So…. you’ve finally made it to college.  You graduated top in your class, were involved in every extra curricular activity know to your school, aced the ACT, and have started your college classes.  However, in your first two days of classes, you now have more homework than you had in your entire senior year.  Professors are handing you syllabi left and right with a long list of assignments and a course calendar attached.  In the next two days, you are to have 40 pages read for each of your 5 classes, not to mention two assignments due.  Sound familiar?  If so, here are few tips to help you attack this overwhelming work load.  Once you try these tips, your assignments will not seem so monstrous. 

First, discover yourself as a learner.  Every person learns new information in various ways, and we each have a way we learn best.  Go to http://www.howtolearn.com/personal.html and take the quiz and choose STUDENT under FREE PERSONAL LEARNING STYLES INVENTORY.  This will help you to discover your own personal learning style so that you know how to tailor your study sessions so that you receive the maximum amount of learning out of your study time.

Also, try http://www.digitex.net/koinonia/homeschool/learnstyles.htm for a different type of learning style.  There is not a quiz for this different type of learning style, but information.  See what style describes you best!  The more you understand about yourself as a learner, the more successful you will be as a student.

Next, set up a learning environment conducive to your learning style (i.e., if you are an auditory learner, limit the number of auditory distractions).

Then, set up a study schedule that is realistic to fit the other things going on in our life.  Go to http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/StudySchedule.html for a spreadsheet and also check out http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/htimesch.html for helpful tips for your schedule.

Finally, go to http://www.providence.edu/OAS/Shop/Reading.htm for Reading Comprehension Tips and Speed Read Strategies to help you attack all those reading assignments.  Remember:  YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ EVERY WORD ON EVERY PAGE!!!  This page will help you decide what to focus on in the reading.  Professors don’t expect you to read every word, but they do expect you to know and understand what the reading they have assigned.

- Contributed by Holly Ringo, LTCY 524