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Getting the Semester
off to a Good Start
Overview and Purpose
This instructional document
outlines strategies that should be used early in the semester to insure
academic success. The “Twelve Tips” are practical but often overlooked.
The second and third sections contain suggestions for preparing for
reading and writing assignments throughout the semester.
Twelve Tips:
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Purchase textbooks before
the first day of the semester: In most courses, the instructor will
assign readings to be completed by the second class session.
Delaying the purchase of textbooks could result in your getting
behind in reading assignments.
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Resolve all registration
problems before the first day of class: Adding classes during the
first week will almost certainly result in your getting behind and
remaining behind.
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Start off right by
completing the first reading and writing assignments by the due date
indicated on the syllabus.
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As your instructor goes over
the course syllabus in class, take notes and re-read the syllabus
before the second meeting.
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If you have questions about
your responsibilities/assignments, seek clarification from your
instructor early.
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Feel free to ask
questions about scheduled assignments, but refrain from arguing
or negotiating with your instructor about reducing requirements.
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If the course’s
requirements seem to be too much for you to handle, consider
taking the course when your overall workload is not as
demanding.
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Remember, if you choose
to enroll in a particular course, it is your responsibility to
complete the requirements.
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If the course syllabus
indicates that there are points given for participation, begin to
participate by the second course session.
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If you delay, it will be
harder to offer oral responses as the semester goes on.
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As a means to
participating in class discussions and offering meaningful
input, think about what you can say while you are reading or
completing your homework assignments and as you are listening to
the lecture. Think about participating by asking your instructor
a question about the concepts, characters or issues that you
read about the night before.
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You can even consider
participating by making connections between what you have read
for class and what relevant issues are happing in the news, in
your discipline, and in other related academic fields.
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Just remember when you
participate, in addition to earning credit, you are taking an
active role in your learning. A few meaningful responses and
questions carry much more weight than endless, rambling
comments.
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After you receive your first
written exam or essay back from the instructor, make an appointment
with him/her to go over the paper.
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Make sure you understand all
of the instructor’s written suggestions and corrections and try to
obtain specific suggestions from the instructor that will improve
your performance.
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Sometime during the first
week of the semester, create a daily and weekly calendar based on
the due dates for assignments indicated in the syllabus for each of
the courses in which you are enrolled. For longer written
assignments, create more detailed calendars that allow you to divide
the project into phases.
Under no circumstances
should your calendar simply indicate that an entire project can be
completed in one or two days or nights.
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Before you have completed
the first week of the semester, you should review all the work
required in your various courses and ask yourself if, given your
other commitments, it is reasonable to think that you can complete
all requirements.
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If you think that your
overall workload (home, work, family, school, etc.) is too much, you
must prioritize and decide what you have to wait on in order to be
able to maintain all your responsibilities
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Exchange phone numbers and
e-mail addresses with a fellow student in each of your classes
during the first week.
How to Get Started on
Reading Assignments
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Familiarize yourself with
the organization and layout of each of your textbooks: preview the
table of contents, chapter titles and headings, appendices, graphs,
and index.
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Ascertain the length of time
it takes you on the average to read a given number of pages; note
the average length of assigned readings; plan for a realistic amount
of reading time and your daily and weekly calendars.
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If in the first few assigned
readings, you experience difficulty comprehending terms or concepts,
consult library reference works and make an appointment to see the
instructor.
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Figure our whether lectures
are wholly or partly based on reading materials or contain different
information.
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Organize a study group with
whom you can review the readings before major exams.
How to Get Started on Writing
Assignments
Make sure that by the end of the
first week you know exactly how many written assignments you must
complete and the number of pages or words each assignment requires.
Divide the semester into units
of writing assignments. You should plan to devote at least several days
to the preparation and writing of each paper.
During the first week, discuss
major assignments with your instructor and ask questions in class so
that you know exactly what is expected of you.
Arrange your daily and weekly
calendar so that it shows exactly what phase of the writing task you are
working on during a particular writing unit.
Find a fellow classmate with
whom you can brainstorm writing assignments outside of class.
Set up a schedule of
appointments with your university’s Tutoring Center.
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