Time Management: 8 of 10

Time Management

8 of 10

Master the moments and you may be a real pro when it comes to juggling the many demands on your time – classes, homework and activities – with some family help. College gives you an even bigger chance to sharpen your time management skills by doing it all on your own. And that’s a good thing since most jobs require multitasking. You might need to take care of current clients while attracting new ones, respond to e-mails while working on a major presentation, or order tomorrow’s produce while planning next week’s menu.

Someone said, “Wherever you are, be there.” Focus on the present moment and give it all your attention. Don’t let your mind drift and wander here and there when you need to be thinking and concentrating on the moment at hand. You can’t go back and recapture this moment, so make the most of it while it NOW. Master the present and you will master the future. Work smart by mastering the present now.

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Problem-Solving Skills: 4 of 10

Problem-Solving Skills

4 of 10

Problem solving goes far beyond your math textbook. Every assignment is an opportunity to weigh all possible solutions carefully and choose the one you think is best. As a working professional, you’ll be solving problems regularly, whether it’s fixing a bug in a computer program or overcoming budget shortfalls. Problem solving situations occur extensively and frequently; therefore, be ready when they come.

When problem or challenges occur, some people look at them at negative experiences, as a crisis. These people are the ones who live day by day with gloom and negativism in their attitudes. But the really successful people, those who are cheerful and optimistic, are those who look at problems as opportunities, opportunities to learn, grow, expand their horizons, and make new discoveries. They look on the bright side of things and live happy lives.

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Teamwork Skills: 3 of 10

Teamwork Skills

3 of 10

Every time your class breaks into groups to tackle a challenge, you build teamwork skills. In college, you’ll continue to have these opportunities to practice voicing your opinions, listening and responding to others, and reaching compromises. By the time you leave college, you can be an expert in this important workplace skill.

Together

Everyone

Achieves

More

Individually you can achieve so much, but when you work with others for a common cause, the same objectives, you can accomplish a tremendous amount more. You synergize your talents, knowledge, and skills with those whom you work. All members of the team are edified together, a type of education you can’t obtain by working alone.

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Speaking Skills: 2 of 10

Speaking Skills

2 of 10

When you’re assigned a class presentation, think twice before dismissing it as an unimportant part of your education. Employers look for skills in job applicants, who may have to give presentations to clients or represent their organization on the field. It’s never too soon to practice good eye contact and other public speaking techniques.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/17334

According to the book of lists, the fear of public speaking ranks number on in the minds of the majority of people. Far above the fear of death and disease, comes the fear of standing in front of a crowd. Joel Weiner noted author and public speaker wants to help people overcome that fear.

“The biggest fear is public speaking, with 15 percent of American experiencing a dramatic fear of it,” said Dr. Michael Telch of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorder (LSAD) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. “People have had to turn down jobs, and certainly students have dropped classes because of it.”

 Regardless of your occupation, your success depends a great deal upon your ability to communicate effectively! Whether you’re running a meeting, selling a product, making a presentation, motivating co-workers or just communicating one-on-one with others, you’ll get far better results if you can speak persuasively, smoothly and intelligently.

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Writing Skills: 1 of 10

Writing Skills

1 of 10

Communication is at the top of the list of skills that employers look for. And communication in the workplace often means writing.

Health professionals keep patient charts, researchers depend on the money they collect by writing grant applications, software engineers write technical specifications, and nearly everyone writes e-mail to people inside and outside their organization. And before you even get the chance to interview for a job, you’ll need to present yourself in cover letters and résumés.

So, by taking writing serious and doing your best on every research paper, every lab report you write, every new post you write in your blog site, and every writing activity you engage in, you’re preparing yourself for a good career.

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Ten Ways College Prepares You for Career Success

Ten Ways College Prepares You for Career Success

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/majors_careers/45548.html

Getting a college education doesn't mean just absorbing facts and figures. It means building the skills and qualities you need to learn, think and create on your own – making you attractive to employers. You've already started learning these skills in high school, but college helps you fully develop them.

The 10 Key Qualities

1. Writing Skills

2. Speaking Skills

3. Teamwork Skills

4. Problem-Solving Skills

5. Initiative

6. Cool under Pressure

7. Attention to Detail

8. Time Management

9. Honesty

10. Love of Learning

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Exam Days: Survival Tips; Test-Taking: Part 1

Exam Day: Survival Tips

Test-Taking

Part 1

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/10296.html

Essential Test-Taking Advice

Try out these strategies while you’re still in high school, and by the time you get to college, you’ll be a test-taking expert.

