Adapted from the University of Minnesota Libraries College Success open textbook.
Strategies for Academic Success by University of Saskatchewan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Strategies for Academic Success is adapted from a work produced and distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) in 2017 by the University of Saskatchewan.
This adaptation has seen significant rewriting and reformatting of the original 2010 and 2016 texts, replacement of images and figures, and deletions and rearrangements of chapters and sections. This work is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license, with the exception of the cover photo, which is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license from photographer Francisco Osorio.
Strategies for Academic Success accompanies the first-year University of Saskatchewan College of Arts and Science online course by the same name. The textbook has a reader-friendly format arranged to help you develop the essential skills and provide the information you need to succeed in university.
2017
Revisions to the original 2010 text were made in 2016 by Marc D’Eon, Noreen Mahoney, and Brook Klassen at the University of Saskatchewan. Thank you to the University of Saskatchewan for funding this work; my colleagues at Student Learning Services in the University Library for their encouragement and wisdom; and U of S Instructional Designers Jordan Epp and Jeanette McKee for their superb instructional design, technical, and organizational support. Last, but not least, thank you to Heather Ross from the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) for her passion and advocacy for Open Educational Resources, and for her encouragement to take on the adaptation of this text
-Liv Marken, University of Saskatchewan
2010
We would like to thank the following reviewers whose comprehensive feedback and suggestions for improving the material helped make this a better text:
Welcome to higher education. You likely have a mix of emotions as you begin your university journey. You may have heard a lot about what university is about — and its value — from family, friends, and the media. Remember, though, that this is your experience, and that it can be what you make of it!
Most students would say that they’re in university with the expectation of getting a job and/or career out of the experience. And they are correct that university usually pays off enormously in terms of future earnings, job security and stability, and job satisfaction.
People with a university education will make much more in their lifetime on average and be much happier with the work they do. A recent study from the University of Ottawa examined eight consecutive years of income data for 620,000 graduates of 14 Canadian universities, finding that earnings growth was steady. Counter to stereotype, those who completed social sciences and humanities degrees also earned more than those who had not completed a degree at all (Ross Finnie, et al., Education Policy Research Initiative, 2016).
Job and career attainment is only a part of the big picture. A university education results in many other personal benefits, less tangible than earnings:
Despite the many benefits to completing post-secondary education, it’s important to recognize that some students do not succeed in university and drop out within the first year. Sometimes it’s due to an unsolvable financial problem or a personal or family crisis, but the most likely reasons that a Canadian university student will drop out are as follows:
Certain skills, attitudes, and habits are needed for university, and some of these qualities are present in students in high school; however, the new structure and expectations of university make it hard for some students to carry those qualities forward.
Ultimately, you can learn whatever you need in order to succeed. You can learn how to
You are already bringing a lot of skills and personal strengths to the experience, so take some time to appreciate them so that you start positively.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI), developed by organizational behaviour professor David Cooperrider, is a useful process to adapt to personal development. AI was designed with organizations in mind, but it has been used for personal development as well.
AI starts with an inventory of positive, or “the best of what is” rather than the problems that need solving (Cooperrider, 2012).
Can you begin your university journey with a list of your strengths and resources? This is the “Discovery” part of Cooperrider’s AI 4-D Cycle, which contains four parts. Get out a piece of paper, or type out everything you can think of that’s positive right now in relation to starting university.
For example, Deanna is starting university in the fall. Here is her Discovery list of “the best of what is” for her:
Note that Deanna’s left out any “but…,” such as “one good friend joining me at university, but what if I don’t see her often? What if we grow apart?” or “the campus is beautiful, but it terrifies me!”; she’s trusting the AI process and focusing for now on the positive.
The second step in the AI 4-D cycle is “Dream,” the place to imagine future possibilities. Try to write a narrative rather than a list of bullet points. You can even create a poster or a drawing to represent a vision of the future. Here’s Deanna’s dream, which is grounded in positive realities from the “Discover” phase:
I will move to Saskatoon with my friend Mara. I will look forward to cooking my first meal in my new home, and making it a home. I’ll look for a part time job where I can be helping people, such as at a daycare or a senior’s home. I will make sure to keep connecting with my grandmother, which will be important for keeping my spirits up and helping me to remember my goals when times get tough, and my friend and I will be sure to connect each week since we don’t have classes together. I’ll join a recreational soccer team so that I can meet some new people and get some exercise.
The third step in the AI 4-D cycle is “Design,” where you look at your discover list and your dream narrative, and thinking about some of the practicalities so that you plan a way to get to where you want to go. Here is Deanna’s design for carrying out her dreams:
I’ll move to the city in August so I’ll have time to find a place to live. I’ll have time to make it a good home, and won’t be rushed when starting school. In terms of a job, maybe I can use my skill with cooking, my ability to be good at helping people, or my creativity to work with kids or seniors. I’ll visit the university career centre to get some more ideas about that. I will set up a regular time each week where I can Skype grandma, and where I can meet Mara for lunch or study time at the library. I’ll check the deadlines for signing up for soccer.
The fourth and final step in the AI 4-D Cycle is “Destiny,” where you are living what you have discovered, dreamed, and designed. The destiny phase isn’t really final, though, as you will return to re-discover, dream and design again before going back to the destiny phase. Deanna will have another look at herself and her strengths and resources in a few months to try this cycle out again. It’s worth the time to come back to AI as it’s extremely motivating and energizing when things start to feel tough.
As you work your way through this chapter, realize that you can harness some of the work you’ve done already, and some of your attributes and resources, to succeed. You will encounter disappointments, stress, and some ups and downs, but if you take the long view, and a positive approach, you will succeed.
Consider why you’re here in university, what matters to you, and what you expect to get out it. Even if you have already thought about these questions, it’s good to reaffirm your commitment to your plan. Thinking clearly about it will help you to focus your energies.
Take a few minutes and write down short answers to the questions in Activity 1, below. Be honest with yourself, and write down what you really feel.
How long do you anticipate being in university?
_______________________________
How many courses will you need to take per term to finish university in your planned time period (Tip: talk to an academic advisor or look up your institution’s degree requirements)?
_______________________________
What do you anticipate will be the most difficult part of completing university?
________________________________________________________
Are you confident you will be able to overcome any possible difficulties in completing university? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________________
Answering these questions is a first step toward making a clear plan that includes anticipating obstacles.
A good place to start when pursuing a goal is to reflect on your values, or what you consider important and worthwhile.
Reflecting on your values can help you know what you want from life and from university. Take a moment and consider the list of things in Activity 2 that are valued by some people. For each value, rate how important that thing is to you.
Following is a list of things that different people say they value. For each item on this list, indicate how important it is to you yourself by ranking it as very important (5), not important (0), or somewhere in between.
Value | Not important | Very important | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Making a good income | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Learning from Elders | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Learning new things about your interests | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Fixing things | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Having intelligent conversations | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Staying current with the news | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Playing sports | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Hanging out with friends | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Playing computer or video games | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Cooking | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Socializing (online or in person) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Maintaining good mental health | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Reading a good book | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Traveling | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Budgeting, economizing | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Influencing others | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Engaging with activist causes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Expanding learning | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Watching television | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Enjoying time alone | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Getting out in nature | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Working | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Playing a musical instrument | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Meeting new people | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Going to movies or other entertainment | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Eating nice meals out | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Exercising, being physically active | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Being your own boss | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Having a positive romantic relationship | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Engaging in your hobbies | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Setting your own schedule | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Volunteering your time for a good cause | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Cleaning house | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Attending classes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Maintaining your religious or spiritual practices | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Gaming (board games, etc.) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Spending time with your children | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Participating in clubs, organized activities | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Other: __________________________ | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Other: __________________________ | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Look back at the values and activities you rated highly (4 or 5) in Activity 2, which probably gave a good indication of how you enjoy spending your time. But now look at these things you value in a different way. Think about how each relates to how you think you need to manage your time effectively while in university.
Most university students feel they don’t have enough time for everything they like to do. If some of your highly-rated values seem antithetical to being a good student, try “flipping” them. For example, cleaning house means that you have an organized, clean and calm space for studying, or meeting new people will mean that you will form valuable networks and connections. Combining values can lead to some interesting plans, too: if you value gaming and volunteering for good causes, join a campus gaming club, many of which combine their activities with fundraising for charity. Actively ask around and search online for these types of opportunities; check poster walls, student’s union ratified club listings, and talk to orientation leaders or older students.
Students who enter university with their eyes open and who think about their own values and motivations will be more successful. If you have a good idea of what you want from life, the rest of it can be learned.
If you’ve just begun university, should you already know what career you seek in the future and what courses you should take or what you should major in?
Some students say they have known from an early age what they want to do after university, and are deliberate about the schools they apply to and the experiences they seek.
At the other extreme, some students have only a vague sense of direction before beginning university, take a wide variety of courses, select a major only when they reach the point that they must major in something (or perhaps change majors multiple times), and then after university choose to work in an entirely different field.
Neither approach is bad.
Stanford University theorist John Krumboldz’s Happenstance Learning Theory is that “the career destiny of each individual cannot be predicted in advance but is a function of countless planned and unplanned learning experiences beginning at birth” (Journal of Career Assessment, 2008). You can’t predict the people, experiences, opportunities, happy accidents, and connections that can steer you into a fulfilling, even unexpected career path.
Some students choose to major in an academic subject simply because they enjoy that subject, never concerned with what kind of job they may get afterward. The traditional idea of the liberal arts education is that you can go to university not to prepare for a specific career but to become a well-educated person who is then in a better position to work in any number of careers.
So where are you in this great variety of attitudes about career and major choices?
Help is available for discovering your interests, strengths, and personality factors related to careers. You can learn a lot about your options and what you would be good at by visiting your university’s advising or counseling department. Almost all universities have free tools to help you discover what careers you would most enjoy.
The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) is an assessment tool used by many universities and universities. This tool can suggest specific courses, jobs, internships, and extracurricular activities relevant to personal and career interests. Another widely-used tool is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) identifies you as one of sixteen distinct types. Each type correlates with preferred work tasks and work environments. The StrengthsFinder Inventory is more detailed and complex than the MBTI or SII, giving you five of 34 Talent Themes, prioritized in order of strength. It’s inexpensive to complete and you will get access to customized reports for many different aspects of your life: personal, professional, and academic.
For more career planning tools, check out the assessment options offered by the University of Saskatchewan’s Student Employment and Career Centre.
Although there’s nothing wrong with starting out without an intended major or career path, take care to avoid accidentally taking courses that do not count toward your program goal or degree. You could end up in university longer than needed and have to pay for additional courses. Be sure to read your university catalog carefully and talk to your academic advisor.
Take time to appreciate how university is different from high school and how well your educational experiences have prepared you for what you will find in university.
In starting university, you are transitioning from one form of education to another, and it’s common for students to find this transition difficult. Don’t underestimate the strengths you have already, but be aware that the university experience is usually different from high school in some fundamental ways.
What does all this add up to? For some students, the sudden independence and freedom can lead in negative directions: partying too much, sleeping late, skipping classes, missing deadlines, failing to study adequately for tests, and so on. Other students who are highly motivated and work hard in their classes may also have difficulty transitioning to the higher academic standards of university; in fact, it’s not uncommon for a students with 90 averages in high school to have 70 averages by the end of their first university term.
Of all the factors that affect how well one does in university, attitude is probably the single most important. A positive attitude leads to high levels of motivation, and someone who is highly motivated to succeed can overcome obstacles that may occur.
If you’re feeling excited, enthusiastic, capable, and confident in your new life, that’s great! But if you’re less sure how well you’ll do in your new role, take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone.
Once they begin experiencing the differences from high school, many students start having doubts. Some may start to feel “I’m not a good enough student” or “I can’t keep up with all this.” While these are natural responses to big life changes, continually repeating these messages to yourself can hinder your motivation and ability to succeed.
If you have these thoughts sometimes, why is that? Are you just reacting to a low grade on your first test? Are you just feeling this way because you see other students who look like they know what they’re doing and you’re feeling out of place? Can you put small failures into perspective?
Ask just about any senior student, and they will tell you that they, too, had moments like you’re having.
Why is it that some students need to work on strengthening their skills after beginning university, while others seem to waltz right in and do well from the start? Know that most students struggle at first, but once self-management skills are developed, experiences and performance improve in the workforce. What are the biggest changes you are experiencing now or anticipate experiencing this term?
Every university has its own course requirements for different programs and degrees. This information is available in a printed course catalog or online. While academic advisors are generally assigned to students to help them plot their path through university and take the most appropriate courses, you should also take this responsibility yourself to ensure you are registering for courses that fit well into your plan for a program completion or degree. In general there are three types of courses:
Most important is that you understand what courses you need and how each counts. Study the university catalog carefully and be sure to talk things over fully with your advisor. Don’t just sign up for courses that sound interesting—you might end up taking courses that don’t count toward your degree at all.
In addition, each term you may have to choose how many courses or hours to take. Universities have rules about the maximum number of hours allowed for full-time students, but this maximum may be more than you are prepared to manage—especially if you work or have other responsibilities. Taking a light course load, while allowing more time for studying and other activities, could add up over time and result in an extra full year of university (or more!)—at significant additional expense. Part-time students often face decisions based more on time issues. Everyone’s situation is unique, however, and all students should talk this issue over with their advisor each year or term.
While most high school classes are fairly small, many university classes are large—up to several hundred students in a large lecture class. Other classes will be as small as high school classes. In large classes you may feel anonymous or invisible. Don’t disappear! Here are some common mistaken assumptions and attitudes about large classes:
These comments all share the same flawed attitude: it’s up to the instructor to teach in an entertaining way if I am to learn, and it’s actually the university’s or instructor’s fault that I’m stuck in this large class, so they’re to blame if I think about or do other things. You have more control over the situation than you think.
If you dislike large lecture classes but can’t avoid them, the best solution is to learn how to learn in such a situation. Later chapters will give you tips for improving this experience. Just remember that it’s up to you to stay actively engaged in your own learning while in university—it’s not the instructor’s job to entertain you enough to “make” you learn.
There is one thing you need to know right away. Even in a lecture hall holding three hundred students, there’s a good chance that the instructors and TAs know who you are, and that’s a good thing! Interacting with instructors is a crucial part of education—and the primary way students learn. Successful interaction begins with good communication and mutual respect. If you want your instructors to respect you, then you need to show respect for them and their classes as well.
Asking a question of the professor after class, checking in with a TA, sitting near the front, and engaging in class discussion will help your instructors get to know you, and help you feel less like a number.
The University of Saskatchewan offers some online courses that can be taken as electives. You experience an online course via a computer rather than a classroom. Many different variations exist, but all online courses share certain characteristics, such as working independently and communicating with the instructor (and sometimes other students) primarily through written computer messages. If you have never taken an online course, carefully consider what’s involved to ensure you will succeed in the course:
If you feel you are ready to take on these responsibilities and are attracted to the flexibility of an online course and the freedom to schedule your time in it, see what your university has available.
A university campus is almost like a small town—or country—unto itself. The campus has its own police force, its own government, its own stores, its own ID cards, its own parking rules, and so on. Universities also have their own policies regarding many types of activities and behaviors. Students who do not understand the rules can sometimes find themselves in trouble.
