"Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential." Student Success Statement

Student Success Statement

“Continuous effort, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking our potential.”

-Liane Cordes

I agree with this statement because when you put so much effort into something you will have the potential to do something in life. All your effort you put into something will encourage you to have the potential to achieve your dream goals and will get you far. For example when you are in school, you have to put a lot of effort to do well in your academic work. Once you’re done it will pay off later on because you will have the potential to become some one important in life.

Selecting Your Courses Part 6

Selecting Your Courses

Part 6

Success in AP can also help you on other ways. AP helps you stand out in the admission process and offers the opportunity to learn from some of the most inspiring teachers in the world. Learn more about the AP Program.

For more help in Choosing Courses

Use College Search to look up a specific college’s academic requirements to be sure you are on track to attend the college of your choice.

If you have concerns about your class schedule or progress in school, set up a meeting with your school counselor, teacher or adviser. There are many resources to help you with this process, and with achieving your personal, college and career goals. Without goals, you meander all sorts of directions. Goals give you purpose, direction, enthusiasm, and passion for that which you really desire. Define your goals deliberately, evaluate your goals often and make changes as necessary, work hard to achieve your goals, and continue working hard until you actually do reach your goals.

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Selecting Your Courses Part 1

Selecting Your Courses

Recommended Classes for College Success

Part 1

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/33.html

The academic rigor of your high school courses is an important factor in the college admission process. College admission officers see your high school course schedule as a blueprint of your education. They’re looking for a solid formation of learning that you can build on in college.

To create that foundation, take at least five solid academic classes every semester. Start with the basics and then move on to advanced courses. Challenging yourself is part of what makes school fun; but you need a firm grasp of the fundamentals before going on to more advanced work.

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The Power of Study Groups Part 3

The Power of Study Groups

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/high-school/50432.html

Part 3

Guidelines for Getting a Group Together

Here are some guidelines for creating and running a study group; how many? Create a group of four to six people. In a larger group, it’s easy for someone to get left out and smaller groups can too easily get off track.

Who? Pick classmates who seem to share your interests in doing well academically. Look for people who stay alert in class, take notes, ask questions and respond to the teacher’s questions. Include someone who understands the material better than you can explain the concepts and someone who doesn’t understand it as well, to whom you can explain the material.

Where? Hold study group sessions in a place that is free of distractions and that has room to spread out books and notes.

How long? Meet for no more than two to three hours at a time. Having a time limit helps the group focus. If you know you only have an hour, you’re more likely to stay on task.

When? Try to meet regularly, on the same day and time each week. Treating the study session as you would other activities helps you to keep a schedule and ensure that everyone attends.

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Study for Multiple Exams Part 3

Study for Multiple Exams

Part 3

English, math, foreign language tips: PRACTICE – especially foreign language. It is hard to succeed in a foreign language class if you are just showing and doing the work. But if you are in your room and look at objects and try to say them in the language you are learning it actually helps. Or if you send a simple text to a friend think about it, can you translate that to Germans or Spanish? There are the little things that will help.

Here are my final words or wisdom for students who want to get better grades in college: time management and organization are critical key factors to success in college. And never be afraid to go ask your teacher for help. They have office hours for a reason-use them!

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Study for Multiple Exams Part 3

Study for Multiple Exams Part 2

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 about 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. That 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.

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 Study for Multiple Exams Part 2

Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 2

Sarah’s Academic Success Story

Part 2

My test study method: I have different strategies for different types of tests or subjects. 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 extra 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 there 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 on 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.

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Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 2

Sarah's Academic Success Story Part 1

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 just 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 a 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.

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You Can Succeed Everyday Part 2

You Can Succeed Everyday

Part 2

My strategies for written assignments: I try to outline before I write because otherwise I forgot 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 take ownership of your work. I write things that I will want others to read; not 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 have more time to waste on things other than the 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 work, then it is a different story.

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Effective Study Methods Part 2

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 am 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 be doing every day. Knowing what I have to do everyday 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/hotel room. Missing class is killer to make up from, but if you are upfront with your professors, they are usually nice about having to turn things in late or not being in class.

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Effective Methods Part 2 

Academic Success Part 2

Academic Success

Part 2

Laura B.’s Academic Success Story

In high school I was one of the good students who didn’t really have to study to be a good student. The information that I took for notes in class usually sunk in enough for me to be able to get by on the tests by simply reviewing the material just before the class began. It wasn’t that I didn’t try, I had a 4.0 all through out high school, but I never really had to put forth much of an effort to get the results that I wanted to see. In college however, that changed. Not only did I start studying and reading the book, but I began to understand that the little tiny facts were just as important as the general concepts.my overall study method: I do the reading that is required for the classes, and I try to keep up. If I do fall behind, I usually use the reading that I did not get to as an additional study aid. I take good notes in class and actually attend every class that I can. Sometimes, with volleyball, it’s tough because we are on the road a lot, but if I do miss class because of volleyball I make sure that I get the notes from another student in the class. Also, for a subject such as chemistry, I do practice problems to help me understand what the material means.

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Academic Success Part 1

Academic Success

Part 1

My great academic success: In my principles of marketing class, we had to come up with a new product and sell it. My group ended up with a couple supposedly bad students according to our teacher since they were the last ones picked. In the end, they helped out more than needed since I was team leader I assigned them certain pieces of the project that became solely their responsibility. Delegating work always helps since it allows a group member individual work without separating the group.

English, math, foreign language tips: Math basically just takes practice. I always tell students to take a blank piece of paper and write everything you know about what you’ve learned or what you’re studying for in the class. If you don’t remember everything or start drawing blanks, then you need to study more and review your notes. Note cards work really well for foreign language.

Here are my final words of wisdom for students who want to get better grades in college: Go to class, make friends with people in class just in case you’re absent, and remember that you should want to learn.

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