Office of Academic Support

The Top Ten
Students are successful in college if they:

1. Design and use a system of time management

Academic time management options:

The most important predictor of academic success is effective time management. Yet, college time management is very different than anything a student has ever experienced previously. It is especially different from high school where students are kept in school 8 hours a day every day, Suddenly, you are in college and have 2 or 3 hours of class instead of 8! Don't make the mistake of enjoying the free time. It is not free; you must decide what academic work to do the other 5 or 6 hours. Just like in high school, being a full-time student means at least 8 hours of work per day, or 40 hours per week, or 3 hours of work for every hour of class. If you would like to improve your college academic time management, the following options are available to you.

A. You can request that a personalized academic time management system be designed specifically for you. Call x5964 or click on the banner at the top of this web page to contact this office for an appointment.

B. You can request a tutorial about how to design your own academic time management system.

C. You can design your own schedule and system using the forms that are linked to this web page.

Time management 14-hour day sheet
Time management 24-hour day sheet
Syllabus map and calendar

2. Go to class, always.

· Successful students go to class.
· Responsible students go to class.
· Attendance is a sign of interest in the class.
· You cannot be an active participant or contribute to class if you are absent.
· Your own notes are always better then copying the notes of someone else.
· Even if you are tired and distracted, some information will sink in because you are present.

3. Meet with your professors outside of class.

· Be sure to meet with all of your faculty early in the semester, ideally during their office hours and before the first exam.

· Learn their office hours and stop by their offices to talk with them. All faculty schedule office hours so they can be available to students at predictable times. Accordingly, this is an easy time to locate your faculty. It is not as effective to just catch the professor before or after class. These are often busy times and faculty can be rushed or distracted.

· If you cannot meet during their office hours, send an e-mail and ask if you can schedule a time to talk.

· The conversation can be easy if you plan for it. Perhaps bring a question from the reading that you found confusing. Perhaps bring a question about the previous lecture that you did not fully understand.

· Meeting with professors to ask questions or seek advice before tests or papers can provide you with extra information and assistance so that you perform better.

4. Participate and contribute to class by talking, asking, and answering questions.

· Successful students are active participants in class discussions.  

· Contributing to class is an opportunity to show that you have prepared for class and are paying attention.

· It is important to talk in class. It is very difficult for a professor to distinguish between a quiet student who is disinterested and disengaged and a quiet student who is interested and engaged in class.

· Professors who run discussion-oriented classes expect all students to talk in class, and many courses have a participation grade as part of the syllabus so the people who contribute to the class can be rewarded.

· If it difficult for you to respond to a question, then plan ahead and ask a question from the reading or the previous class.

5. Be prepared for class. Do the homework and/or the assigned reading before class.

· Class lectures will be easier to follow if you have done the reading before class.
You will be able to notice when class readings and class lectures connect with one another.  

·To prepare for class, read the assignment and take notes on your reading. It is not sufficient to simply race through the reading. Reading carefully and taking notes on separate paper or even in the book margins will help you concentrate and stay engaged with the text. This will take longer, but you will be better prepared when studying for a test.

· You will be able to identify information that is confusing and get assistance before the test.

· You won't be fearful about going to class and participating if you have done the reading before class.

· You won't be tempted to skip class because you are unprepared.

6. Take good notes and review them before and after every class.

· Take good notes. Write down as many of the main points and examples as you can. If they are difficult to understand, rewrite them. Do not just write what the professor puts on the board.

· Then, read your entire notebook before and after every class. Reading notes before class will prepare you for class. Reading notes after class will help you identify course concepts or ideas about which you are unclear.

· While you are reading a day's notes for the first time, clean them up. For example, mark themes that appear in multiple lectures. Mark sections of the notes that connect to the class reading. Fill in areas that you missed. Mark important information.  

· Taking good notes can help you stay focused on the class and pay attention.

· If there is something in your notes that does not make sense, be sure to ask for clarification from the professor either during the next class or during faculty office hours.

7. Plan ahead; start papers and projects before the day they are due.

When you finish papers before they are due, you have more time to proofread. You have time to take drafts to the writing center. You have time to consult with the instructor. You have time to meet with an Oral Communication tutor to get assistance and suggestions. You have some time to digest your work and make revisions. All of these strategies result in better work.

8. Don't wait; get tutors as soon as you are not doing well in class.

St. Lawrence University prides itself on the academic support systems available for its students. Tutors are professionally trained, have done well in the class for which they tutor, and are free to the student. Often, you will be assigned to a tutor who had the course from the same professor that you have now.

· You don't have to be failing a course to request a tutor. You can simply want to improve your grade.

· If you want to do better in a class, get a tutor as early in the semester as possible. Don't wait until late in the semester when it is difficult to catch up with all the material that has been covered.

 Click here to request a course tutor

· The Writing Center in ODY Library has writing tutors available. · The Oral Communication Center in ODY library has trained oral communication tutors available.

9. Know yourself

Know yourself. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses and plan your studies accordingly. For example:

· Plan to study your most difficult or challenging classes during the time of the day when you are most alert.

· If the amount of work discourages you, be sure to use free hours during the day. If you chip away at the assignment, the amount of work will not seem as overwhelming at night.

· If friends easily distract you, then find a place to study that is away from your friends and your room.

· If you find it difficult to leave your room, take that book to lunch or dinner, and immediately after eating go directly to a study location without returning to your room.

· If you are a procrastinator and find it difficult to start a paper or project, break the assignment down into smaller tasks so that it does not seem as overwhelming.

· If you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed to the point that you are unable to concentrate, take a time out and do something nice for yourself. This does not mean ignore your work; it simply means take a short time to do something you enjoy to get yourself back on track. Perhaps take a walk, do some exercise, write a letter, call a friend, then return to work.

· If you find yourself unmotivated to do your work, devise ways to reward yourself when something is done.

Often, recognizing what is interfering with your academic success is the first step to devising a way to address it, or at least make it less of a problem. If you have no idea what is interfering with your success, talk to any of the professional staff in Academic Resources or Counseling Services. Often they can help. Once you recognize the interference, you can address it.

10. Learn about and use campus resources.

In addition to the tutors described in number 8, SLU has a deeply committed group of professionals in the Office of Advising, Planning and Services who offer many types of academic support for students. I urge you to utilize their services.

Coordinator of Academic Support: Ginny Schwartz
Whitman 161  phone 5678 or 5964
This particular web page belongs to me, Ginny Schwartz, the Coordinator of Academic Support. You can read about the services and types of support that are available from me by reading this web page. But even better, I encourage you to stop by my office and learn more about these options. In addition, the banner at the top of this web page provides several options that you can use immediately to contact me.

The following 2 offices also offer academic support for students. Their web pages provide specific details about what they can provide for you.

Coordinator of Academic Achievement and the Peer Tutoring Program:
Becky Graham
Whitman 160 phone 5604
Link to Becky's page

Director of Academic Services for Students With Special Needs:
John Meagher
Whitman 171  phone 5104
Link to John's Page