The most important academic policy is academic honesty. Cheating is taken very seriously. Some high school students may have only received a slap on the wrist if caught looking at another student’s paper during a test or turning in a paper containing sentences or paragraphs found online or purchased from a “term-paper mill.” In many universities, academic dishonesty like this may result in automatic failure of the course—or even expulsion from university. The principle of academic honesty is simple: every student must do their own work. If you have any doubt of what this means for a paper you are writing, a project you are doing with other students, or anything else, check the university website for its policy statements or talk with your instructor.
Universities also have conduct policies about alcohol and drug use, sexual harassment, hazing, hate crimes, and other potential problems. Residence halls have policies about noise limits, visitors, hours, structural and cosmetic alterations of university property, and so on. The university registrar has policies about course add and drop dates, payment schedules and refunds, and the like. Such policies are designed to ensure that all students have the same right to a quality education—one not unfairly interrupted by the actions of others. You can find these policies on the university website or in the catalog.
To be successful in university, you need to be fully informed and make wise decisions about the courses you register for, university policies, and additional resources. Always remember that your university wants you to succeed. That means that if you are having any difficulties or have any questions whose answers you are unsure about, there are university resources available to help you get assistance or find answers. This is true of both academic and personal issues that could potentially disrupt your university experience. Never hesitate to go looking for help or information, but realize that usually you have to take the first step.
The university catalog has already been mentioned as a great source of many kinds of information. You should have an updated catalog every year or know where to find it online.
The university’s website is the second place to look for help. Students are often surprised to see how much information is available online, including information about university programs, offices, special assistance programs, and so on, as well as helpful information such as studying tips, personal health, financial help, and other resources. Take some time to explore your university’s website and learn what is available; this could save you a lot of time in the future if you experience any difficulty.
In addition, many universities have offices or individuals that can help in a variety of ways. Following are some of the resources your university may have. Learn more about your university’s resources online or by visiting the office of student services or the dean of students.
Everyone needs help at some time—you should never feel embarrassed or ashamed to seek help.
Learning is a complex process, but it can simply boil down to how you read, listen, see, do and feel. It also depends a lot on preparation. While reading this section, reflect on the areas that need work in your own learning process.
A student rolls out of bed a few minutes before class and dashes across campus and grabs the last seat just as the instructor begins; it takes him a few minutes to find the right notebook, and then he can’t find a pen. He’s thinking about how he should have set his alarm a little earlier so he’d have had time to grab a coffee. Finally he settles in and starts listening, but now he can’t figure out what the instructor is talking about. He starts jotting down phrases in his notes anyway, thinking he’ll figure it out later. His phone keeps buzzing with texts from friends.
The next day, he has a bit of time to look over his notes from the previous class and quickly glance back at passages he’d highlighted in the textbook reading. He has time to grab a coffee. He arrives at class a few minutes early, sits where he can hear well, and has his notebook open and pen out. He turns his phone off. While waiting for the instructor, he talks to another student about her ideas for next week’s assignment. He asks her a couple of questions to fill in the gaps from yesterday’s lecture.
This same person will experience a significant difference in his understanding of the topic on the day he had time to prepare. Having a bad or “off” day will happen from time to time. Your fellow students, professors, lab instructors, and others can help you if you are having a hard time, but if those off days start to become a pattern, your ability to learn will suffer, and you will wear out the good will of those around you.
Preparation to learn is the first step for learning. The same is true when you sit down to read your textbook, study for an exam, or work on an out-of-class project. You are putting yourself in the right mind-set to learn, and when you review yesterday’s notes to prepare for today’s class, you are also solidifying yesterday’s learning.
Most university classes involve both required and recommended readings. Some instructors discuss required reading content in lectures or class discussions, but if they don’t, you can’t assume you won’t be tested on that content. Also, required readings inform or contextualize the lecture topic, making it richer and more interesting.
Recommended readings lists aren’t often explored by students, but your professor made the effort to include list them for a reason! Draw on the recommended readings to deepen your learning, become more interested in a topic, or to explore when researching a project or paper. Drawing on recommended readings is also a good way to set yourself apart in an essay or exam.
Always allow plenty of time for reading assignments; rushing makes it harder to understand what you are reading. You will find that you can read faster and better with practice, so if you are overwhelmed on day one, reflect on how much better you’ll read by the end of the term.
Do your reading at times of the day when you are most alert. Find a quiet, comfortable place conducive to reading, and while reading, maximize your learning through your personal learning preferences:
University students are expected to listen to their instructors in class and remember and understand what is said. Usually, instructors won’t tell you to write specific things down, and so you will need to listen to other cues for what’s important or being emphasized (e.g., does the instructor speak enthusiastically, for a long time, about a particular subject? Does he or she mention that a topic is important?). In discussion-heavy classes, your group dynamics and ability to work well together is often evaluated by the instructor, and so listening to team members and asking follow-up questions for clarification is important as well. Here are a few listening tips:
Some university courses include demonstrations and physical processes that can be observed. Some prefer to learn visually, but visual approaches can enrich anyone’s learning. Here are some tips for incorporating visual learning into your study plans:
People who learn best by doing are often attracted to careers with a strong physical or hands-on component, which can vary from the arts to athletics to engineering. But these students may need to use other learning skills as well. Here are some tips to help maximize your learning related to doing:
We sometimes assume that academia is purely objective and without feeling. Don’t neglect the emotional side of information and learn through personal connections. Too often we may feel that a university textbook or a class is dry or boring if it focuses on texts or data. Make your learning more meaningful and enrich your learning by focusing on what you feel about the information and ideas being learned. Here are some tips to help maximize your learning related to feeling:
Many university classes tend to focus on lectures and readings. This isn’t ideal for those who favour interaction and experiential learning.
Instructors in large lecture classes, for example, generally emphasize listening carefully and reading well. You can always make up for what’s missing for you in the delivery. For example, if your instructor simply stands at a podium and lectures, you can provide your own visual stimulation by sketching concept maps in your notes or visualizing how the information being presented might look in a pie chart or graph.
As you move further into your university curriculum, you will likely have smaller classes with class discussions, demonstrations, group presentations, and other learning activities. Also, once you are in classes closely related to a career path that interests you, you will find your learning preferences more relevant to the kinds of material you will be learning.
If a genuine mismatch is occurring in your learning and the instructor’s teaching to the extent that you may not succeed in a course, talk to your instructor privately during office hours. You can explain how you best learn and ask for suggestions about other resources that may help you.
So what does “success” actually mean in university? Good grades? That’s what many students would say—at least at the beginning of their time in university.
When you ask people about their university experience a few years later, grades are seldom one of the first things mentioned. University graduates reflecting back typically emphasize the following:
A successful university experience does include acceptable grades, of course, but in the end—in your long-range goals—grades are only one component of a larger picture. Interestingly, students who are motivated to learn (intrinsic motivation) than to get a good grade (extrinsic motivation) will get better grades (see Ryan and Deci, 2000).
As you begin your university experience, it’s good to think about your attitude toward grades, since grades often motivate students to study and do well on assignments.
Valuing grades too highly, or not highly enough, can cause problems. Expectations that are too high may lead to disappointment—possibly depression or anxiety—and may become counterproductive. At the other extreme, a student who is too relaxed about grades, who is content simply with passing courses, may not be motivated to study enough even to pass—and may be at risk for failing courses.
What is a good attitude to have toward grades? The answer to that depends in part on how grades do matter generally—and specifically in your own situation. Here are some ways grades clearly do matter:
After graduation, it may be enough in some careers just to have completed the program or degree. But in most situations, how well one did in university may still affect one’s life. Employers often ask how well you did in university (new graduates at least—this becomes less important after one has gained more job experience). Students who are proud of their grades may include their average grade on their résumés. Students with a low average may avoid including it on their resume, but employers may ask on the company’s application form or in an interview (and being caught in a lie can lead to being fired). An employer who asks for a university transcript will see all your grades, not just the grade average.
In addition to the importance for jobs, grades matter if you plan to continue to graduate school, professional school, or other educational programs—all of which require your transcript.
Certainly, grades are not the only way people are judged, but along with all forms of experience (work, volunteer, internship, hobbies) and personal qualities and the recommendations of others, they are an important consideration.
If you have special concerns about grades, such as feeling unprepared in certain classes and at risk of failing, talk with your academic advisor. If a class requires more preparation than you have from past courses and experience, you might be urged to drop that class and take another—or to seek extra help. Your advisor can help you work through any individual issues related to doing well and getting the best grade you can.
Yes and no. University instructors are careful about how they assign grades, which are based on clear-cut standards often stated in the course syllabus. The likelihood of an instructor changing your grade if you challenge it is low. On the other hand, we’re all human—mistakes can occur, and if you truly feel a test or other score was miscalculated, you can ask your instructor to review the grade. Just be sure to be polite and respectful rather than confrontational.
Most situations in which students want to challenge a grade, however, result from a misunderstanding regarding the expectations of the grading scale or standards used. Students may simply feel they deserve a higher grade because they think they understand the material well or spent a lot of time studying or doing the assignment. The instructor’s grade, however, is based on your actual responses on a test, a paper or other assignment. The instructor is grading not what he or she thinks is in your head, or how much effort you made, but what you actually wrote down.
If you are concerned that your grade does not accurately reflect your understanding or effort, you should still talk with your instructor—but your goal should be not to argue for a grade change but to gain a better understanding of the course’s expectations so that you’ll do better next time. Instructors do respect students who want to improve. Visit the instructor during office hours or ask for an appointment and prepare questions ahead of time to help you better understand how your performance can improve and better indicate how well you understand the material. If your meeting is unproductive, and you still feel that you’ve been graded unfairly, read your college’s policies regarding grade appeals, and follow its procedures accordingly.
A major aspect of university for some students is learning how to accept criticism. Your university instructors hold you to high standards and expect you to have the maturity to understand that a lower grade is not a personal attack on you and not a statement that you’re not smart enough to do the work. Since none of us is perfect, we all can improve in almost everything we do—and the first step in that direction is accepting evaluation of our work. If you receive a grade lower than you think you have earned, take the responsibility to learn what you need to do to earn a higher grade next time.
The first year of university is almost every student’s most crucial time. Statistics show a much higher drop-out rate in the first year than thereafterFreeman, S. (2009, September 20). 1 in 6 first year university students won't make the grade. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from: thestar.com. Why? Because for many students, adjusting to university is not easy. Students wrestle with managing their time, their freedom, and their other commitments to family, friends, and work. It’s important to recognize that it may not be easy for you.
On the other hand, when you do succeed in your first year, the odds are very good that you’ll continue to succeed and will complete your program or degree.
Are you ready? The next section lists some things you can do to start right now, today, to ensure your success.
Excellent! Start doing these few things, and already you’ll be a step or two ahead—and on your way to a successful first year!
New university students may not immediately realize that they’ve entered a whole new world at university, including a world of people different from those they have known before. How you approach the social aspects and diversity of university world has a large impact on your academic success.
All the topics covered in this chapter relate to the social world of university, a world which intersects with and complements the academic world of university. You will gain some insight into the value of making new friends and getting along with the wide variety of people you will encounter on campus. You will learn why and how a broad diversity of people enriches the university experience and better prepare you for the world after university.
Enter this new world with an open mind and you’ll gain many benefits. Even if you are taking a course or two at night and do not spend much of your day on campus, try to make the most of this experience. You’ll meet others who will challenge and stimulate you and broaden your thinking and emotional experiences.
As students, you will continually interact with other students and instructors, and these interactions can heighten the learning process. University students depend on their instructors, but just as importantly, they depend on other students in many ways.
As important as our interactions with others are, we do not automatically possess the skills that help us form good relationships and make the most of our experiences.
Building good relationships is important for happiness and a successful university experience. University offers the opportunity to meet many people you would likely not meet otherwise. Make the most of this opportunity to gain a number of benefits:
University often offers an opportunity to be stimulated and excited by new relationships and interactions with people who will challenge your thinking and help you become your best. Still, it can be difficult to get started with new relationships in university.
Some people just make friends naturally, but many first-year university students are more shy or quiet and may need to actively seek new friends. Here are some starting points:
If you’re shy, try meeting and talking to people in situations where you can interact one-to-one, such as talking with another student after class. Start with what you have in common—“What did you think of that test?”—and let the conversation grow from there. Avoid the emotional trap of thinking everyone but you is making new friends and start some conversations with others who look interesting to you. You’ll soon find other “shy” or quiet people eager to interact with you as well and get to know you.
Communication is at the core of almost all social interactions, including those involved in friendships and relationships with your instructors. Communication with others has a huge effect on our lives, what we think and feel, and what and how we learn.
Oral communication involves not only speech and listening, of course, but also nonverbal communication: facial expressions, tone of voice, and many other body language signals that affect the messages sent and received. Many experts think that people pay more attention, often unconsciously, to how people say something than to what they are saying. When the nonverbal message is inconsistent with the verbal (spoken) message, just as when the verbal message itself is unclear because of poorly chosen words or vague explanations, then miscommunication may occur.
Miscommunication is at the root of many misunderstandings among people and makes it difficult to build relationships.
Remember that communication is a two-way process. Listening skills are critical for most university students simply because many of us may not have learned how to really listen to another person. Here are some guidelines for how to listen effectively:
As you learn to improve your listening skills, think also about what you are saying yourself and how. Here are additional guidelines for effective speaking:
Some students may have difficulty in the opposite direction: their social lives may become so rich or so time-consuming that they have problems balancing their social lives with their schoolwork. Social media, for example, may eat up a lot of time.
Most university students know all about Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites. The media have often emphasized negative stories involving safety concerns, obsessive behavior, a perceived superficiality of social interaction online, and so on. But more recently, online social networking has been found to have several benefits. Many of those who once criticized social networking platforms are now regularly networking among themselves via LinkedIn and other “professional” networking sites.
Interestingly, there are benefits of Facebook use—some clear to those using it, others revealed only recently by research in the social sciences. Many of these benefits can apply to other social networking sites as well:
Still, online social networking is not 100 percent beneficial for all university students. Someone who becomes obsessed with constantly updating their profile or attracting a huge number of friends can spend so much time at their computer that they miss out on other important aspects of university life.
Hopefully by now everyone knows why you should never post compromising or inappropriate photos or information about yourself anywhere online, even as a joke: many employers, university admissions offices, and others may find this compromising material in the future and deny you the job, internship, graduate program, or other position that you want. It’s important also to protect your identity and privacy on online sites. Make sure you set it up so that only those who you trust can see your full profile, and make sure that people have to get approval to tag you in photographs.
In 2016, sixty percent of employers research prospective hires on social networking, which was an increase from 11 percent in 2006 (Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder, 2016; 2,106 hiring managers and HR professionals and 3,031 private sector workers). Nearly fifty percent found material that would prevent them from hiring an individual, including
Overall, online networking in moderation can help enrich one’s life. When used to build relationships, gain information, and stay in touch with a larger community, it can contribute to success in university. Most university students use Facebook ten to thirty minutes a day. If you’re spending more than that, you might ask yourself if you’re missing out on something else.
If there’s one thing true of virtually all university students, it’s that you don’t have enough time to do everything you want. Once you’ve developed friendships within the university community and have an active social life, you may feel you don’t have enough time for your studies and other activities such as work. For many students, the numerous social opportunities of university become a distraction, and with less attention to one’s studies, academic performance can drop. Here are some tips for balancing your social life with your studies:
Conflicts among people who are interacting are natural. People have many differences in opinions, ideas, emotions, and behaviors, and these differences sometimes cause conflicts. Here are just a few examples of conflicts that may occur among university students:
So how can such conflicts be resolved? Two things are necessary for conflict resolution that does not leave one or more of the people involved feeling negative about the outcome: attitude and communication.
