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Table of Contents

Part One Foundations

Making the Most of the College Success Course and this Textbook

The First Day of This Course

Students

Instructors

Staff Members/Administrators/Advisers

Accessing Better Jobs, Higher Salaries, a Better Life

Preparing for Graduate or Professional Education

Developing Lifelong Friendships and Professional Networks

Building Academic Skills

Considering Other Outcomes

Considering Purpose

Getting Started with Goal Setting

Setting SMART Goals

Locus of Control　

Guided Pathways and the Downside of Poor Choices

What are High-Impact Practices?

When, How, and Why Should I Be HIP?
techtip: E-mail with Style

Motivation

Attitude

Mindsets

Perceiving and Managing Emotions

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life

Improving Emotional Intelligence

Identifying Your EI Skills and Competencies

techtip: Build a Digital Persona

Taking Control of Your Time

Your Memory Cannot Be Your Only Planner

techtip: Organize Your Time

Overcoming Procrastination

Dealing with Distractions

Establishing a Routine

Find a Balance

Don’t Overextend Yourself

Stay Focused

Creating a Workable Class Schedule

Scheduling Your Classes in Blocks

Learning Theories

The VARK Learning-Styles Inventory

Use VARK Results to Study More Effectively

The Kolb Inventory of Learning Styles

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Multiple Intelligences

techtip: Navigate Online Learning with Your College LMS

Attention Disorders

Cognitive Learning Disabilities

Problem Solving in and out of Class

Making a Choice between Slow and Fast Thinking

Collaboration

Creativity

Asking Questions

Considering Multiple Points of View and Drawing Conclusions

Making Arguments

Challenging Assumptions and Beliefs

Examining Evidence

Recognizing and Avoiding Faulty Reasoning

Bloom’s Six Levels of Learning

Bloom’s Taxonomy and the First Year of College

techtip: Use your Critical-Thinking Skills in Conducting Research

Previewing

Strategies for Marking Your Textbook

Reading with Concentration

Reviewing

Listen Critically and with an Open Mind

Speak Up

Note-Taking Formats

Note-Taking Techniques

techtip: Explore Note-Taking Programs and Apps

Review Your Notes

Compare Notes

Class Notes and Homework

Connecting Memory to Deep Learning

techtip: Use the Cloud

Myths about Memory

Strategies for Remembering

Prepare for Test Taking

Prepare for Math and Science Exams

Prepare Physically

Prepare Emotionally

Problem Solving Tests

Machine-Scored Tests

Computerized Tests

Laboratory Tests

Open-Book and Open-Notes Tests

techtip: Conquer Online Tests

Take-Home Tests

Essay Questions

Multiple-Choices Questions

Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

True/False Questions

Matching Questions

Symptoms of Test Anxiety

Types of Test Anxiety

Strategies for Dealing with Test Anxiety

Getting the Test Back

What is Cheating?

Why Students Cheat and the Consequences of Cheating

Learning to Be Information Literate

What’s Research—and What’s Not?

The 20-Minute Rule

Scholarly Articles and Journals

techtip: Conduct Effective Searches

Periodicals

Books

Relevance

Authority

Bias

Steps to Good Writing

Know Your Audience

The Importance of Time in the Writing Process

Citing Your Sources

About Plagiarism

Guidelines for Successful Speaking

Characteristics of Today’s Economy

Prepare for Your First Meeting with Your Academic Adviser

Know the Right Questions to Ask about Your Major

Learn How to Select Your Classes

Explore Course Options and Pay Attention to Your Grades

Deal with a Mismatch

Assess Your Career Competencies

Clarify Your Personal and Workplace Values

Understand Your Skills, Aptitudes, Personality, and Interests

Using the Holland Model

Internships and Other Professional Work Experiences

techtip: Join the Professional Community

Part-Time Work in College

Branding "You, Inc."

Building a Résumé

Writing a Cover Letter

Putting it All Together

What Your Instructors Expect from You

What You Can Expect from Your Instructors

What You Can Expect from Your Peer Leader

Make the Most of the Learning Relationship

Understanding Academic Freedom

Handling a Conflict between You and an Instructor

Marriage and Parenting during College

Relationships with Your Parents

Homesickness

Roommates

Romantic Relationships

Communicating about Safe Sex

Avoiding Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

Using Birth Control

Protecting Yourself and Others against Sexual Assault and Violence

To Greek or Not to Greek?

Working

techtip: Build a Digital Persona

Community Service

Ethnicity, Culture, Race, and Religion

Other Differences You Will Encounter in College

Bias, Stereotyping and Microaggressions

Raising Awareness

What You Can Do to Stand for Inclusion on Campus

Embracing Diversity in College

Embracing Diversity in the Workplace

Embracing Diversity in Life

techtip: Go Beyond the Filter

Managing Stress to Maintain Wellness

The Importance of Good Nutrition

Body-Positivity: Having a Healthy Self-Image

Exercising to Maintain Wellness

Getting Enough Sleep to Maintain Wellness

Spirituality

Emotional Health

Alcohol Use

Tobacco

Mairjuana

Prescription Drugs

techtip: Turn Off Your Screens for Better Sleep

Creating a Budget

Cutting Costs

Types of Aid

Navigating Financial Aid

Qualifying for Aid

How to Keep your Funding

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working

Student Loans

Understanding Credit

techtip: Track Your Budget with Digital Tools

Debit Cards

Glossary

Index

Authors

John Gardner

John Gardner wrote over fifty novels, including a series of highly acclaimed comic novels featuring the cowardly secret agent Boysie Oakes, and a number of continuation James Bond books commissioned by the Ian Fleming copyright holders.

Betsy O. Barefoot

Betsy O. Barefoot is a writer, researcher, and teacher whose special area of scholarship is the first-year seminar. During her tenure at USC from 1988 to 1999, she served as co-director for research and publications at the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. She also taught University 101 and graduate courses on the first-year experience and the principles of college teaching. She conducts first-year seminar faculty training workshops around the world and is frequently called on to evaluate first-year seminar outcomes. Betsy is co-director and senior scholar in the Policy Center on the First Year of College and Vice President of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education both in Brevard, N.C. In her Policy Center role she led a major national research project to identify institutions of excellence in the first college year. She currently works with both two- and four-year campuses in evaluating all components of the first year.

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