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Common Academic Issues
Improving Your Attitude towards School
1) Focus on what you can learn rather than the degree you will earn.
2) Write down your reasons for attending college and for earning a college degree.
3) Think about your reasons for attending GW. What do you want to accomplish while at GW?
4) Make your college experience, both classes and extracurricular activities, fit your interests and personality.
5) Define your career goals by carefully researching your options and your interests.
6) Make a commitment to following through with achieving your goals.
7) Take responsibility for your future.
8) Attribute academic successes to your efforts. Focus on the positives of your college experience. Let go of negativity.
9) Introduce yourself to your professors. It is easier to learn from someone you know and like.
10) Look to develop friendships with people who have similar interests and who have a positive attitude about life (and school).
How to Answer Essay Questions
Remember the goals of essay questions:
1) To reveal one's ability to make valid generalizations and to support them with sound evidence.
2) To apply broad principles to a series instances.
3) Short essay questions test one's ability to produce accurate explanations supported by facts. These usually consist of one or two well-organized paragraphs.
Here is how you can prepare:
1) Get a sense for the type of essay exam the professor generally gives; e.g., short vs. long thought questions.
2) Try to get some idea of the general area that will be covered; i.e., concepts, issues, theories, etc.
3) Carefully review lecture notes to ascertain which broad areas have constituted central discussion topics.
4) Carefully review text(s). Link and/or supplement major areas here with those in your notes.
5) Mentally test yourself: What major concepts and relationships were covered? Now, what details support these?
6) Be able to write a concise outline, covering the material.
7) Remember: Present a sound generalization then prove it with appropriate detail.
8) Be familiar with the terminology used in the course. Be able to understand concepts and use appropriate terms.
Getting ready to take the exam:
1) Listen for any oral directions, if any.
2) Read the questions carefully. What are they asking?
3) Be sure you understand the question. What is the controlling idea? What are the key words? (Underline them.)
4) How is the answer to be given? Is the question asking for fact? Opinion? Explanation? Comparison?
5) If the question seems ambiguous, first seek clarification from the professor. If still not clear, state your interpretation of the question before attempting to answer it. Remember, essay questions are aimed at concepts and the emphasis in the course; so you must be able to conceptualize, succinctly respond, and support your generalization with sufficient details.
6) Define any vague terms; for example, some terms may have ambiguous implications if not clearly defined.
7) Think through your answer. Then go back and reread the question to make sure that you are answering what is asked.
Writing your answers:
1) Remember to take time to think, make notes, and prepare a rough outline before you begin to write the essay: Develop the summary statement and support the statement with details.
2) Once you have your summary in outline form, expand upon it and write it in written form, tactfully and clearly.
3) Budget your time so that you are not forced to rush through your final essay because you spend too much time on the earlier one(s).
4) Allow a little time to proofread for grammar, spelling errors, omissions, etc.
Improving Information Processing Techniques
Reading Textbooks:
1) Use a survey approach to reading a chapter, i.e., read the headings and subheadings, observe charts and graphs, read summaries, and skim questions at the end.
2) Based on your surveying, ask questions before you read the chapter. Become actively curious about the material as this aids in concentration, comprehension and memory.
3) Read each section for understanding. Make a deliberate effort to recall the main points. Don't read further if you don't understand the key concepts.
4) While reading a text book make notes in the margins; consistently use a variety of markers to indicate examples, dates, etc.; underline main concepts. Make a list of key terms and their definitions.
5) If you take detailed notes, make an outline to condense the material and organize the material into identifiable categories.
6) Read material prior to attending the lecture, so you already have a general understanding or at least recognition of the material.
Listening in Lectures:
1) When taking notes use an outline format. Make sure you include all key section headings and distinguish definitions, key points, supporting material, examples, and your own ideas or questions. Try to put your notes into your own words, except when writing definitions or exact examples.
2) When highlighting your text, mark only after reading a section. This will allow you to chose the main points and not mark the same ideas twice. Don't just rely on your highlighting when you study for a test.
3) Judge the content of the material not its delivery. Listen for ideas, keep your mind open, write down questions you have, and resist distractions.
4) Don't tune out in the last few minutes of a lecture. Professors may cram very important material into the last few minutes so you need to stay alert until the end.
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