A conflict cannot be resolved satisfactorily unless all people involved have the right attitude:
With the right attitude, you can then work together to resolve the issue. This process depends on good communication:
In most cases, when the people involved have a good attitude, listen and feel heard, choose their words carefully, and are open to compromise, conflicts can be resolved successfully.
Yet sometimes there seems to be no resolution. Sometimes the other person may simply be difficult and refuse to even try to work out a solution. With some interpersonal conflicts, especially if there’s abuse involved (verbal, emotional, or physical), choose not to interact with that person anymore. Check out the University of Saskatchewan’s Guide to Healthy Relationships for more information on what a healthy relationship is and identifying when you’re in an abusive relationship.
At many universities students just out of high school must live in a campus residence hall. Other students may live in a shared apartment with new roommates. This is the first time many students have had to share a room, suite, or apartment with others who were not family members, and this situation may lead to conflicts and strong feelings that can even affect academic success.
As in other interactions, the keys to forming a good relationship with a roommate are communication and attitude. From the beginning, you should talk about everyone’s expectations of the other(s) and what matters most to you about where you live. Don’t wait until problems happen before talking. It’s often good to begin with the key practical issues: agreeing on quiet hours for study (limiting not only loud music but also visits from others), time for lights out, neatness and cleaning up, things shared and private things not to touch.
Show respect for the other’s ideas and possessions, respect their privacy, and try to listen more than you talk. Even if your roommate does not become a close friend, you can have a harmonious, successful relationship that makes your residence a good home for both of you. Millions of university students before you have learned to work this out, and if both (or all) of you respect each other and keep communication open and nonconfrontational, you will easily get through the small bumps in the road ahead, too. Follow these guidelines to help ensure you get along well:
In some situations and with some people who will not compromise and do not respect you and your needs, a roommate can be a serious problem. In some circumstances, you may able to move to a different room. Room changes usually are not granted simply because you “don’t get along,” but certain circumstances may justify a change. The following are some examples:
If you have a problem like this, first talk with your resident advisor (RA) or other residence hall authority. They will explain the process for a room change, if warranted, or other ways for managing the problem.
Although university campuses are for the most part safe, secure, and friendly places where social and intellectual interaction is generally mature and responsible, harassment can occur in any setting. Harassment is a general term referring to behavior that is intended to disturb or threaten another person in some way, often psychologically. Typically the person or people doing the harassment may target their victim because of a difference in race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sex, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Acts of harassment may be verbal, physical, psychological, or any other behavior intended to disturb another person. Bullying behavior, name-calling, belittling, gesturing obscenely, stalking, mobbing—any action intended to torment or deliberately make another person uncomfortable or feel humiliated is harassment. Harassment may also be intended to manipulate a targeted person to act in some specific way.
Sexual harassment is a special term referring to persistent, unwanted sexual behaviors or advances. Sexual harassment may begin with words but progress to unwanted touching and potentially even rape.
Many types of harassment are illegal. In the workplace, a supervisor who tells off-color sexual jokes around an employee of the opposite gender may be guilty of sexual harassment. Students who deliberately malign members of another race may be guilty of committing a hate crime. Physically tormenting another student in a hazing may be judged assault and battery. On a university campus, any harassment of a student by a faculty member or university employee is expressly forbidden, unethical, and also possibly illegal. Read up on your university’s code of misconduct.
Harassment of any type, at any time, of any person, is wrong and unacceptable. You will know it if you are harassed, and you should know also that it is your basic right to be free of harassment and that your university has strict policies and procedures around harassment and discrimination.
The university years are a time of many changes, including one’s relationships with parents, siblings, and one’s own children and partners. Any time there is change, issues may arise.
As in other relationships, try to understand the other’s perspective. Honesty is particularly important—but with tact and understanding. Here are some tips for getting along:
In 2011, 19.1% of Canadians identified themselves as visible minorities, with the three largest visible minority groups being South-Asians, Chinese and African AmericansStatistics Canada. (2015). Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity in Canada. Retrieved from: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-010-x2011001-eng.cfm. Canada’s diverse society also includes Aboriginal Peoples, made up of First Nations’, Metis, and Inuit, comprising 4.1% of the total Canadian populationStatistics Canada. (2015). Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: First Nations People, Metis and Inuit. Retrieved from: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-011-x/99-011-x2011001-eng.cfm. But “diversity” means much more than a variety of racial and ethnic differences.
As we’ll use the term here, diversity refers to the great variety of human characteristics—ways that we are different even as we are all human and share more similarities than differences. These differences are an essential part of what enriches humanity, and moving beyond “us” versus “them,” and beyond fear, is crucial to civil society. Think about where these groups might intersect, and what groups of people might experience more advantages or disadvantages in Canadian society: women, men, LBGTQ people, cisgender people, senior citizens, people with disabilities, teenagers, people who are considered “overweight,” straight people, middle-class people, high-income people, working class, people living in poverty, people with mental health issues, people of colour, Christians, English Language Learners, Indigenous people, or immigrants.
We’ll look first at some of the ways that people differ and explore the benefits of diversity for our society generally and for the university experience. While we should all celebrate diversity, at the same time we need to acknowledge past issues that grew from misunderstandings of such differences and work together to bring change where needed.
The goal of many university admissions departments is to attract diverse students from a broad range of backgrounds involving different cultural, socioeconomic, age, and other factors. But why is diversity so important? There are many reasons:
While all the benefits described have been demonstrated repeatedly on campuses all across the country in study after study, and while admissions and retention programs on many campuses try to promote and celebrate diversity, some problems still remain. Society changes only slowly, and sadly, many students in some areas—including students with disabilities, and many minority students—still feel marginalized in the dominant culture of their campuses. Even in a country that prides itself on tolerance and acceptance, racism still exists. Thus society as a whole, and universities in particular, need to continue to work to destroy old stereotypes and achieve a full acceptance of our human differences.
Multiculturalism is not political correctness. We’ve all heard jokes about “political correctness,” which suggests that we do or say certain things not because they are right but because we’re expected to pay lip service to them. Unfortunately, some people think of universities’ diversity programs as just the politically correct thing to do. Use your critical thinking skills if you hear such statements. In the world of higher education, truth is discovered through investigation and research—and research has shown the value of diversity for all university participantsMaruyama, G. & Moreno, J.F. (1999). University Faculty Views About the Value of Diversity on Campus and in the Classroom. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Retrieved from: http://web.mit.edu/cortiz/www/Diversity/PDFs/MaruyamaandMoreno2000.pdf.
Sometimes overlooked among the types of diversity on most university campuses are mature students, often called by administrators and admissions officers as “nontraditional” students, who are returning to education, often after working a number of years. While many university students are younger and enroll in university immediately after high school, these mature students help bring a wider range of diversity to campuses and deserve special attention for the benefits they bring for all students. As a group, mature students often share certain characteristics that bring unique value to the university experience overall. They often
In many ways, these “nontraditional” students benefit the campus as a whole and contribute in meaningful ways to the educational process. Both instructors and “traditional” students gain when older students share their ideas and feelings in class discussions, study groups, and all forms of social interaction.
While diversity exists in most places, not everyone automatically understands differences among people and celebrates the value of those differences. Students who never think about diversity and who make no conscious effort to experience and understand others gain less than others who do. There are many ways you can experience the benefits of diversity on your university campus, however, beginning with your own attitudes and by taking steps to increase your experiences with diverse individuals.
Acknowledge your own uniqueness, for you are diverse, too. Diversity doesn’t involve just other people. Consider that you may be just as different to other people as they are to you. Don’t think of the other person as being the one who is different, that you are somehow the “norm.” Your religion may seem just as odd to them as theirs does to you, and your clothing may seem just as strange looking to them as theirs is to you—until you accept there is no one “normal” or right way to be. Look at yourself in a mirror and consider why you look as you do. Why do you use the slang you do with your friends? Why did you just have that type of food for breakfast? How is it that you prefer certain types of music? Read certain books? Talk about certain things? Much of this has to do with your cultural background—so it makes sense that someone from another cultural or ethnic background is different in some ways. But both of you are also individuals with your own tastes, preferences, ideas, and attitudes—making you unique.
Consider your own (possibly unconscious) stereotypes. A stereotype is a fixed, simplistic view of what people in a certain group are like. It is often the basis for prejudice and discrimination: behaving differently toward someone because you stereotype them in some way. Stereotypes are generally learned and emerge in the dominant culture’s attitudes toward those from outside that dominant group. A stereotype may be explicitly racist and destructive, and it may also be a simplistic generalization applied to any group of people, even if intended to be flattering rather than negative. As you have read this chapter so far, did you find yourself thinking about any group of people, based on any kind of difference, and perhaps thinking in terms of stereotypes? If you walked into a party and saw many different kinds of people standing about, would you naturally avoid some and move toward others? Remember, we learn stereotypes from our cultural background—so it’s not a terrible thing to admit you have inherited some stereotypes. Thinking about them is a first step in breaking out of these irrational thought patterns.
While we should be careful not to stereotype individuals or whole cultures, it is important to be aware of potential differences among cultures when interacting with other people. For example, body language often has different meanings in different cultures. Understanding such differences can help you better understand your interaction with others. Here are a few examples:
Do not try to ignore differences among people. Some people try so hard to avoid stereotyping that they go to the other extreme and try to avoid seeing any differences at all among people. But as we have seen throughout this chapter, people are different in many ways, and we should accept that if we are to experience the benefits of diversity.
Don’t apply any group generalizations to individuals. As an extension of not stereotyping any group, also don’t think of any individual person in terms of group characteristics. People are individuals first, members of a group second, and any given generalization simply may not apply to an individual. Be open minded and treat everyone with respect as an individual with his or her own ideas, attitudes, and preferences.
Take advantage of campus opportunities to increase your cultural awareness. Your university likely has multiculturalism courses or workshops you can sign up for. Special events, cultural fairs and celebrations, concerts, and other programs are held frequently on most campuses. There may also be opportunities to participate in group travel to other countries or regions of cultural diversity. Think about signing up to take the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to more deeply understand and develop your intercultural competence; ask your international students’ centre whether they offer it or know who does.
Take the initiative in social interactions. Many students just naturally hang out with other students they are most like—that almost seems to be part of human nature. Even when we’re open-minded and want to learn about others different from ourselves, it often seems easier and more comfortable to interact with others of the same age, cultural group, and so on. If we don’t make a small effort to meet others, however, we miss a great opportunity to learn and broaden our horizons. Next time you’re looking around the classroom or dorm for someone to ask about a class you missed or to study together for a test or group project, choose someone different from you in some way. Making friends with others of different backgrounds is often one of the most fulfilling experiences of university students.
Work through conflicts as in any other interaction. Conflicts simply occur among people, whether of the same or different background. If you are afraid of making a mistake when interacting with someone from a different background, you might avoid interaction altogether—and thus miss the benefits of diversity. Nothing risked, nothing gained. If you are sincere and respect the other, there is less risk of a misunderstanding occurring. If a conflict does occur, work to resolve it as you would any other tension with another person, as described earlier.
Unfortunately, prejudice and hate still exist in Canada, even on university campuses. In addition to racial prejudice, some people are also prejudiced against women, people with disabilities, older adults, LGBTQ individuals—virtually all groups that can be characterized as “different.” All campuses have policies against all forms of prejudice and discriminatory behaviors. But it is not enough for only university administrators to fight prejudice and hate—this is a responsibility for all good citizens who take seriously the shared value of equality for all people. So what can you as a university student do?
The university social experience includes organized campus groups and activities. Participating in organized activities requires taking some initiative; you can’t be passive and expect these opportunities to come knocking on your door.
The active pursuit of a stimulating life through organized groups on campus offers many benefits:
University campuses offer a wide range of clubs, organizations, and other activities open to all students. University administrators view this as a significant benefit and work to promote student involvement in such groups. When you made your decision to attend your university, you likely received printed materials or studied the university’s Web site and saw many opportunities. But you may have been so busy attending to academic matters that you haven’t thought of these groups since. It’s a good time now to check out the possibilities:
Whatever your interests, don’t be shy about checking out a club or organization. Take chances and explore. Attending a meeting or gathering is not a commitment; you’re just going the first time to see what it’s like, and you have no obligation to join. Keep an open mind as you meet and observe other students in the group, especially if you don’t feel at first like you fit in: remember that part of the benefit of the experience is to meet others who are not necessarily just like everyone you already know.
Write things you may be interested in doing with others in each of these categories.
Clubs Related to Hobbies and Personal Interests | Sports, Exercise, Physical Fitness | Interests Related to Your Major Area of Study | Purely for Fun |
---|---|---|---|
creative writing group | hiking | political studies — debate | gaming |
For all the benefits of an active social and campus life, too much of any good thing can also cause trouble. If you join too many groups, or if you have limited time because of work and family commitments, you may spend less time with your studies—with negative results. Here are some guidelines for finding a good balance between your curricular and extracurricular lives:
What you’re doing now in terms of personal health will have a significant influence on your academic performance, and, via setting healthy habits early, on your long-term health.
Considerable research has demonstrated that the basic elements of good health—nutrition, exercise, not abusing substances, stress reduction—are important for preventing cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory diseases, known to be the causes of nearly two thirds of deaths worldwide (The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60648-6). The key risk factors for these non-communicable diseases are high blood pressure, smoking, high BMIs, low physical activity levels, alcohol consumption, and poor diet.
Wellness is more than just avoiding disease, however. Wellness involves feeling good in every respect — in mind and spirit as well as in body. Good health habits also offer the benefits of increased energy; better focus; less stress; more resilience; less lost time due to colds, flu, infections and other illnesses; more restful sleep; and improved mental health.
Exercise is good for both your body and mind. Indeed, physical activity is almost essential for good health and university success. The physical benefits of regular exercise include Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Canada's Physical Activity Guide. Retrieved from: http://www.physicalactivityplan.org/resources/CPAG.pdf
Also important to students, who tend to be under a lot of stress, are the mental and psychological benefits Canadian Mental Health Association. (n.d.). Benefits of Good Mental Health. Retrieved from: http://toronto.cmha.ca/mental_health/benefits-of-good-mental-health/:
For these reasons, it’s important for university students to engage in physical activity regularly. Like good nutrition and getting enough sleep, exercise is a key habit that contributes to overall wellness.
With aerobic exercise, your heart and lungs are working hard enough to improve your cardiovascular fitness. This generally means moving fast enough to increase your heart rate and breathing. To realize health benefits of physical activity, try to achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous levels of aerobic physical activity in a weekCanadian Society for Exercise Physiology. (n.d.). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Retrieved from: http://csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/CSEP_PAGuidelines_adults_en.pdf. You don’t even have to go to the gym to fulfill this minimum; you can simply take a brisk walk daily between class times or study sessions, and climb the stairs rather than take the elevator. You can also try the seven-minute workout created by the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida; researchers Brett Klika and Chris Jordan developed a high-intensity workout using only body weight as resistance (see DOI: 10.1249/FIT.0b013e31828cb1e8). They recommend aerobic and resistance training session lasting about seven minutes, but that can be repeated up to three times if you are wanting more exercise. The sample workout included in their article includes jumping jacks, wall sits, pushups, step-ups, squats, tricep dips, planks, running in place, lunges, and side planks. If you are wanting other workouts, simply google “HICT workouts,” but be sure to get clearance from your doctor, and direction from someone who knows how to do the exercises safely and properly!