Before the Test

Eat well.

Studies show that you need good nutrition to concentrate and perform your best.

Bring the right supplies.

Bring your pencils, erasers, pens, rulers, compasses, calculators or whatever else you need on test day.

Review the whole test before you start.

See how many sections and what type of questions are on the test. Determine how much time to allow for completing each section.

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It's Online, but Is It On Target?: Part 1

It’s Online, but Is It On Target?

Part 1

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/109995.html

Using the Web Wisely

Thanks to the Web, information is easy to find. However, it’s also easy to post something online. Anyone can do it.

You've probably used the Internet to do research for a paper, to help you decide which product to buy, or to form an opinion about current events. Looking up information online is fast and convenient. But when you do online research, it’s important to find sites you can trust.

Many websites claim to have the facts, but are full of errors. Others present information in a biased way – they only give one side of an argument. How can you tell a reliable source from an unreliable one? Also, it’s critical that you post online only that which is decent and appropriate, never anything pornographic, vulgar, indecent, out of taste, untruthful, or obscene. Post those things that will make a good name for you and your organization, that will promote good will and be of benefit to the world.

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SQR3: A Great Reading and Studying Technique

SQR3

SQR3: A Great Reading and Studying Technique

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/26666.html

Improve Your Study Skills

SQR3 stands for:

Survey

Question

Read

Recite

Review

It is a proven technique to sharpen your study skills.

In college, you’ll be required to do lots of reading. You’ll often have to complete reading assignments in several different books for several different courses at the same time.

SQR3 helps make reading and studying purposeful and effective, so that you use your time most efficiently. Here’s how this strategy works.

Survey

Let’s say your assignment is to read one chapter. First, get an idea of what the chapter is about by reviewing the highlights:

        ·       Read the title, headings and subheadings.

        ·       Notice words that are italicized or bold.

        ·       Look at charts, graphs, pictures, maps and other visual material.

        ·       Read captions.

        ·       Read the very beginning and end of the chapter.

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5 Tips for Staying Motivated: Tips 3-5

5 Tips for Staying Motivated

Tips 3-5

3. Set Attainable Goals

If you’re having trouble writing a 25-page paper for class because it seems like such a big job, don’t focus on that final number. Break the paper down and consider each section of your paper individually. You can handle any project in small chunks.

4. Find a Social Support Network

Create a group of people around you who want to help you success. Mentors can be teachers or family friends who can give you guidance and help you develop new skills. Counselors can help you with planning your courses and starting to explore colleges. You can also reach out to friends and peers who can motivate you by listening and sharing ideas.

5. Acknowledge Your Accomplishments

Give yourself a quick reward when you complete an assignment or task. Take a walk, send an email, get a snack. Then move on to the next project.

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5 Tips for Staying Motivated: Part 1-2

5 Tips for Staying Motivated

Tip 1-2

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/8454.html

To succeed in high school and college, you have to do your best at all times. But sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated, even when you really care about the work you’re doing. Here are five ways to stay on the right track.

1. Focus on High-Impact Activities

The key to success in high school is staying focused on your course work. Make a list to get an overall picture of your workload before you start to tackle any of it. Then, make a plan. Although it’s tempting to do the simplest assignments first, those that take more time and effort to accomplish are probably the ones that you’ll learn the most from.
assignments,

To determine what your priorities are, rank your assignments in the order of their importance. Then rearrange your time and devote more energy toward those that have the greatest impact on your course work and grades. For example, even though all homework assignments are important, studying for a midterm exam takes priority over writing a paragraph for English class. As you complete each task, think of it as another step on your way to college success.

2. Create New Challenges

Changing your approach can help you stay interested in what you’re doing. If you've been given an assignment similar to one you've done in the past, think about it in a different way. If you wrote an essay for a creative writing assignment last year, try a poem this time. For book reports, pick a history book instead of another biography.

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Take Control of Homework, So It Doesn't Control You: Part 1

Take Control of Homework

So It Doesn’t Control You

Part 1

http://collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/121.html

Although very few students love homework, it does serve a purpose. Homework helps you:

        ·       Reinforce what you’ve learned during the day.

