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Mid-term reflections and resources

 

“Becoming a successful college student requires the application of study skills, the development of life skills, and a willingness to ask for help if you need it.” 
 
Now that we are approaching mid-term season, I thought a helpful review of strategies and resources could be a good thing for all of us.  Have a good end of the week, rest up, and work smart.

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STUDY SKILLS
Study skills are like athletic skills – the more you practice, the better you get!

 
MENTAL HEALTH
Maintaining good mental health, like maintaining physical health, takes time and effort.  If it’s person-to-person assistance you want, FREE and CONFIDENTIAL services are available on campus!

PHYSICAL HEALTH
You are not just a brain; you are a body! Maintaining good physical health is as important as developing learning skills and mental health. Check out these on-campus resources and ACTIVATE yourself!
 
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Developing a diverse circle of friends and activities is not only fun – it’s good for you!
 
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY EXPLAINED
Every year, somebody discovers the hard way that they don’t know everything they need to know about academic integrity – why it’s important, how to protect it, and how to avoid commonly-made mistakes that can land you in front of the Honor Council. My favorite resource on this topic is one I found on the Web. I like it because it explains in student-friendly language why trust is so important, why original research is so hard, and why citations do so much more for you than “just” protect you from charges of plagiarism. It also addresses such confusing questions as: When is collaboration okay and when is it cheating? Have I cited something thoroughly if I’ve listed it in my references? Although it’s from Princeton University, everything but the details of the disciplinary process apply to you, too: http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/community/

MID-TERM GRADES & STRATEGIES
Mid-term grades are but one way to assess your academic performance. Even more important than mid-term grade reports is your own grade-tracking. Remember those syllabi your instructors handed out (or put on ELMS) at the beginning of the semester? Most instructors will convey their approaches to grading on the first day of class. Now is a good time to review them!

Here are three common misconceptions about mid-term grades…

1. Importance of quizzes: “The calc test didn’t go so well, but I’m getting lots of 8’s and 9’s (out of 10) on my quizzes.” Review your syllabus now if you are one of these students -- Many course syllabi clearly state that quizzes account for only 10-15% of the final grade! 

If you are doing well on quizzes, but not well on your exams, please get help NOW! Use practice exams; re-do problem sets quickly (and accurately) to “drill” yourself much as athletes, musicians or actors – when their big performances are time-limited and must be of high quality. See tutors (“coaches”) ASAP if you think you are slipping.

2. One poor grade doesn't mean you'll fail the course: “A poor grade on my first ENGL101 assignment means I’m not a good writer.” they don’t realize that the first grade counts for relatively less in the overall grade, and that subsequent assignments will each become more important. Their instructors are looking for (and rewarding) improvement over the course of a semester. So: if you get feedback on your written work – pay attention, and apply what you’ve learned to your later assignments.

3. Extra Credit: It never ceases to amaze me how few students take advantage of extra credit opportunities! Contrary to popular belief, many instructors do realize that many students demonstrate their best learning not in exams, but by seeing a film, attending a campus lecture, or doing outside reading -- and relating that to course content, instead. If your instructor gives you “extra credit” opportunities, use them! Who knows: One day you may have to take an exam when you have a horrible cold… and having extra credit points built up gives you “insurance” when you know that outside circumstances are affecting your usual strong test performance.

Finally, know that hard work now comes with a reward, because material learned well early on, makes studying for final exams feel like “review.” And it’s a lot easier to go into Finals with a good grade built up, than to feel you must mobilize “rescue mode,” with “everything” depends on how well you do on the exam.


Dropping courses
UNIVERSITY POLICY
University policy allows students to drop one class or 4 credits with a “W.” This means you could drop JAPN101 (6 credits, but one class) or ENGL 212 and KNES 155N (4 credits, but two classes).


Keep up the great work, if you’re already doing it and take advantage of campus resources and study strategies if you need to make some changes!