If you really enjoy exercise and are motivated, you may exercise as often as six days a week, but take at least one day of rest. When you’re first starting out, or if you’ve been inactive for a while, take it gradually, and let your body adjust between sessions. If you feel sharp pain in any activity, stop or cut back (see Johns Hopkins Medicine’s advice for differentiating between good and bad pain). The way to build up strength and endurance is through a plan that is consistent and gradual.
For exercise to have aerobic benefits, try to keep your heart rate in the target heart rate zone for at least twenty to thirty minutes. The target heart rate is 60 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, which can be calculated as 220 minus your age. For example, if you are 24 years old, your maximum heart rate is calculated as 196, and your target heart rate is 118 to 166 beats per minute. If you are just starting an exercise program, stay at the lower end of this range and gradually work up over a few weeks. “Additional Resources” below includes an online calculator that estimates your target heart rate depending on your present level of fitness.
Most important, find a type of exercise or activity that you enjoy—or else you won’t stick with it. This can be as simple and easy as a brisk walk or slow jog through a park or across campus. Swimming is excellent exercise, but so is dancing. Think about what you like to do and explore activities that provide exercise while you’re having fun. If you tire of your chosen activities, try something new.
Do whatever you need to make your chosen activity enjoyable. Many people listen to music or a podcast, watch a show, or read when using workout equipment. Try different activities to prevent boredom. Exercising with a friend can be more enjoyable and keeps you both accountable. Some people like their activity to do double duty. For example, a paper route gives you some exercise twice a week, and it makes you a little bit of money; walking or running while listening to an educational podcast related to your studies helps to enrich your learning while working toward your exercise quota.
You can also learn to stay motivated using exercise equipment. Wearable activity trackers are a popular way to track your progress to help stay active throughout the week.
Often the biggest obstacle to getting enough exercise, many students would likely agree, is a lack of time. Actually, we all have the time, if we manage it well. Build exercise into your weekly schedule on selected days. Eventually, you’ll find that regular exercise actually saves you time because you’re sleeping better and concentrating better. Time you used to fritter away is now used for activity that provides many benefits.
The University of Saskatchewan has resources to make exercise easier and more enjoyable for their students. Take a look around and think about what you might enjoy. The Physical Activity Centre on campus offers exercise equipment, and regularly schedules yoga, aerobic, or spin classes. You don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy casual sports such as playing tennis or shooting hoops with a friend. If you like more organized team sports, try intramural sports, organized through Campus Rec.
Like good nutrition and exercise, adequate sleep is crucial for wellness and success. Sleep is particularly important for students because there seem to be so many time pressures—to attend class, study, maintain a social life, and perhaps work—that most university students have difficulty getting enough. Yet sleep is critical in order to focus effectively at school. In a multi-year survey of students at 21 Canadian universities, 28.4% reported that sleep difficulties affected their academic performance (ACHA National College Health Assessment II, Canadian Reference Group, 2016).
You may not realize the benefits of sleep, or the problems associated with being sleep deprived, because most likely you’ve had the same sleep habits for a long time. Or maybe you know you’re getting less sleep now, but with all the changes in your life, how can you tell if some of your stress or problems studying are related to not enough sleep?
On the positive side, a healthy amount of sleep has the following benefitsNational Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (2012). Why is Sleep Important? Retrieved from: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why:
In contrast, not getting enough sleep over time can lead to a wide range of health issues and student problems. Sleep deprivation can have the following consequences:
Most adults need around eight hours of sleep per nightUniversity of Saskatchewan Student Health Services. (2016). Sleep. Retrieved from: https://students.usask.ca/articles/sleep.php. Some say they need much less than that, but often their behavior during the day shows they are actually sleep deprived. Some genuinely need only about six hours a night, but that’s rare; only 5% of people have the genetic mutation that allows for this, and these people are thought to have more “efficient” sleep (see DOI: 10.1126/science.1174443). So how much sleep do you actually need?
There is no simple answer, in part because the quality of sleep is just as important as the number of hours a person sleeps. Sleeping fitfully for nine hours and waking during the night is usually worse than seven or eight hours of good sleep, so you can’t simply count the hours. Do you usually feel rested and alert all day long? Do you rise from bed easily in the morning without struggling with the alarm clock? Do you have no trouble paying attention to your instructors and never feel sleepy in a lecture class? Are you not continually driven to drink more coffee or caffeine-heavy “power drinks” to stay attentive? Are you able to get through work without feeling exhausted? If you answered yes to all of these, you likely are in that 10 percent to 15 percent of university students who consistently get enough sleep.
You have to allow yourself enough time for a good night’s sleep, so schedule at least eight hours for sleeping every night. If you still don’t feel alert and energetic during the day, try increasing this to nine hours. Keep a sleep journal, and within a couple weeks you’ll know how much sleep you need and will be on the road to making new habits to ensure you get it.
If you can’t fall asleep after ten to fifteen minutes in bed, it’s better to get up and do something else rather than lie there fitfully for hours. Do something you find restful (or boring). Read, or listen to a recorded book. Go back to bed when you’re sleepy.
If you frequently cannot get to sleep or are often awake for a long time during the night, you may be suffering from insomnia, a medical condition. Resist the temptation to try over-the-counter sleep aids. If you have tried the tips listed here and still cannot sleep, talk with your health-care provider or visit the student health clinic. Many remedies are available for those with true, persistent sleep problems.
“Substance” is the word health professionals use for most things you might take into your body besides food. When people talk about substances, they often mean drugs—but alcohol and nicotine are also drugs and are considered substances.
Substances—any kind of drug—have effects on the body and mind. People use these substances for their effects. But many substances have negative effects, including being physically or psychologically addictive. Be aware of any substance’s effects on your health and on your life as a student, and make smart choices.
Everyone knows smoking is harmful to one’s health, and that smoking causes cancer and lung and heart disease. Most adult smokers continue smoking not because they really think it won’t harm them but because it’s very difficult to stop.
Many young smokers think there is plenty of time to quit later. Social smokers, who may have a cigarette only occasionally with a friend, usually think they won’t develop a habit. But nicotine is a very addictive drug.
Here is some good news: stopping smoking brings immediate health benefits, and the benefits get better over time. Just twenty minutes after quitting, your heart rate drops. After two weeks to three months, your heart attack risk begins to drop and your lung function begins to improve. After one year, your added risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s. And every year your health continues to improveHealth Canada. (2012). On the road to Quitting - Guide to becoming a non-smoker. Retrieved from: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/publications/healthy-living-vie-saine/non-smoker-adult-non-fumeur-adulte/index-eng.php.
Stopping isn’t easy. Many ex-smokers say it was the hardest thing they ever did.
However, you know it’s worth the effort. And it’s easier if you think it through and make a good plan. There’s lots of help available. Before you quit, the National Cancer Institute suggests you START with these five important stepsNational Cancer Institute. (2008). Clearing the Air: Quit Smoking Today. Retrieved from: https://smokefree.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/clearing-the-air-accessible.pdf:
To get ready, download this booklet to help you quit smoking; “On the road to Quitting‘, published by Health Canada.
A lot of people are not able to stop smoking by themselves, so don’t feel bad if you aren’t successful the first try. Ask your doctor about other ways to stop. Maybe nicotine-replacement therapy is what you need. Maybe you need prescription medication. Stop by the Student Health Services at the University of Saskatchewan and learn about smoking cessation programs. Your doctor and other health professionals at your school have a lot of experience helping people—they can help you find what works for you.
Drinking, and binge drinking, have been normalized as part of university life. But don’t assume that everyone in university is drinking and partying like they do in the movies! Most university students report drinking at least some alcohol at some point in time—and even those who do not drink are often affected by others who do. A report university students in Canada, with data from collected from 32 universities every two years between 2008 and 2016, shows an interesting contrast in the perception of how much their peers are drinking versus how much they were actually drinking: students assumed that only 3.5 percent of students had never used alcohol, but the true number was close to 16 percent; they also assumed that 43 percent of students had used alcohol within the last 10-29 days, but only 13 percent had (American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II, Canadian Reference Group).
Like everything else that affects your health and happiness—eating, exercise, use of other substances—drinking is a matter of personal choice. Like most decisions we all face, there are trade-offs. The most that anyone can reasonably ask of you is to be smart in your decisions. That means understanding the effects of alcohol and deciding to take control.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan have put themselves on the map when it comes to alcohol awareness. What’s Your Cap? is a student-made web resource that seeks to “raise awareness and knowledge of the risks involved with the over consumption of alcohol and promote a culture of moderation on the University of Saskatchewan campus.”
The goal of this resource is not to preach against drinking. You’ll be able to learn more about the effects of alcohol on the body and mind. You’ll learn about responsible drinking versus high-risk drinking. You’ll be able to access resources that will help you think about your own attitudes and learn coping strategies to help prevent or manage a problem.
There’s no magic number for how many drinks a person can have and how often. If you’re of legal drinking age, you may not experience any problems if you have one or two drinks from time to time. According to Health Canada, ‘heavy drinking’ occurs when a man consumes 5 or more drinks, or a woman consumes 4 or more drinks, per occasion, at least once a month during the past yearStatistics Canada. (2015). Heavy Drinking, 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2014001/article/14019-eng.htm#n1.
As with most factors affecting your health and your well-being as a student, what’s important is being honest with yourself. You’re likely drinking too much or too often if
Visit Student Health Services or talk with your university counselor if you need help. They understand how you feel and have a lot of experience with students feeling the same way.
If you think you may be drinking too much, then you probably are. Can you stop—or drink moderately if you are of age—and still have fun with your friends? Of course. Here are some tips for enjoying yourself in social situations when others are drinking:
Because drinking is a serious issue in many places, it’s a good idea to know what to do if you find yourself with a friend who has had too much to drink:
Times have changed since the 1980’s War on Drugs and the ensuing extreme levels of incarceration, which particularly affected specific racial and socio-economic groups. While it’s considered one of the least dangerous illicit drugs, marijuana is a particularly risky for young people, up to age 24, as their brains are still rapidly developing. Chronic use is also associated with cognitive problems (thinking, remembering, and paying attention), and “might also increase the risk of psychosis, depression and anxiety” (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction). Canadian university students assume that only 8 percent of all students have never used marijuana, but close to 60 percent of all students had never used it (American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II, Canadian Reference Group).
While alcohol is a legal drug for those above the drinking age, most other drugs—including the use of many prescription drugs not prescribed for the person taking them—are illegal. They usually involve more serious legal consequences if the user is caught. Some people may feel there’s safety in numbers: if a lot of people are using a drug, or drinking, then how can it be too bad? But other drugs carry the same risks as alcohol for health problems, a risk of death or injury, and a serious impact on your ability to do well as a student.
While society may seem to condone drinking, and the laws regarding underage drinking or being drunk in public may not seem too harsh, the legal reality of being caught with an illegal drug can impact the rest of your life. Arrest and conviction may result in being expelled from university—even with a first offense. A conviction is a permanent legal record that can keep you from getting the career you wanted.
Although the effects of different drugs vary widely, a single use of a drug can have serious effects and consequences. Even if you’re told that a pill is a prescription medication whose effects are mild or safe, can you really be sure of the exact ingredients and strength of that pill? Do you fully understand how it can affect you with repeated use? Can it be addictive? Could it show up on an unexpected random drug test at work?
Any street drug can be laced and cut with other substances, and this has been particularly worrying in the last few years with deaths from fentanyl overdoses. A 2016 Health Canada data shows that fentanyl was found in thousands of street drug samples, reportedly a huge increase from the year before.
If you need help with drug abuse, don’t hesitate to get help:
Table 3.1 “Common Prescription and Illegal Drugs on Campuses” lists some of the possible effects of drugs used by university students. Good decisions also involve being honest with oneself. Why do I use (or am thinking about using) this drug? Am I trying to escape some aspect of my life (stress, a bad job, a boring class)? Could the effects of using this drug be worse than what I’m trying to escape?
Table 3.1 Common Prescription and Illegal Drugs on CampusesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Common Prescription and Illegal Drugs on Campuses. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
Drug and Common Names | Intended Effects | Adverse Effects | Common Overdose Effects |
---|---|---|---|
Anabolic Steroids | Muscle development | Liver cancer, sterility, masculine traits in women and feminine traits in men, aggression, depression, mood swings | — |
Barbiturates | Reduced anxiety, feelings of well-being, lowered inhibitions | Addiction; slowed pulse and breathing; lowered blood pressure; poor concentration; fatigue; confusion; impaired coordination, memory, and judgment | Coma, respiratory arrest, death |
Prescription Opioids: OxyContin, Vicodin, Demerol | Pain relief, euphoria | Addiction, nausea, constipation, confusion, sedation, respiratory depression | Respiratory arrest, unconsciousness, coma, death |
Heroin | Pain relief, anxiety reduction | Addiction, slurred speech, impaired vision, respiratory depression | Respiratory failure, coma, death |
Morphine | Pain relief, euphoria | Addiction, drowsiness, nausea, constipation, confusion, sedation, respiratory depression | Respiratory arrest, unconsciousness, coma, death |
Abuse of Ritalin | Stimulant: mood elevation, increased feelings of energy | Fever, severe headaches, paranoia, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, tremors, muscle twitching | Confusion, seizures, aggressiveness, hallucinations |
Amphetamines: Dexedrine, Benzedrine, methamphetamine | Stimulant: mood elevation, increased feelings of energy | Addiction, irritability, anxiety, increased blood pressure, paranoia, psychosis, depression, aggression, convulsions, dizziness, sleeplessness | Convulsions, death |
Cocaine, Crack | Stimulant: mood elevation, increased feelings of energy | Addiction, paranoia, hallucinations, aggression, insomnia, and depression, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, increased respiratory rate, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, irritability | Seizures, heart attack, death |
Ecstasy | Stimulant: mood elevation | Panic, anxiety, depression, paranoia, nausea, blurred vision, increased heart rate, hallucinations, fainting, chills, sleep problems | Seizures, vomiting, heart attack, death |
Marijuana, Hash | Euphoria | Impaired or reduced comprehension, altered sense of time; reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination; paranoia; intense anxiety attacks; impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment; difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving | __ |
LSD | Hallucinogen: altered states of perception and feeling | Elevated blood pressure, sleeplessness, tremors, chronic recurring hallucinations (flashbacks) | __ |
Your mental health is entwined with your physical health. If you’re unhappy much of the time, you are less likely to attend to your physical health; on the same note, if you are not attending to your physical health, your mental health will suffer. do as well as in university—or life—as you can if you’re happy. You will feel more stress, and your health will suffer.
Still, most of us are neither happy nor unhappy all the time. Life is constantly changing, and our emotions change with it. But sometimes we experience more negative emotions than we would normally, and over a longer period of time. Things go beyond “a bad day” or “a bad week,” and our entire lives begin to suffer.
When is an emotion problematic? Is it bad to feel anxious about a big test coming up or to feel sad after breaking up a romantic relationship?