        ·       Build study habits that are essential in college.

        ·       Prepare for your classes.

        ·       Get a sense of progress.

Here are some tips to help you deal with homework more efficiently and effectively.

Set the Mood

Create a good study area with everything you need (for example, a calculator). If you don’t have a quiet place at home, try your school or local library.

Know Where to Begin

Make a list of everything you need to do, and note all deadlines. Do the more difficult assignments first, so you don’t have to face them at the end.

Study at the Same Time Every Day

Even if you don’t have homework every night, use the time to review notes. If sitting down to do homework is part of your normal routine, you’ll approach it with less dread. Also, you’ll become a pro at using time productively.

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Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?: Part 4

Distance Education: Is a Virtual Classroom for You?

Part 4

Emphasis on the Written Word

Most of the communication, as well as the course work, in distance-learning classes is written. That’s a plus, because the focus on the written word gives you the opportunity to develop as a writer – and strong writing skills are essential to academic success. However, if writing is a serious weakness for you, virtual learning may not be the best educational option until you improve your skills. Yes, most of distance education is the written word; therefore, you need to be a good leader, love to read, and love writing also. Most of your assignments will be written and submitted to the instructor in the written format. Your penmanship needs to be excellent, spelling great, sentence structure above average, vocabulary extraordinary. You need to have online access with reliable equipment. If your Internet communications at home isn’t working, you can’t do online education from home and will need to go someplace where you do have access to the Internet.

Decide Whether It’s Right for You

Distance education isn’t for everyone, but it just might be for you. You really should seek it out and give it a try. You never know until you try. You might even fall in love with distance education. While distance education may be the perfect alternative for some students, it’s not the right choice for everyone. So carefully consider your unique needs and interests and give distance education a try; then, decide if it is right for you.

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Selecting Your Courses: Part 2

Selecting Your Courses

Part 2

The following subjects and classes are standard fare for success in high school and beyond, whether you plan to attend a four-year or two-year college.

English (Language Arts)

Take English every year. Traditional courses, such as American and English literature, help you improve your writing skills, reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Math

You need algebra and geometry to succeed on college entrance exams and in college math classes – and in many careers. Take them early on. That way, you’ll be able to enroll in advanced science and math in high school, and show colleges you’re ready for higher-level work.

Most colleges look for students who have taken three years of math in high school. The more competitive ones require or recommend four years. Each school has its own program, but some of the courses typically offered are:

        ·       Algebra I

        ·       Algebra II

        ·       Geometry

        ·       Trigonometry

        ·       Calculus

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How to Take on College Studying: Part 1

How to Take on College Studying

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college-success/961.html

Part 1

Develop Good Study Habits

In college, you’ll need to build on the study skills that you learned in high school. The demands of a college class are probably more rigorous than those you are used to.

You can succeed by knowing what to expect and how to handle it. Think of college as a full-time job, in which you spend 40 hours a week on class, labs, study groups and doing homework.

Being organized and using your time well are essential. Learn more about time management, and use the guidelines below to develop your study skills.

Decide When to Study

Work out about how many hours you need to study every day. Then make a schedule.

        ·       Figure out what blocks of time you have available throughout the day, in the evenings and on weekends.

        ·       Consider what time of day you are the most alert – there are morning people and night owls – and try to schedule your studying accordingly.

        ·       Think about whether you do better studying for a few hours at a time or sitting down for marathon sessions.

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Successful Students: 10

Successful Students

10

10. Successful students are good time managers. Successful students do not procrastinate. They have learned that time control is life control and have consciously chosen to be in control of their life.

An element truth: you will either control time or be controlled by it! It’s your choice: you can lead or be led, establish control or relinquish control, steer your own course or follow others. Failure to take control of their own time is probably the no. 1 study skills problem for college students. It ultimately causes many students to become non-students! Procrastinators are good excuse-makers. Don’t make academics harder on yourself than it has to be. Stop procrastinating. And don’t wait until tomorrow to do it!

The 10 items listen above are paraphrased from an article by Larry M Ludewig called Ten Commandments for Effective Study Skills which appeared in The Teaching Professor, December, 1992.

“Learning Technologies and Online Education”

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