 

Student Success Statement

"The time is always right to do what is right."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

The only time that time is always right is when you make right choices. It will never be wrong. When you do wrong things then the time will never be right. So always make right decisions and choices so that the time could always be right.

Successful Students

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3. …ask questions. Successful students ask questions to provide the quickest route between ignorance and knowledge. In addition to securing knowledge you seek, asking questions has at least two other extremely important benefits. The process helps you pay attention to you professor and helps your professor pay attention to you! Think about it. If you want something, go after it. Get the answer now, or fail a question later. There are no foolish questions, only foolish silence. It’s your choice.

4. …learn that a student and a professor make a team. Most instructors want exactly what you want: they would like for you to learn the material in their respective classes and earn a good grade.

Successful students reflect well on the efforts of any teacher; if you have learned your material, the instructor takes some justifiable pride in teaching. Join forces with you instructor, they are not an enemy, you share the same interests, the same goals- in short, your teammates. Get to know your professor. You’re the most valuable players on the same team. Your jobs are to work together for mutual success. Neither wishes to chalk up a losing season. Be a team player! 

Student Success Statement

“I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after,”

-Ernest Hemingway

Pay attention to what right and wrong.

When you do something good you feel good after which is moral. When you do something bad then you feel bad after which is immoral. So do the right thing so that you can feel good.

Successful Students

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Successful students exhibit a combination of successful attitudes and behaviors as well as intellectual capacity. Successful students…

1…. are responsible and active. Successful students get involved in their studies, accept responsibility for their own education, and are active participants in it! Responsibility means control. It’s the difference between leading and being lead. Your own efforts control your grade, you earn the glory or deserve the blame, you make the choice. Active classroom participation improves grades without increasing study time. You can sit there, act bored, daydream, or sleep. Or, you can actively listen, think, question, and take notes like someone in charge of their learning experience. Either option costs one class period. However, the former method will require a large degree of additional work outside of class to achieve the same degree of learning the letter provides at one sitting. The choice is yours.

2. … have educational goals. Successful students have legitimate goals and are motivated by what they represent in terms of career aspirations and life’s desires.

Ask yourself these questions: What am I doing here? Why have I chosen to be sitting here now? Is there some better place I could be? What does my presence here mean to me? Answers to these questions represent your “Hot Buttons” and are, without a doubt, the most important factors in your success as a college student. If your educational goals are truly yours, not someone else’s they will motivate a vital and positive academic attitude. If you are familiar with what these hot buttons represent and refer to then often, especially when you are tired of being a student, nothing can stop you; if you aren’t and don’t, everything can, and will!

Reflection: Tennessee Walking Horse Trainers Torture Horses

I think that what they were doing is really bad. The horses are innocent and should not be treated like that. If people want to train them then they should do it the right way and not make the horses suffer. 

Tennessee Walking Horse Trainers Torture Horses

Jackie McConnell was famous for training horses by rich families. Many people loved his work and would watch him win many ribbons and metals. There was a hidden camera placed so that people can see how he trains them to perform so good. The video showed that his way of training them was by torturing them. He would put chemicals on their legs so that the horses can feel pain and dance around. He would beat them with whips and sticks so that they can obey him. 

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 2

My strategies for written assignments: Everyone has their own writing styles. I generally come up with an idea and do massive amounts of research before I ever think of writing. I then organize my research then sometimes prepare an outline before actually writing. I always print out the paper and come back to it the next day and reread it. This is the easiest way for me to catch my own mistakes. I have to give my eyes a break from it, and if I just wrote it I think it looks perfect. But if I look at it a day later I almost always find grammatical errors or phrases and sentences I just want to reword.

How I succeed in team projects: Never assume someone is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Have regular meetings and have each member show their work, not just give you or the group their word for it.