It is normal to experience negative emotions. University students face so many demands and stressful situations that many naturally report often feeling anxious, depressed, or lonely. These emotions become problematic only when they persist and begin to affect your life in negative ways. That’s when it’s time to work on your emotional health—just as you’d work on your physical health when illness strikes.
Student Health and Counselling at the University of Saskatchewan has created a helpful graphic to help us to recognize the signs of distress in students:
Anxiety is one of the most common emotions university students experience, often as a result of the demands of university, work, and family and friends. In a multi-year survey of students at 41 Canadian universities, 33% reported that anxiety and 42% reported that stress affected their academic performance (ACHA National College Health Assessment II, Canadian Reference Group, 2016).
Anxiety typically results from stress. Some anxiety is often a good thing if it leads to studying for a test, focusing on a problem that needs to be resolved, better management your time and money, and so on. Anxiety is normal, but when it is “too intense, persists, and interferes with life” (University of Saskatchewan Student Counseling Services), it’s time to seek professional help.
Anxiety is easier to deal with when you know its cause. Then you can take steps to gain control over the part of your life causing the anxiety. But anxiety can become excessive and lead to a dread of everyday situations. Note that feeling anxious is not a sign of weakness or a character flaw; rather, its causes are a combination of changes in the brain, possibly caused by environmental stress (such as trauma) and brain circuitry regulating emotions.
There are five types of more serious anxietySmith, M., Robinson, L. & Segal, J. (2016). Anxiety Disorders and Anxiety Attacks. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/anxiety-attacks-and-anxiety-disorders.htm National Institute of Mental Health. (2016). Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved from: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml:
These five types of anxiety go beyond the normal anxiety everyone feels at some times. If you feel your anxiety is like any of these, see your health-care provider. Effective treatments are available to help you regain control, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), medication, and mindfulness meditation. Free meditation sessions are offered at the University of Saskatchewan via Student Health and Counselling.
Depression, like anxiety and loneliness, is commonly experienced by university students. In a multi-year survey of students at 41 Canadian universities, 21% reported that depression affected their academic performance (ACHA National College Health Assessment II, Canadian Reference Group, 2016). It may be a mild sadness resulting from specific circumstances or be intense feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Many people feel depressed from time to time because of common situations:
Depression, like stress, can lead to unhealthy consequences such as poor sleep, overeating or loss of appetite, substance abuse, relationship problems, or withdrawal from activities that formerly brought joy. For most people, depression is a temporary state. But severe depression can have crippling effects. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, but the following are most commonMayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Diseases and Conditions: Depression. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/basics/symptoms/con-20032977:
If you have feelings like this that last for weeks at a time and affect your daily life, your depression is more severe than “normal,” temporary depression. It’s time to see your health-care provider and get treatment as you would for any other illness. Also check out Student Health and Counselling’s useful workbooks on depression:
Severe depression often makes a person feel there is no hope, and therefore many people with depression do not seek help.
In reality, though, depression can be successfully treated, but only if the person seeks help.
Suicidal feelings, which can result from severe depression, are more common in university students than in the past. In most cases, the person had severe depression and was not receiving treatment. Recognizing severe depression and seeking treatment is crucial.
Depression can strike almost anyone at any age at any kind of university. In reality, anyone can be ill with severe depression and, if not treated, become suicidal.
Following are a few of the known risk factors for suicide. For a full list, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If you or a friend is in a crisis and needs help at any time, contact one of the Saskatchewan crisis centres listed at the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention website. Call for yourself or for someone you care about.
If you think someone is suicidal, do not leave him or her alone, or send someone to check on them if you are not able to get there. Try to get the person to seek immediate help by calling the hotline number. Many campuses also have twenty-four-hour resources. In an emergency, call 911. Try to ensure that the person does not have access to a firearm or other potential tool for suicide, including medications.
Emotional balance is an essential element of wellness—and for succeeding in university. Emotional balance means we balance the negative with the positive, that we can be generally happy even if we’re saddened by some things.
Emotional balance starts with being aware of our emotions and understanding them. If you’re feeling angry, stop and think about the real cause of your anger. Are you really angry because your friend said something about one of your bad habits, or are you angry because you haven’t been able to break that habit? Are you feeling anxiety because you’re worried you might not be cut out for university, or are you just anxious about that test tomorrow?
See the Emotional Help Tips for other ways you can achieve and maintain a healthy emotional balance.
University students away from home for the first time are likely to feel lonely at first. Older students may also feel lonely if they no longer see their old friends as much. People can differ in terms of the number and types of connections they need to not feel lonely: one person may need only one friend while others need to feel more connected with a group.
If you are feeling lonely, there are many things you can do to meet others and feel connected. You will likely start making new friends through going to classes, working, studying, and living in the community. But you can jump-start that process by taking active steps such as these:
If your loneliness persists and you seem unable to make friends, then it’s a good idea to talk with your counselor or someone at the student health center. They can help.
Romantic relationships are often as much a part of a rich emotional life for university students as for anyone else. The added challenges of university, however, especially when combined with working and maintaining a family life, often stress these relationships. You may have to give extra attention to a relationship to keep it healthy and avoid conflicts that lead to unhappiness and other problems.
There are many components to a healthy relationship. Here are a few important ones to consider:
These positive characteristics of a good relationship don’t happen overnight. The relationship may begin with romantic attraction and only slowly develop into a trusting, mutually supportive friendship as well. The following signs may indicate that a dating relationship is not developing well:
If you recognize that any of these things are happening with someone you’re dating, it may be time to reconsider, even if you still feel attraction towards them. Any relationship that begins this way is not likely to end well.
For more information on building and maintaining a healthy relationship, see the University of Saskatchewan workbook “Guide to Healthy Relationships.”
In any friendship or relationship, conflict will eventually happen. This is just natural because people are different. If a conflict is ignored, or the partners just argue without resolving it, it may simmer and continue to cause tension, eventually weakening the relationship. It’s better to take steps to resolve it.
Conflict resolution is a process of understanding what’s really going on and then finding a solution. The same general steps of conflict resolution can work to solve a relationship conflict or a conflict between any people or groups because of a disagreement about anything. Following are the general principles of conflict resolution:
Can your relationship survive if you and your partner are living at a distance? This is a common issue for young people going off to university at different schools—and for older university students, too, who may move because of work or school. Sometimes the relationship survives, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s important, if you’re making an effort to stay together, for both partners to accept that being apart will add new pressures on the relationship. Accept also that both of you will be changing in many ways. You may naturally grow apart and decide to break up.
Yet often long-distance relationships do survive successfully. If you do decide to work to keep your relationship alive and vibrant, there are things you can do:
Sexuality is a normal, natural human drive. As an adult, your sexuality is your own business. Like other dimensions of health, however, your sexual health depends on understanding many factors involving sexuality and your own values. Your choices and behavior may have consequences. Learning about sexuality and thinking through your values will help you make responsible decisions.
It’s often difficult to talk about sexuality and sex. Not only is it a very private matter for most people, but also the words sexuality and sex are often used loosely, resulting in misunderstandings. Surveys might ask you if you have been ‘sexually active’ in the past—but survey questions rarely specify exactly what that phrase means. To some, sexual activity includes passionate kissing and fondling, while to others the phrase means sexual intercourse. Manual and oral sexual stimulation may or may not be included in an individual’s own definition of being sexually active.
We should therefore begin by defining these terms. First, sexuality is not the same as sex. Human sexuality is the capacity of humans to have erotic experiences and responsesWikipedia. (2016). Human Sexuality. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sexuality. Since all people are sexual beings, everyone has a dimension of human sexuality regardless of their behavior. Someone who practices complete abstinence from sexual behavior still has the human dimension of sexuality.
Sexuality involves gender identity, or how we see ourselves in terms of maleness and femaleness, as well as sexual orientation, which refers to the gender qualities of those to whom we are attracted. The phrase sexual activity is usually used to refer to behaviors between two (or more) people involving the genitals—but the term may also refer to solo practices such as masturbation or to partner activities that are sexually stimulating but may not involve the genitals. For the purposes of this chapter, with its focus on personal health, the term sexual activity refers to any behavior that carries a risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease. This includes vaginal, oral, and anal intercourse. The term sexual intercourse will be used to refer to vaginal intercourse, which also carries the risk of unwanted pregnancy. We’ll avoid the most confusing term, sex, which in strict biological terms refers to reproduction but is used loosely to refer to many different behaviors.
There is a stereotype that sexual activity is prominent among university students. One survey found that most university students think that other students have had an average of three sexual partners in the past year, yet 80 percent of those answering said that they themselves had zero or one sexual partner. In other words, university students as a whole are not engaging in sexual activity nearly as much as they think they are. Another study revealed that about 20 percent of eighteen- to twenty-four-year-old university students had never been sexually active and about half had not been during the preceding month.
In sum, some university students are sexually active and some are not. Misperceptions of what others are doing may lead to unrealistic expectations or feelings. What’s important, however, is to be aware of your own values and to make responsible decisions that protect your sexual health.
Information and preparation are the focus of this section of the chapter. People who engage in sexual activity in the heat of the moment—often under the influence of alcohol—without having protection and information for making good decisions are at risk for disease, unwanted pregnancy, or abuse.
It has been said that no sexual activity is safe because there is always some risk, even if very small, of protections failing. The phrase “safer sex” better describes actions one can take to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.
About two dozen different diseases can be transmitted through sexual activity. People between the ages of 18 and 25 will have friends who have or had a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and many STIs will have no symptoms. If you are sexually active, get regular testing. The most common STIs that the U of S Student Health and Counselling has seen reported are chlamydia, genital warts, and genital herpes.
STIs range from infections that can be easily treated with medications to diseases that may have permanent health effects to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the cause of AIDS, a fatal disease. Saskatchewan double the rate of HIV when compared to the rest of Canada, it cuts across race, class, and gender. Despite decades of public education campaigns and easy access to protection, STIs still affect many millions of people every year. Often a person feels no symptoms at first and does not realize he or she has the infection and thus passes it on unknowingly. Or a person may not use protection because of simple denial: “It can’t happen to me.”
Table 10.2 “Common Sexually Transmitted Infections” lists facts about common STIs for which university students are at risk. Although there are some differences, in most cases sexual transmission involves an exchange of body fluids between two people: semen, vaginal fluids, or blood (or other body fluids containing blood). Because of this similarity, the same precautions to prevent the transmission of HIV will prevent the transmission of other STIs as well.
Although many of these diseases may not cause dramatic symptoms, always see a health-care provider if you have the slightest suspicion of having acquired an STI. Not only should you receive treatment as soon as possible to prevent the risk of serious health problems, but you are also obligated to help not pass it on to others.
Table 10.2 Common Sexually Transmitted InfectionsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/std/default.htm
Infection | Incidence | Transmission | Symptoms | Risks |
---|---|---|---|---|
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Causing AIDS | As of 2014, 75,000 Canadians living with HIV. Rates are highest in Saskatchewan. A fifth are unaware they have it. | Contact with infected person’s blood, semen, or vaginal secretions during any sexual act (and needle sharing) | Usually no symptoms for years or decades. Later symptoms include swollen glands, weight loss, and susceptibility to infections. | Because medical treatment can only slow but not cure AIDS, the disease is currently eventually fatal. |
Chlamydia Bacteria | The most common bacterial STI. 200 per 100,000 women and 360 per 100,00 men in Canada (2010), a 72% increase since 2001. | Vaginal, anal, or oral sex with infected person | Often no symptoms. Symptoms may occur 1–3 weeks after exposure, including burning sensation when urinating and abnormal discharge from vagina or penis. | In women, pelvic inflammatory disease may result, with permanent damage to reproductive tissues, possibly sterility. In men, infection may spread and cause pain, fever, and rarely sterility. |
Genital HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) Causing Genital Warts | HPV is not nationally reported in Canada, but rates are known to be very high. | Genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex | Most infected people have no symptoms at all and unknowingly pass on the virus. Warts may appear in weeks or months. | Of the 40 types of HPV, many cause no health problems. Some types cause genital warts; others can lead to cancer. Vaccine is now recommended for girls and young women and protects against cancer-causing HPV. |
Genital Herpes Virus | Genital-genital or oral-genital contact | Often no symptoms. First outbreak within 2 weeks of contact may cause sores and flu-like symptoms. Outbreaks occur less frequently over time. | Many adults experience recurrent painful genital sores and emotional distress. Genital herpes in a pregnant woman puts the infant at risk during childbirth. | |
Gonorrhea Bacteria | 147 cases per 100,000 population in Canada (2010). | Direct contact with the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus; ejaculation does not have to occur | Often no recognized symptoms. Burning sensation when urinating. Abnormal discharge from vagina or penis. Rectal infection symptoms include itching, soreness, or bleeding. | If untreated, it may cause serious, permanent health problems, including pelvic inflammatory disease in women with permanent damage to reproductive tissues and possibly sterility in both men and women. |
Trichomoniasis Protozoa | Millions of Canadians get this infection every year, but most don’t have any symptoms. | Genital contact, most often during vaginal sex | Most men have no symptoms or may have slight burning after urination or mild discharge. Some women have vaginal discharge with strong odor and irritation or itching of genital area. | Trichomoniasis makes an infected woman more susceptible to HIV infection if exposed to the virus. It may cause babies to be born early. Trichomoniasis is easily treated with medication. |
Syphilis Bacteria | A sharp increase in syphilis since 2001, up 457% in ten years. 5.2 people per 100,000 in Canada (2010). | Direct contact with a syphilis sore, which occurs mainly on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or in the rectum but can also occur on the lips and in the mouth; during vaginal, anal, or oral sex | Often no recognized symptoms for years. Primary stage symptom (a small painless sore) appears in 10–90 days but heals without treatment. Secondary stage symptoms (skin rashes, fever, headache, muscle aches) may also resolve without treatment. Late-stage symptoms occur after 10–20 years, including severe internal organ damage and nervous system effects. | Because the infected person may feel no symptoms, the risk of transmission is great. Syphilis is easy to treat in the early stages, but treatment in late stages cannot repair damage that has already occurred. Untreated, syphilis is often fatal. |
The following are guidelines to protect yourself against STIs if you are sexually active:
Heterosexual couples who engage in vaginal intercourse are also at risk for an unwanted pregnancy. There are lots of myths about how a woman can’t get pregnant at a certain time in her menstrual cycle or under other conditions, but in fact, there’s a risk of pregnancy after vaginal intercourse at any time. All couples should talk about protection before reaching the stage of having intercourse and take appropriate steps.
While a male condom is about 98 percent effective, that 2 percent failure rate is real! When not used correctly, condoms are only 82 percent effectiveCenter for Young Women's Health. (2016). Male Condoms. Retrieved from: http://youngwomenshealth.org/2012/12/11/male-condoms/. In addition, a couple that has been healthy and monogamous in their relationship for a long time may be less faithful in their use of condoms if the threat of STIs seems diminished. Other methods of birth control should also be considered. With the exception of the male vasectomy, at present most other methods are used by the woman. They include intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants, injected or oral contraceptives (the “pill”), hormone patches, vaginal rings, diaphragms, cervical caps, and sponges. Each has certain advantages and disadvantages.
Birth control methods vary widely in effectiveness as well as potential side effects. This is therefore a personal decision. In addition, two methods can be used together, such as a condom along with a diaphragm or spermicide, which increases the effectiveness. (Note that a male and female condom should not be used together, however, because of the risk of either or both tearing because of friction between them). Because this is such an important issue, you should talk it over with your health-care provider, or a professional at your student health center or an agency such as the Saskatoon Sexual Health Centre.
In cases of unprotected vaginal intercourse, or if a condom tears, emergency contraception is an option for up to five days after intercourse. Sometimes called the “morning after pill” or “plan B,” emergency contraception is an oral hormone that prevents pregnancy from occurring. It is not an “abortion pill.” Planned Parenthood offices around the country can provide more information and confidential contraceptive services including emergency contraception.
Sexual assault is any form of sexual contact without voluntary consent. Examples include unwanted kissing, fondling, touching sexual body parts, and rape (Sexual Assault and Consent, University of Saskatchewan, 2017).
Although rape has no specific provision in Canada’s Criminal CodeSexAssault.ca. (2016). Sexual Assault Criminal Law, Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.sexassault.ca/criminalprocess.htm, rape is usually more narrowly defined as “unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim.” Both are significant problems among university students.
Sexual assault is so common in our society in part because many people believe in myths about certain kinds of male-female interaction.
You’ve likely heard the term “rape culture” in the last few years, but the term came about in the 1970s in reaction to society’s propensity to victim-blaming and its normalization of sexual violence. There are various behaviours associated with the normalization of rape, including slut-shaming, public apathy, the popularity of violent pornography, suspicion about victims’ honesty, objectification, stigma, rape jokes (including jokes about prison rape), denial of rape statistics, and refusal to understand the consequences and effects of rape. Rape culture is detrimental to both men and women as it stereotypes men as being naturally violent and out-of-control, and women as being “slutty” and dishonest about what they really want.
While many universities are confronting the fact that rape culture has existed on their campuses for decades, many still have not addressed it through their policies and actions. The University of Saskatchewan is undergoing the creation of a sexual assault prevention and response strategy (2016-2017).
Common myths include “It’s not really rape if the woman was dressed provocatively” and “It’s not rape unless the woman is seriously injured.” Both statements are not legally correct. Another myth or source of confusion is the idea that “Saying ‘no’ is just playing hard to get, not really ‘no.’” Those who really believe these myths may not think that they are committing assault, especially if their judgment is impaired by drugs or alcohol. Other perpetrators of sexual assault and rape, however, know exactly what they’re doing and in fact may plan to overcome their victim by using alcohol or a predator drug.
Many university administrators and educators have worked very hard to promote better awareness of sexual assault and to help students learn how to protect themselves. Yet universities cannot prevent things that happen at parties and behind closed doors.
Anyone can commit a sexual assault. Perpetrators of sexual assault fall into three categories:
Most sexual assaults are perpetrated by acquaintances or dating partners. The fault for sexual assault will always lie with the perpetrator and never with the person assaulted. To avoid becoming a perpetrator, you must understand the concept of consent.
It’s important to know that consent for sexual activity is “fundamental to any relationship and can only be given when it is enthusiastic, voluntary, and sober” (University of Saskatchewan “Sexual Assault and Consent,” 2017). Understand that sexual assault includes any unwanted kissing, fondling, touching, or rape, whether it’s between friends, sexual partners, or strangers; also, remember that alcohol or drugs can affect your judgement when determining whether these things are wanted. If you’ve been told that the plan is to have sex, remember that the person can change their mind at any point. Consent means that someone has said “yes.” Do not push drugs or alcohol on someone, especially without their knowledge.
Reducing sexual assault is not only on the shoulders of the potential aggressor and the potential victim. Look out for people, especially your friends, and intervene if you can by saying something, doing something, or reporting it. Here are some ways to be a helpful bystander:
It’s never your fault if you are assaulted, no matter the circumstances. Here are some tips for reducing your chances of being targeted:
In addition to alcohol, sexual predators use certain commonly available drugs to sedate women for sexual assault. They are odorless and tasteless and may be added to a punch bowl or slipped into your drink when you’re not looking. These drugs include the sedatives GHB, sometimes called “liquid ecstasy,” and Rohypnol, also called “roofies.” Both cause sedation in small doses but can have serious medical effects in larger doses. Predator drugs are typically used at parties. Do not force or pressure people into taking drugs, and do not push alcohol on them. To avoid being victimized, the following tips to protect yourself against predator drugs (sometimes called “date rape drugs”):
If you are sexually assaulted, always talk to someone. Call the Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW) toll-free crisis line at 1-604-255-6344 for a confidential conversation, or contact Student Health Services. Even if you do not report the assault to law enforcement, it’s important to talk through your feelings and seek help if needed to prevent an emotional crisis.
You’ve already set at least one goal for yourself—to get a university education—and that you’ve been motivated to come this far.
This chapter looks at how to make sure that you succeed in your courses through motivational and organizational strategies. The first step is to be committed to your education. You’ve been motivated to start university—now you need to keep that motivation going as you target specific goals for success in your classes. Much of this has to do with attitude and managing your time effectively.
In fact, time management skills can make the difference between those who graduate from university and those who drop out. Time management is actually all about managing yourself: knowing what you want, deciding how to get what you want, and then efficiently and effectively getting it. That applies to fun things, too. In fact, you may want to think of the goal of this chapter as not just managing your time for studying but ensuring that even as you do well in your studies, you’re still enjoying your life while in university.
A goal is a result we intend to reach mostly through our own actions. Things we do may move us closer to or farther away from that result. Studying moves us closer to success in a difficult course, while sleeping through the final examination may completely prevent reaching that goal. That may be an extreme case, yet still a lot of university students don’t reach their goal of graduating. The problem may be a lack of commitment to the goal, but often students have conflicting goals. One way to prevent problems is to think about all your goals and priorities and to learn ways to manage your time, your studies, and your social life to best reach your goals.
As you think about your own goals, think about more than just being a student. You’re also a person with individual needs and desires, hopes and dreams, plans and schemes. Your long-term goals likely include graduation and a career but may also involve social relationships with others, a romantic relationship, family, hobbies or other activities, where and how you live, and so on. While you are a student you may not be actively pursuing all your goals with the same fervor, but they remain goals and are still important in your life.
Goals also vary in terms of time. Short-term goals focus on today, the next few days and perhaps the next few weeks. Mid-term goals involve plans for this school year and the time you plan to remain in university. Long-term goals may begin with graduating university and everything you want to happen thereafter. Often your long-term goals (e.g., the kind of career you want) guide your midterm goals (getting the right education for that career), and your short-term goals (such as doing well on an exam) become steps for reaching those larger goals. Thinking about your goals in this way helps you realize how even the little things you do every day can keep you moving toward your most important long-term goals.
Write out your goals in Activity 1. The act of finding the best words to describe your goals helps you think more clearly about them. Follow these guidelines:
Write your goals in the following blanks. Be sure to consider all areas of your life—consider everything important that you want to do between this moment and old age. (While you might aim for three to eight goals in each section, remember that everyone is unique, and you may be just as passionate about just one or two goals or more than eight.)
Short-term goals (today, this week, and this month):
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Midterm goals (this year and while in university):
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Long-term goals (from university on):
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Thinking about your goals gets you started, but it’s also important to think about priorities. We often use the word “priorities” to refer to how important something is to us. We might think, This is a really important goal, and that is less important. Try this experiment: go back to the goals you wrote in Activity 1 and see if you can rank each goal as a 1 (top priority), 2 (middle priority), or 3 (lowest priority).
It sounds easy, but do you actually feel comfortable doing that? Maybe you gave a priority 1 to passing your courses and a priority 3 to playing your guitar. So what does that mean—that you never play guitar again, or at least not while in university? Whenever you have an hour free between class and work, you have to study because that’s the higher priority? What about all your other goals—do you have to ignore everything that’s not a priority 1? And what happens when you have to choose among different goals that are both number 1 priorities?
In reality, priorities don’t work quite that way. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to try to rank goals as always more or less important. The question of priority is really a question of what is more important at a specific time. It is important to do well in your classes, but it’s also important to have a social life and enjoy your time off from studying. You shouldn’t have to choose between the two—except at any given time. Priorities always involve time: what is most important to do right now. As we’ll see later, time management is mostly a way to juggle priorities so you can meet all your goals.
When you manage your time well, you don’t have to ignore some goals completely in order to meet other goals. In other words, you don’t have to give up your life when you register for university—but you may need to work on managing your life more effectively.
But time management works only when you’re committed to your goals. Attitude and motivation are very important. If you haven’t yet developed an attitude for success, all the time management skills in the world won’t keep you focused and motivated to succeed.
Okay, you’ve got a positive, yet realistic, attitude. But you’ve got a lot of reading for classes to do tonight, a test tomorrow, and a paper due the next day. Maybe you’re a little bored with one of your reading assignments. Maybe you’d rather play a computer game. Uh oh—now what? Attitude can change at almost any moment. One minute you’re enthusiastically starting a class project, and then maybe a friend drops by and suddenly all you want to do is close the books and relax a while, hang out with friends.
One of the characteristics of successful people is accepting that life is full of interruptions and change—and planning for it. Staying focused does not mean you become a boring person who does nothing but go to class and study all the time. You just need to make a plan.
Planning ahead is the single best way to stay focused and motivated to reach your goals. Don’t wait until the night before an exam. If you know you have a major exam in five days, start by reviewing the material and deciding how many hours of study you need. Then schedule those hours spread out over the next few days—at times when you are most alert and least likely to be distracted. Allow time for other activities, too, to reward yourself for successful studying. Then when the exam comes, you’re relaxed, you know the material, you’re in a good mood and confident, and you do well.
Planning is mostly a matter of managing your time well, as we’ll see later. Here are some other tips for staying focused and motivated:
Did you study alone or with friends in high school? Because university classes are typically much more challenging, many university students discover they do better, and find it much more enjoyable, if they study with other students taking same course. This might mean organizing a study group or just getting together with a friend to review material before a test. It’s good to start thinking right away about networking with other students in your classes.
If you consider yourself an independent person and prefer studying and doing projects on your own rather than with others, think for a minute about how most people function in their careers and professions, what the business world is like. Most work today is done by teams or individuals working together in a collaborative way. Very few jobs involve a person always being and working alone. The more you learn to study and work with other students now, the more skills you are mastering for a successful career.
Studying with other students has immediate benefits. You can quiz each other to help ensure that everyone understands the course material; if you’re not clear about something, someone else can help teach it to you. You can read and respond to each other’s writing and other work. You can divide up the work in group projects. And through it all, you can often have more fun than if you were doing it on your own.
Studying together is also a great way to start networking—a topic we’ll discuss more in coming chapters. Networking has many potential benefits for your future. University students who feel they are part of a network on campus are more motivated and more successful in university.
Even when you have clear goals and are motivated and focused to achieve them, problems sometimes happen. Accept that they will happen, since inevitably they do for everyone. The difference between those who succeed by solving the problem and moving on and those who get frustrated and give up is partly attitude and partly experience—and knowing how to cope when a problem occurs.
Lots of different kinds of setbacks may happen while you’re in university—just as to everyone in life. Here are a few examples:
Some things happen that we cannot prevent. But many other kinds of problems can be prevented or made less likely to occur. You can take steps to stay healthy. You can take control of your finances. You can learn how to build successful social relationships and get along better with your instructors, with other students, and in personal relationships. You can learn time management techniques to ensure you use your time effectively for studying.
What to do when setbacks do happen?
First, work to resolve the immediate problem:
People’s moods, attitudes, and levels of work productivity change in different spaces. Learning to use space to your own advantage helps get you off to a good start in your studies. Here are a few of the ways space matters:
Begin by analyzing your needs, preferences, and past problems with places for studying. Where do you usually study? What are the best things about that place for studying? What distractions are most likely to occur there?
The goal is to find, or create, the best place for studying, and then to use it regularly so that studying there becomes a good habit.
Multitasking is the term commonly used for being engaged in two or more different activities at the same time, usually referring to activities using devices such as cell phones, smartphones, computers, and so on. Many people claim to be able to do as many as four or five things simultaneously, such as writing an e-mail while responding to an instant message (IM) and reading a tweet, all while watching a video on their computer monitor or talking on the phone. Many people who have grown up with computers consider this kind of multitasking a normal way to get things done, including studying. Even people in business sometimes speak of multitasking as an essential component of today’s fast-paced world. However, it’s an established fact that multitasking is a myth; watch this explanation from psychologist Dr. Ali Mattu:
Video: The Psych Show – Multitasking Is a Myth (4:45).
It is true that some things can be attended to while you’re doing something else, such as checking e-mail while you watch television news—but only when none of those things demands your full attention. You can concentrate 80 percent on the e-mail, for example, while 20 percent of your attention is listening for something on the news that catches your attention. Then you turn to the television for a minute, watch that segment, and go back to the e-mail. But you’re not actually watching the television at the same time you’re composing the e-mail—you’re toggling back and forth. In reality, the mind can focus only on one thing at any given moment. Even things that don’t require much thinking are severely impacted by multitasking, such as driving while talking on a cell phone or texting.
“Okay,” you might be thinking, “why should it matter if I write my paper first and then answer e-mails or do them back and forth at the same time?” It actually takes you longer to do two or more things at the same time than if you do them separately—at least with anything that you actually have to focus on, such as studying. That’s true because each time you go back to studying after looking away to a message or tweet, it takes time for your mind to shift gears to get back to where you were. Every time your attention shifts, add up some more “downtime”—and pretty soon it’s evident that multitasking is costing you a lot more time than you think. And that’s assuming that your mind does fully shift back to where you were every time, without losing your train of thought or forgetting an important detail. It doesn’t always.
The other problem with multitasking is the effect it can have on the attention span—and even on how the brain works. Research has shown that in people who constantly shift their attention from one thing to another in short bursts, the brain forms patterns that make it more difficult to keep sustained attention on any one thingLevitin, D. (2015, January 18). Why the modern world is bad for your brain. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jan/18/modern-world-bad-for-brain-daniel-j-levitin-organized-mind-information-overload. So when you really do need to concentrate for a while on one thing, such as when studying for a big test, it becomes more difficult to do even if you’re not multitasking at that time. It’s as if your mind makes a habit of wandering from one thing to another and then can’t stop.
So stay away from multitasking whenever you have something important to do, like studying. If it’s already a habit for you, don’t let it become worse. Manipulate your study space to prevent the temptations altogether. Turn your computer off, or shut down e-mail and messaging programs if you need the computer for studying. Turn your cell phone off—if you just tell yourself not to answer it but still glance at it each time to see who sent or left a message, you’re still losing your studying momentum and have to start over again. For those who are really addicted to technology (you know who you are!), go to the library and don’t take your laptop or cell phone.
In the later section in this chapter on scheduling your study periods, we recommend scheduling breaks as well, usually for a few minutes every hour. If you’re really hooked on checking for messages, plan to do that at scheduled times.
What about listening to music while studying? Some don’t consider that multitasking, and many students say they can listen to music without it affecting their studying. Studies are inconclusive about the positive or negative effects of music on people’s ability to concentrate, probably because so many different factors are involvedDoraiswamy, S. (2012, October 8). Does music help you study? Retrieved from: http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/08/does-music-help-you-study/. But there’s a huge difference between listening to your favorite music and spontaneously singing along with some of the songs and enjoying soft background music that enhances your study space the same way as good lighting and pleasant décor. Some people can study better with low-volume instrumental music that relaxes them and does not intrude on their thinking while others can concentrate only in silence. And some are so used to being immersed in music and the sounds of life that they find total silence more distracting—such people can often study well in places where people are moving around. The key thing is to be honest with yourself: if you’re actively listening to music while you’re studying, then you’re likely not studying as well as you could be. It will take you longer and lead to less successful results.