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 1

How I study multiple exams, deal with multiple projects: Really it is my time management that I explained above. If I see I have multiple things due or to study for all at the same time I spread out my time beforehand. For example, if I have a test on Monday, and 2 tests Tuesday, then I will study for my Monday test on Thursday and part of Friday. Start studying for my next test on the second half of Friday and part of Saturday, then my second Tuesday test on Saturday as well and part of Sunday. Then Sunday night I can review for my Monday test because I already studied for it. When that test is over I can begin reviewing for the other tests. My overall study method: I try to break it up over several days or at least two. I get bogged down if I try to pull an all nighter. How I’ve overcome an initial bad grade: if I received a low grade I probably knew it was coming because I didn’t prepare properly or I didn’t use the right study habit for that class. I usually try to go over what I did wrong and sometime discuss with the teacher what I can do differently on the next exam or what they suggest I do for studying for the next exam.

Student Success Statement

“Seek to do good and you will find the happiness will run after you.”

-        James Freeman Clarke

When you do good things or make right decisions you will be happy knowing that the right thing was done. Like when you get good grades you become happy because of all your hard work and knowing that it paid off. Not only do you make yourself happy but you also the people around you happy. Another example is when you help someone out in anything. You get that good feeling inside knowing that you helped another person and made them happy. Therefore, it makes you happy as well.

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 2

My test method: I have different strategies for different types of tests or subject. For me, any type of math is exceptionally difficult so I had to spend extra time on that. I would go back through the homework problems focusing on the problems that I had difficulty on. Many times I would ask the teacher for any additional study materials they could provide. If it was a class that required memorization or applying concepts I would create a sort of study guide for myself many times focusing on what were key focal points in the class. If I knew they were going to be essays I would try to take the terms and apply them to an example or create different questions on the concepts focused on throughout the semester.

My time management secret: I always always always carry a planner with me. I even use different color highlighters to show what each event on my calendar is for. For example, pink is personal, yellow is school, orange is work, blue is for appointments, and green is for my sorority. Although I use white-out frequently, I can see in bright yellow that if I have that project for finance due Tuesday, I need to start working on it on [the previous] Wednesday so I can just get it done. My friends have always been amazed at how early I get things accomplished but that is really all I do.

"American Idol's" Gentle Giant Jermaine Jones Disqualified For Criminal Past

He was disqualified because he kept a secret that he was a criminal before. The people in charge from american idol disqualified him because they didn't like that he was a criminal. I think that he should have told them from the beginning and not kept it a secret. 

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 1

Time management became a key factor in my study skills for college. In high school, there were times I was able to study for an hour or two the night before a test and get away with it. This was not the case in college. I made sure in college I was prepared for each class. Sometimes that meant writing out the terms for the chapter we read (even if when it isn’t required) to better understand them. That way when the midterm or test comes around I was able to understand what I was studying. I started taking excellent notes in class in college. I may have done this in high school, but in college I started typing up the notes after class. This helped me remember what I went over in class then when I had a test one week later I was more likely to remember then as well.

My overall study method: Structured. One thing I learned was I had to adapt or change my study method according to the class. I couldn’t study for a Religion Class the same way I studied for Finance class. But making sure I had enough time to study for each class—even if it meant carrying a planner with me at all times was a big part of my success.

Student Success Statement

"There is no set path, just follow your heart."

-Anonymous

You shouldn't rely on a certain thing in your life, whatever your heart wants then that's what you should do. You should do and be whatever you want to be and don't let anything or anyone get in the way of that. 

 

Work Together

Part 3

Here are my final words of wisdom for students who want to get better grades in college: A big thing that not many will say is to ask for help if you needed it. It’s not a bad thing to not understand, it’s a bad thing if you don’t do anything about it. Plan your time out so you are completing everything that needs to get done and leave time to double check. Write things down and have good time management skills. Ask for help is probably the biggest thing I can say though. If you don’t understand, go to office hours or find a classmate that does understand and is willing to help you. If you try hard, it will come to you. I find myself thinking that I would have to try harder to fail than I try to succeed. It is something that is within me to succeed. If that is not who you are, then hopefully things that I have done can show you that success is something that I amazing to find! Good luck!

Work Together

Part 2

English, math, foreign, language tips: For math, all I can say is do the problems assigned. It is the only way to practice and that’s really all it is for math. It’s the same for chemistry; if you do the practice problems you will understand the material so much better because those subjects are not just memorization like history, you need to be able to apply what you have learned in practical situations. As for English, I am no longer taking it, but I would say to leave yourself plenty of time to write essays and papers. They take time to get all the information out of your head and onto the page, so don’t leave them until the last second.