Sometimes going to the library or elsewhere is not practical for studying, and you have to find a way to cope in a shared space.
Part of the solution is time management. Agree with others on certain times that will be reserved for studying; agree to keep the place quiet, not to have guests visiting, and to prevent other distractions. These arrangements can be made with a roommate, spouse, and older children. If there are younger children in your household and you have child-care responsibility, it’s usually more complicated. You may have to schedule your studying during their nap time or find quiet activities for them to enjoy while you study.
The key is to plan ahead. You don’t want to find yourself, the night before an exam, in a place that offers no space for studying.
Finally, accept that sometimes you’ll just have to say “no.” If your roommate or a friend often tries to engage you in conversation or suggests doing something else when you need to study, be firm but polite as you explain that you just really have to get your work done first. Students who live at home may also have to learn how to say no to parents or family members. Remember, you can’t be everything to everyone all the time.
When you know what you want to do, why not just sit down and get it done? The millions of people who complain frequently about “not having enough time” would love it if it were that simple!
People’s attitudes toward time vary widely. One person seems to be always rushing around but actually gets less done than another person who seems unconcerned about time and calmly goes about the day. Since there are so many different “time personalities,” it’s important to realize how you approach time.
Start by trying to figure out how you spend your time during a typical week, using Activity 2.
See if you can account for a week’s worth of time. For each of the activity categories listed, make your best estimate of how many hours you spend in a week. (For categories that are about the same every day, just estimate for one day and multiply by seven for that line.)
Category of activity | Number of hours per week |
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Sleeping | |
Eating (including preparing food) | |
Personal hygiene (i.e., bathing, etc.) | |
Working (employment) | |
Volunteer service or internship | |
Chores, cleaning, errands, shopping, etc. | |
Attending class | |
Studying, reading, and researching (outside of class) | |
Transportation to work or school | |
Getting to classes (walking, biking, etc.) | |
Organized group activities (clubs, church services, etc.) | |
Time with friends (include television, video games, etc.) | |
Attending events (movies, parties, etc.) | |
Time alone (include television, video games, surfing the Web, etc.) | |
Exercise or sports activities | |
Reading for fun or other interests done alone | |
Talking on phone, e-mail, Facebook, etc. | |
Other—specify: ________________________ | |
Other—specify: ________________________ |
Now use your calculator to total your estimated hours. Is your number larger or smaller than 168, the total number of hours in a week? If your estimate is higher, go back through your list and adjust numbers to be more realistic. But if your estimated hours total fewer than 168, don’t just go back and add more time in certain categories. Instead, ponder this question: Where does the time go? We’ll come back to this question.
Plan your tasks according to time of day. When you need to concentrate, such as when writing a class paper, are you more alert and focused in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Do you concentrate best when you look forward to a relaxing activity later on, or do you study better when you’ve finished all other activities? Do you function well if you get up early—or stay up late—to accomplish a task? How does that affect the rest of your day or the next day? Understanding this will help you better plan your study periods.
Think about your time analysis in Activity 2. People who estimate too high often feel they don’t have enough time. They may have time anxiety and often feel frustrated. People at the other extreme, who often can’t account for how they use all their time, may have a more relaxed attitude. They may not actually have any more free time, but they may be wasting more time than they want to admit with less important things. Yet they still may complain about how much time they spend studying, as if there’s a shortage of time.
People also differ in how they respond to schedule changes. Some go with the flow and accept changes easily, while others function well only when following a planned schedule and may become upset if that schedule changes. If you do not react well to an unexpected disruption in your schedule, plan extra time for catching up if something throws you off. This is all part of understanding your time personality.
Another aspect of your time personality involves time of day. If you need to concentrate, such as when writing a class paper, are you more alert and focused in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Do you concentrate best when you look forward to a relaxing activity later on, or do you study better when you’ve finished all other activities? Do you function well if you get up early—or stay up late—to accomplish a task? How does that affect the rest of your day or the next day? Understanding this will help you better plan your study periods.
While you may not be able to change your “time personality,” you can learn to manage your time more successfully. The key is to be realistic. How accurate is the number of hours you wrote down in Activity 2? The best way to know how you spend your time is to record what you do all day in a time log, every day for a week, and then add that up.
There are numerous apps out there for tracking time using your mobile device. You can also simply create a spreadsheet or a table with the following categories:
Once you’ve logged your time for a week, assess it by highlighting the number of low to zero value activities you took part in, and how many of your activities sapped your energy or negative emotions. Next, make a plan to reduce, delegate, or eliminate these activities. For example, if you are the only one doing dishes at home, think about delegating this to others in the household by creating a roster. After that, look at the most challenging tasks, and note what times of day you had low energy, to determine the best time to fit in a challenging task according to your energy level (for instance, someone who is energetic in the morning might use that time to get some exercise or work on an essay). Finally, note how often you are switching tasks. It can be inefficient to check your emails as they arrive in your inbox when you can devote a chunk of time each day to focus and respond to them instead.
Time management for successful university studying involves these factors:
For every hour in the classroom, university students should spend, on average, about two hours on that class, counting reading, studying, writing papers, and so on. If you’re a full-time student with fifteen hours a week in class, then you need another thirty hours for rest of your academic work. That forty-five hours is about the same as a typical full-time job. If you work part time, time management skills are even more essential. These skills are still more important for part-time university students who work full time and commute or have a family. To succeed in university, virtually everyone has to develop effective strategies for dealing with time.
Many students begin university not knowing this much time is needed, so don’t be surprised if you underestimated this number of hours. Remember this is just an average amount of study time—you may need more or less for your own courses. To be safe, and to help ensure your success, add another five to ten hours a week for studying.
Look back at the number of hours you wrote in Activity 2 for a week of studying. Do you have two hours of study time for every hour in class? Many students begin university not knowing this much time is needed, so don’t be surprised if you underestimated this number of hours. Remember this is just an average amount of study time—you may need more or less for your own courses. To be safe, and to help ensure your success, add another five to ten hours a week for studying.
To reserve this study time, you may need to adjust how much time you spend in other activities.
Think back to a high school history or literature class. Those were probably the classes in which you had the most reading. You would be assigned a chapter, or a few pages in a chapter, with the expectation that you would be discussing the reading assignment in class. In class, the teacher would guide you and your classmates through a review of your reading and ask questions to keep the discussion moving. The teacher usually was a key part of how you learned from your reading.
If you have been away from school for some time, it’s likely that your reading has been fairly casual. While time spent with a magazine, blog, or newsfeed can be important, it’s not the sort of concentrated reading you will do much of in university.
In university, you will be expected to read much more. For each hour you spend in the classroom, you will be expected to spend an average of two or more additional hours studying between classes, and most of that will be reading. Assignments will be longer (a couple of chapters is common, compared with perhaps only a few pages in high school) and much more difficult. University textbook authors write using many technical terms and include complex ideas. Many university authors include research, and some textbooks are written in a style you may find dry. You will also have to read from a variety of sources: your textbook, ancillary materials, primary sources, academic journals, periodicals, and online postings. Your assignments in literature courses will be complete books, possibly with convoluted plots and unusual wording or dialects, and they may have so many characters you’ll feel like you need a scorecard to keep them straight.
In university, most instructors do not spend much time reviewing the reading assignment in class. Rather, they expect that you have done the assignment before coming to class and understand the material. The class lecture or discussion is often based on that expectation. Tests, too, are based on that expectation. This is why active reading is so important—it’s up to you to do the reading and comprehend what you read.
Note: It may not always be clear on an instructor’s syllabus, but a reading assignment listed on any given class date should be read before coming to class on that date.
This chapter will provide some insights into university-level reading strategies, including effective reading of textbooks and other materials.
Open your text to the assigned pages. What is the chapter title? Is the chapter divided into sections? What are the section titles? Which sections are longer? Are there any illustrations? What are they about? Illustrations in books cost money, so chances are the author and publisher thought these topics were particularly important, or they would not have been included. How about tables? What kinds of information do they show? Are there bold or italicized words? Are these terms you are familiar with, or are they new to you? Are you getting a sense for what is important in the chapter? Why did the author choose to cover certain ideas and to highlight specific ideas with graphics or boldface fonts? What do they tell you about what will be most important for you in your course? What do you think your instructor wants you to get out of the assignment? Why?
Textbooks are designed to help you learn, not just to present information. They differ from other types of academic publications intended to present research findings, advance new ideas, or deeply examine a specific subject. Textbooks have many features worth exploring because they can help you understand your reading better and learn more effectively. In your textbooks, look for the elements listed in the table below.
Table 5.1 Anatomy of a Textbook
Textbook Feature | What It Is | Why You Might Find It Helpful |
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Preface or Introduction | A section at the beginning of a book in which the author or editor outlines its purpose and scope, acknowledges individuals who helped prepare the book, and perhaps outlines the features of the book. | You will gain perspective on the author’s point of view, what the author considers important. If the preface is written with the student in mind, it will also give you guidance on how to “use” the textbook and its features. |
Foreword | A section at the beginning of the book, often written by an expert in the subject matter (different from the author) endorsing the author’s work and explaining why the work is significant. | A foreword will give you an idea about what makes this book different from others in the field. It may provide hints as to why your instructor selected the book for your course. |
Author Profile | A short biography of the author illustrating the author’s credibility in the subject matter. | This will help you understand the author’s perspective and what the author considers important. |
Table of Contents | A listing of all the chapters in the book and, in most cases, primary sections within chapters. | The table of contents is an outline of the entire book. It will be very helpful in establishing links among the text, the course objectives, and the syllabus. |
Chapter Preview or Learning Objectives | A section at the beginning of each chapter in which the author outlines what will be covered in the chapter and what the student should expect to know or be able to do at the end of the chapter. | These sections are invaluable for determining what you should pay special attention to. Be sure to compare these outcomes with the objectives stated in the course syllabus. |
Introduction | The first paragraph(s) of a chapter, which states the chapter’s objectives and key themes. An introduction is also common at the beginning of primary chapter sections. | Introductions to chapters or sections are “must reads” because they give you a road map to the material you are about to read, pointing you to what is truly important in the chapter or section. |
Applied Practice Elements | Exercises, activities, or drills designed to let students apply their knowledge gained from the reading. Some of these features may be presented via Web sites designed to supplement the text. | These features provide you with a great way to confirm your understanding of the material. If you have trouble with them, you should go back and reread the section. They also have the additional benefit of improving your recall of the material. |
Chapter Summary | A section at the end of a chapter that confirms key ideas presented in the chapter. | It is a good idea to read this section before you read the body of the chapter. It will help you strategize about where you should invest your reading effort. |
Review Material | A section at the end of the chapter that includes additional applied practice exercises, review questions, and suggestions for further reading. | The review questions will help you confirm your understanding of the material. |
Endnotes and Bibliographies | Formal citations of sources used to prepare the text. | These will help you infer the author’s biases and are also valuable if doing further research on the subject for a paper. |
Use your critical thinking skill of questioning what the author is saying. Turn the title of each major section of the reading into a question and write it down in your left column of your notes. For example, if the section title is “The End of the Industrial Revolution,” you might write, “What caused the Industrial Revolution to end?” If the section title is “The Chemistry of Photosynthesis,” you might write, “What chemical reactions take place to cause photosynthesis, and what are the outcomes?” Note that your questions are related to the kind of material you are hearing about in class, and they usually require not a short answer but a thoughtful, complete understanding. Finally, also in the left column, jot down any keywords that appear in boldface. You will want to discover their definitions and the significance of each as you read.
Recognize strategies for reading special types of material and special situations, such as the following:
While the active reading process outlined earlier is very useful for most assignments, you should consider some additional strategies for reading assignments in other subjects.
Mathematics present unique challenges in that they typically contain a great number of formulas, charts, sample problems, and exercises. Follow these guidelines:
You read earlier about noticing graphics in your text as a signal of important ideas. But it is equally important to understand what the graphics intend to convey. Textbooks contain tables, charts, maps, diagrams, illustrations, photographs, and the newest form of graphics—Internet URLs for accessing text and media material. Many students are tempted to skip over graphic material and focus only on the reading. Don’t. Take the time to read and understand your textbook’s graphics. They will increase your understanding, and because they engage different comprehension processes, they will create different kinds of memory links to help you remember the material.
To get the most out of graphic material, use your critical thinking skills and question why each illustration is present and what it means. Don’t just glance at the graphics; take time to read the title, caption, and any labeling in the illustration. In a chart, read the data labels to understand what is being shown or compared. Think about projecting the data points beyond the scope of the chart; what would happen next? Why?
Table 5.2 “Common Uses of Textbook Graphics” shows the most common graphic elements and notes what they do best. This knowledge may help guide your critical analysis of graphic elements.
Table 5.2: Common Uses of Textbook Graphics
Most often used to present raw data. Understand what is being measured. What data points stand out as very high or low? Why? Ask yourself what might cause these measurements to change. | |
Used to compare quantitative data or show changes in data over time. Also can be used to compare a limited number of data series over time. Often an illustration of data that can also be presented in a table. | |
Used to illustrate a trend in a series of data. May be used to compare different series over time. | |
Used to illustrate the distribution or share of elements as a part of a whole. Ask yourself what effect a change in distribution of factors would have on the whole. | |
Used to illustrate geographic distributions or movement across geographical space. In some cases can be used to show concentrations of populations or resources. When encountering a map, ask yourself if changes or comparisons are being illustrated. Understand how those changes or comparisons relate to the material in the text. | |
Used to represent a person, a condition, or an idea discussed in the text. Sometimes photographs serve mainly to emphasize a significant person or situation, but photographs can also be used to make a point. Ask yourself if the photograph reveals a biased point of view. | |
Used to illustrate parts of an item. Invest time in these graphics. They are often used as parts of quizzes or exams. Look carefully at the labels. These are vocabulary words you should be able to define. | |
| Commonly used to illustrate processes. As you look at diagrams, ask yourself, “What happens first? What needs to happen to move to the next step?” |
Source: College Success, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2015. CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0
Science occurs through the experimental process: posing hypotheses, and then using experimental data to prove or disprove them. When reading scientific texts, look for hypotheses and list them in the left column of your notes pages. Then make notes on the proof (or disproof) in the right column; in scientific studies these are as significant as the questions you ask for other texts. Think critically about the hypotheses and the experiments used to prove or disprove them. Ask:
Social sciences texts, such as those for history, economics, and political science classes, often involve interpretation where the authors’ points of view and theories are as important as the facts they present. Put your critical thinking skills into overdrive when you are reading these texts. As you read, ask yourself questions such as the following:
Record your reflections in the margins and in your notes.
Social science courses often require you to read primary source documents. Primary sources include documents, letters, diaries, newspaper reports, financial reports, lab reports, and records that provide firsthand accounts of the events, practices, or conditions you are studying. Start by understanding the author(s) of the document and his or her agenda. Infer their intended audience. What response did the authors hope to get from their audience? Do you consider this a bias? How does that bias affect your thinking about the subject? Do you recognize personal biases that affect how you might interpret the document?
Reading texts in a foreign language is particularly challenging—but it also provides you with invaluable practice and many new vocabulary words in your “new” language. It is an effort that really pays off. Start by analyzing a short portion of the text (a sentence or two) to see what you do know. Remember that all languages are built on idioms as much as on individual words. Do any of the phrase structures look familiar? Can you infer the meaning of the sentences? Do they make sense based on the context? If you still can’t make out the meaning, choose one or two words to look up in your dictionary and try again. Look for longer words, which generally are the nouns and verbs that will give you meaning sooner. Don’t rely on a dictionary (or an online translator); a word-for-word translation does not always yield good results. For example, the Spanish phrase “Entre y tome asiento” might correctly be translated (word for word) as “Between and drink a seat,” which means nothing, rather than its actual meaning, “Come in and take a seat.”
Reading in a foreign language is hard and tiring work. Make sure you schedule significantly more time than you would normally allocate for reading in your own language and reward yourself with more frequent breaks. But don’t shy away from doing this work; the best way to learn a new language is practice, practice, practice.
Note to English-language learners: If you do struggle with the level of English reading skills required of university students, check for university resources that may be available to ESL (English as a Subsequent Language) learners. As an additional language learner, you possess a rich linguistic experience that many Canadian-born students would envy. You simply need to account for the difficulties you’ll face and (like anyone learning a new language) practice, practice, practice.
When accessing materials online, you should ask additional questions in order to fully understand the assignment. Go online and you can find many articles on just about any subject. The following five steps will help you understand the “story behind the story” in online materials and also evaluate the reliability of the material, especially if this is a reading you selected yourself for research or independent work:
Figure 6-1: Creativity can be learned. Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blur-cellphone-close-up-device-196646/ Permission: CC0 1.0
Developing your ability to think creatively will be an asset as you come up with insights and ideas for papers; participate in undergraduate research projects; work out solutions to problems; and generate novel ways to remember and analyze.
Once you enter a profession, creativity will help you. Generating new ideas, fostering innovation, and developing processes or plans to implement them are something that cannot be easily farmed out or automated. Businesses and organizations usually want problem solvers, not just instruction-followers. Developing your creative thinking skills will position you for lifelong success in whatever career you choose.
Creativity can be learned.
Creative thinking is the ability to look at things from a new perspective to come up with fresh solutions to problems. It is a deliberate process that allows you to think in ways that improve the likelihood of generating new ideas or thoughts.
Let’s start by addressing a couple of myths:
Creative thinking involves coming up with new or original ideas; it is the process of seeing the same things others see but seeing them differently. Creative thinking utilizes skills such as examining associations and relationships, flexibility of thought, elaboration and modification of ideas, imagery, and metaphorical thinking. Throughout the creative thinking process, you will stimulate your curiosity, come up with new approaches to things, and have fun.
If you chose C, you’re right; you can’t eat a board. Maybe you chose D; that’s right, too—clams are the only animal on the chart. B is right, as it’s the only item you can make oil from, and A can also be right; it’s the only red item. Each option can be right depending on your point of view.
Life is full of multiple answers, and if we go along with only the most obvious answer, we would be in danger of losing the context for our creative ideas. The value of an idea can only be determined by comparing it with another. Multiple ideas will also help you to generate new approaches by combining elements from a variety of “right” answers. In fact, the greatest danger to creative thinking is to have only one idea. Always ask yourself, “What’s the other right answer?”
There are many ways to stimulate and grow your creativity, but the most important takeaway is to practice. Some of these suggestions (reading more widely or walking every day) are simple enough and will have other benefits beyond improving your creativity. For now, just pick a couple of the above suggestions to fold into your everyday life!
Many of our daily activities are measurements of progress toward mastery of skills or knowledge. We welcome these opportunities as both work and fun. But when these opportunities are part of our academic life, we often dread them and rarely feel any sense of fun. In reality, however, academic tests are similar to real-life tests in the following ways:
Take a look at the learning cycle in Figure 6.2 “The Learning Cycle: Review and Apply”. In this chapter, we cover reviewing and applying the material you learn; preparing for and taking exams is the practical application of this phase.
The end and the beginning of the learning cycle are both involved in test taking, as we’ll see in this chapter. This chapter explains the best study habits for effective review and strategies for successful application of your knowledge in specific types of tests and exams. It also covers how the review and application processes set you up for additional learning.
You have truly learned material when you can readily recall it and actually use it—on tests or in real-life situations. Effective studying is your most important tool to combat test anxiety, and, more importantly, effective studying helps you to master the material and be able to apply it when needed.
Effective studying is an ongoing process of reviewing course material. To be effective, studying is something you do as part of an ongoing learning process, throughout the duration of the term, not just a few days before an exam.
Studying happens everyday, and begins after each class or assignment when you review your notes. Each study session should involve three steps:
At the end of each unit, or at least every two weeks or so, use your notes and textbook to write an outline or summary of the material in your own words. After you have written the summary or outline, go back and reread your outline from the prior unit followed by the one you just wrote. Does the new one build on the earlier one? Do you feel confident you understand the material?
At least a week before a major exam, review what the instructor has mentioned about the exam so far. Has the instructor said anything about what types of questions will be included? If you were the instructor, what questions would you ask on an exam? Challenge yourself to come up with some really tough open-ended questions. Think about how you might answer them. Be sure to go to any review sessions offered through the class or a student support service (often, these are called “Structured Study Sessions”).
Now review your course unit outlines, and then re-read the sections of your notes that are most closely associated with expected exam questions. Pay special attention to those items the instructor emphasized during class. Read key points aloud and write them down on index cards. Make flash cards to review in your downtime, such as when you’re waiting for a bus or for a class to start.
Study groups are a great idea—as long as they are thoughtfully managed. A study group can give you new perspectives on course material and help you to fill in gaps in your notes. Discussing course content will sharpen your critical thinking related to the subject, and being part of a group to which you are accountable will help you study consistently. Ideally, you will end up “teaching” each other the material, which is a powerful way to retain new material.
Here are some tips for creating and managing effective study groups:
Two general types of tests are based on their objectives, or how they intend to provide feedback learning has occurred: formative assessments and summative assessments Hanna, G. S., & Dettmer, P. A. (2004). Assessment for effective teaching: Using context-adaptive planning. Boston, MA: Pearson A&B..
Formative assessments include quizzes, unit tests, pop quizzes, and review quizzes from a textbook and, if available, accompanying web resources. They test you on fundamental material before you are tested on more challenging topics. Quizzes go beyond grades; they can help you to identify what you know and what you still need to learn in terms of applying the material. A poor result on a quiz may not have a big effect on your overall average, but learning from its results and correcting your mistakes will affect your final grade when you take midterms and finals.
Summative assessments include midterms and finals. They are used by the instructor to determine if you are mastering the course material, and as such, they usually carry a heavy weight toward your final grade for the course. Because of this, they often result in high levels of test anxiety and long study periods.
In addition to this classification by objective, tests can also be grouped into various categories based on how they are delivered. Each type has its own peculiar strategies.
What do you do before and during a test? You have some good ideas for studying and performing well on tests, but maybe you could pick up a few more ideas in this section.
Most of us have experienced some anxiety around tests. It is normal to feel stress before an exam, and in fact, that may be a good thing. Stress motivates you to study and review; generates adrenaline to help sharpen your reflexes and focus while taking the exam; and may even help you to remember some of the material you need. But suffering too many stress symptoms or suffering any of them severely will impede your ability to show what you have learned. Strong anxiety during a test interferes with your ability to recall knowledge from memory as well as your ability to use higher-level thinking skills effectively.
There are steps you should take if you find that stress is getting in your way:
You’ve learned how negative thoughts contribute to test anxiety and keep you from doing as well as you can. Take some time to disarm your most frequent offenders. From the following list, select three negative thoughts that you have experienced (or write your own). Then fill in the second and third columns for each statement, as shown in the example.
My boogie statement | How rational is this thought? Do you have any evidence that it is true? | Reasonable reinforcing or affirmation statements you can use to replace it. |
---|---|---|
Example: I’m drawing a blank.…I’ll never get the answer…I must really be stupid. | I’ve missed questions on things that I studied and knew before. | I studied this and I am determined to do my best. I’ll visualize where it’s written in my notes to help me trigger my memory. |
You can gain even more confidence in your test-taking abilities by understanding the different kinds of questions an instructor may ask and applying the following proven strategies for answering them. Most instructors will likely use various conventional types of questions. Here are some tips for handling the most common types.
Subjective questions such as short answer and essay questions require planning, outlining, drafting, and revising. You will bring in memorized material, but you must expand on it in your own way, often bringing in your own arguments and examples.
Table 6.1 Verbs to Watch for in Essay Questions
Word | What It Means | What the Instructor Is Looking For |
---|---|---|
Analyze | Break concept into key parts | Don’t just list the parts; show how they work together and illustrate any patterns. |
Compare | Show similarities (and sometimes differences) between two or more concepts or ideas | Define the similarities and clearly describe how the items or ideas are similar. Do these similarities lead to similar results or effects? Note that this word is often combined with “contrast.” If so, make sure you do both. |
Contrast | Show differences between two or more concepts or ideas | Define the differences and clearly describe how the items or ideas are different. How do these differences result in different outcomes? Note that this word is often combined with “compare.” If so, make sure you do both. |
Critique | Judge and analyze | Explain what is wrong—and right—about a concept. Include your own judgments, supported by evidence and quotes from experts that support your point of view. |
Define | Describe the meaning of a word, phrase, or concept | Define the concept or idea as your instructor did in class—but use your own words. If your definition differs from what the instructor presented, support your difference with evidence. Keep this essay short. Examples can help illustrate a definition, but remember that examples alone are not a definition. |
Discuss | Explain or review | Define the key questions around the issue to be discussed and then answer them. Another approach is to define pros and cons on the issue and compare and contrast them. In either case, explore all relevant data and information. |
Explain | Clarify, give reasons for something | Clarity is key for these questions. Outline your thoughts carefully, and use examples and explanations to make yourself clear. |
Illustrate | Offer examples | Use examples from class material or reading assignments. Compare and contrast them to other examples you might come up with from additional reading or real life. |
Prove | Provide evidence and arguments that something is true | Instructors who include this prompt in an exam question have often proven the hypothesis or other concepts in their class lectures. Think about the kind of evidence the instructor used and apply similar types of processes and data. |
Summarize | Give a brief, precise description of an idea or concept | Keep it short, but cover all key points. This is one essay prompt where examples should not be included unless the instructions specifically ask for them. (For example, “Summarize the steps of the learning cycle and give examples of the main strategies you should apply in each one.”) |
Math tests require some special strategies because they are often problem based rather than question based.
Do the following before the test:
Do the following during the test:
Approach each problem following four steps:
Science tests also are often problem based, but they also generally use the scientific method. This is why science tests may require some specific strategies:
This section discusses how to use test results to their greatest benefit. Some of your most important learning begins when your graded test paper is returned to you. What do you do with an exam after you get it back? Look at the mark, and then throw it away or never look at it again? Compare yourself to others? These are natural responses. The best thing to do, however, is to use your results to do better in the future, even outside the subject area in which it was written.
Make sure you listen to the instructor as the papers are returned. What is the instructor saying about the test? Is there a particular point everyone had trouble with? Does the instructor generally think everyone did well? What was the average grade and where did you fall? The instructor’s comments at this point may give you important information about what you should study more, about the value of review sessions, and even about possible questions for the next exam.
Learning from a test is a three-step process, beginning with evaluating your results.
You will likely have an emotional reaction to your exam result, whether it’s poor, mediocre, or exceptional. If you are upset, take a bit of time to cool off. When you are ready, sit quietly and take a close look at it.
What questions did you get wrong? What kind of mistakes were they? (See Table 6.2 “Exam Errors and How to Correct Them.”) Do you see a pattern? What questions did you get right? What were your strengths? What can you learn from the instructor’s comments?
Now think of the way in which you prepared for the exam and the extent to which you applied the exam strategies described earlier in this chapter. Were you prepared for the exam? Did you study the right material? Did you space your studying out over time, or did you study in the brief days ahead of the exam? What surprised you? Did you read the entire test before starting? Did your time allocation work well, or were you short of time on certain parts of the exam?
Table 6.2 Exam Errors and How to Correct Them
Type of Error | Examples | Corrective Steps |
---|---|---|
Study and Preparation Errors | I did not study the material for that question (enough). | Practice better predicting possible questions. Use the textbook activities, or ask your classmates. |
I ran out of time. | You cannot bring a cellphone into an exam, and some classrooms do not have clocks. Ask your instructor what his or her policy is regarding the use of a watch, or whether a timer can be projected onto the screen. When you begin your exam, make sure that you make a little estimate of how long each section should take, and budget some time at the end to check your work. If you get stuck on a question, don’t stall! Keep writing and then go back to work on that question at the end. | |
I did not prepare enough. | Work on time and task management. Break down your study schedule according to tasks and realistically estimate how much time things will take. | |
Focus Errors or Carelessness | I did not read the directions carefully. | Allocate exam time carefully. Read and then reread exam questions, underlining key terms, especially verbs (actions, such as “debate,” “summarize,” or “argue”). |
I confused terms or concepts that I actually know well. | Give yourself time to read carefully and think before answering a question. Budget time to go back and revise your answers. | |
Content Errors | I studied the material but couldn’t make it work with the question | Seek additional help from the instructor. Use study strategies that move beyond memorization, such as asking questions or explaining with examples. |
I didn’t understand what the instructor wanted. | Go to all classes, labs, and review sessions. Notice cues that he or she gives in lectures. Make sure you get caught up on any missed classes. | |
I confused terms or concepts. | Join or form a well-run study group. Practice your active reading and listening skills. Schedule regular study time for this course, and space it out over time rather than in the days before the exam. | |
Mechanical Errors | The instructor misread my writing. | Budget time to revise and rewrite. If you have less-than-good handwriting, use pencil so that you can erase and rewrite. Focus on key terms if you are short on time. |
I didn’t erase a wrong answer completely. | Cross things out very clearly rather than use an eraser. Erasers are time-consuming compared to cross-outs. | |
I forgot to go back to a question I had skipped over. | Budget time to go over and check your work. Even five minutes at the end of an exam can make a big difference on your overall performance. | |
I miscopied some calculations or facts from my worksheet. | Slow down and take care with preliminary steps such as these. |
The second step in making your test work for you is to correct your wrong answers. The last time you wrote the information (when you took the test), you created a link to wrong information in your memory, so that must be corrected.
Your corrected quizzes and midterm exams are an important study tool for final exams. Make sure you file them with your notes for the study unit. Take the time to annotate your notes based on the exam. Pay particular attention to any gaps in your notes on topics that appeared in the quiz or exam. Research those points in your text or online and complete your notes. Review your exams throughout the term (not just before the final) to be sure you cement the course material into your memory.
When you prepare for the final exam, start by reviewing your quizzes and other tests to predict the kinds of questions the instructor may ask on the final. This will help focus your final studying when you have a large amount of coursework to cover.
If your instructor chooses not to return tests to students, make an appointment to see the instructor soon after the test to review it and your performance. Take notes on what you had trouble with and the expected answers. Add these notes into your study guide. Make sure you don’t lose out on the opportunity to learn from your results.