Each at least 25 years in prison from Long Island, NY.

You need to be careful with who you hang out with because some people can get you into trouble. You shouldn't get into gangs either cause you will mess up your life. Just like these guys that are going to get sent to jail, you can too. They're getting sent for a dumb reason and it's not even worth risking your life for. 

Work Together

Part 1

I can and will work as part of the team as long as everyone in the team is willing to do his work. I don’t like having to pick up the slack, but I will if I know that my grade will be harmed otherwise. My greatest academic success was in my first semester when I had to write a 10-12 page research paper. It was the longest paper I had ever been assigned and I was a little scared. Also, it was the first paper where they were like, here you go, just write about something, I had to argue in favor of or against something, but it could be anything from the sky is blue to hypnotism. I wrote mine on hypnotism. I worked on this paper for weeks and weeks. Every night I would be doing research or writing. I put so much paper into this paper. It ended up being just under 12 pages but it was full on information. I turned it in and when I got it back a week so or later, I had received the first A+ of my college career. All my hard work paid off because I got the grade I deserve. I was really happy and proud of myself. 

Student Success Statement

“Try a little harder to be a little better.”

Gordon B. Hinckley

You can never stop improving. You can always get better at anything that you do. But you will only get better if you want to and if you put the effort into it.

You Can Succeed Everyday

Part 2

My strategies for written assignments: I try to outline before I write because otherwise I forget what I am supposed to be talking about. I try not to leave them until the last minute because then I will just goof up the work. A lot of times I just write what I feel. Teachers like your opinion and if you can find something from the reading or research that relates specifically to your life, they like it even more because it allows you to make ownership of your work. I write things that I have to write because the teacher said so.

How I succeed in team projects: Personally, I do not like working on group projects, especially ones that I worked on in high school. However, when it is required to work in a group, usually I try to lead. I like taking the lead because then I know that my grade will be a good one. I do well in school, I always have and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon, so when I need to work with people who maybe don’t care as much as I do, or they more time to waste on things other than my project, I try to be in charge. That way I know that things are going to get done on time and that I am going to get a good grade. If I am working in a group of people who all want to work, then it is a different story.

You Can Succeed Every Day

Part 1

My overall study method: I break up studying over several days and over the course of the evening and day. Cramming never works for me so I try not to do it. I will have longer sessions on nights before big tests, but I never stay up much later than normal before tests. I know that if I take the test tired the next day I will not do as well if I was rested.

How I’ve overcome an initial grade: I usually look over the test or paper to see what I did that the teacher did not want. Basically, I do not stress out about grades that much because for me they are not worth getting really upset about. I do well because I know that I know the material. However, if I do get a bad grade, or one lower than I expected, I make sure that the next time a test is coming I study even more so that I won’t be surprised by the questions. 

Effective Study Methods

Part 3

How I deal with multiple projects/tests: When I have more than one test or project, I break up mu studying. I will study for one test for 30 minutes or so and then switch to the other one. If there is some part of the project that I know will not take me a very long time, I will do it when I don’t have much time. If I am really in a crunch for time on a specific day, I will study for one test in the morning and the other in the afternoon or at night. By breaking up the studying into different sections, I feel like I get much more done. Cram sessions do not work for me. I need to study something for a shorter period of time more often for it to sink in.

Effective Study Methods

Part 2

My time management secret: My secret is to use time wisely. I know that on certain days I do not have time to run errands or hang out with friends even. Each minute of each day is used for something. One thing that works really well for me is to write everything down. I mean everything. I write down if I’m going to email people, write letters, or study. It works for me to have a planner that goes by the day and shows me what I am going to do every day. Knowing what I have to do every day helps me plan out my week and my days. If I know that I don’t have time on Tuesday, I will try to get more things done on Monday or Sunday. I plan ahead, especially if I am going to be on the road for volleyball. When I am on the road, I bring my books and read on the bus/plane/motel room. Missing class is killer to make up time, but if you are upfront with your professors, they are usually nice about turning things in late or not being in classes.