academic advising

3 tips to navigate uncertainty in college

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:43:28 +0000

3 tips to navigate uncertainty in college Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 13:43

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You face a lot of uncertainty in your life, be it in your academic path, in your career path, in your major and finding a job after college. We want to help you navigate its disorienting challenges! Alicia Sepulveda, academic coach in �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences, offers three tips to navigate uncertainty.

For more on Carol Dweck's theory of mindset, check out her book.

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The 2 factors that affect students' hope and motivation

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:22:18 +0000

The 2 factors that affect students' hope and motivation Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 13:22

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How do you maintain hope and motivation when your circumstances change or something doesn't go as planned? Alicia Sepulveda, academic coach in �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences discusses two factors to improve your sense of hope: agency and believing in yourself.

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Why are office hours so important?

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 18:21:17 +0000

Why are office hours so important? Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 12:21

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

The �鶹��Ѱ�� surveyed students who have a 3.7 or above GPA and asked them what the most helpful resource was for their success. Audrey Blankenheim, academic coach in the College of Arts and Sciences, discusses their #1 answer: office hours.

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Three essentials of test preparation

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:50:46 +0000

Three essentials of test preparation Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 11:50

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

After you complete your first exams, it's wise to go back and consider your approach. We have some tools to help you reflect and think ahead.

Number one: Take an active approach.

Instead of passively reviewing your notes or readings, deeply engage your mind with the course material. Test your knowledge. What do you already know about the concept or topic you are learning?

Number two: Incorporate critical thinking.

Go beyond memorization and focus on higher levels of critical thinking, such as applying or analyzing.

Pick a concept (e.g., placebo effect, gross domestic product, osmosis, etc.), then ask the following questions:

What is the textbook definition? (Memorize)
How would you describe the concept in your own words? (Understand)
Why is this concept important? What is an example of this concept in the real world? (Application)
What are the parts, features, or components of this concept? How does this concept relate to another concept you are learning? (Analyze)

Number three: Time.

Space out your study sessions across several days. We recommend spending seven days prior to an exam for one-to-two hours per day. This usually allows enough time to get through the content deeply, while also giving your brain time to process the information between study sessions.

Audrey Blankenheim, academic coach in the College of Arts and Sciences at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, gives three essential tips for test preparation: active studying, the level of critical thinking, and time.

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Tips for Success

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:47:52 +0000

Tips for Success Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 11:47

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

Making the transition from high school to college requires an adjustment to greater academic expectations. Students often need to adjust the amount of time they study and have a deep understanding of academic strategies while monitoring their own progress and learning process. To develop learning and critical thinking skills, students should attend office hours and utilize resources to support learning in their classes.

Metacognition: Think about how you think

We recommend starting by reflecting on how you think. To help in this process and improve your ability to succeed in classes, our teammates in ASSETT created a video series called Metacognition: The Video Series That Gets You Thinking. By applying metacognition strategies, you can become a more active and engaged learner.

General Academic Tips

Everyone needs extra help. If you’re having difficulty in a class, seek out the support you need early and seek out support even before you think you need it.
Get to know your professors—go to office hours at least twice for each class during the semester for each class.
Make an appointment to meet your advisor and be prepared for your advising appointment.
Form study groups. It is helpful to test your understanding of what you know and what you do not know by interacting with others. Working in study groups helps you form a network of support, and you are more likely to have a better understanding of what you need to learn.
Get involved—balance is key, and one key predictor of success is who you choose to surround yourself with. Try one student organization or campus activity, and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you.
Make sure that if you work it’s no more than 15 hours per week, especially if you are a full-time student.
Repeated exposure to the material you are learning is essential to retaining information and storing it into long-term memory. Do not only review to remember and remember to review, but also actively recall and self-test on information by engaging with your lectures, notes, and readings often and through thoughtful reflection.
Adopt a growth mindset so that when challenges or obstacles arise you embrace them as learning opportunities.

Academic Skills Tips

Time Management

Consider how you balance your priorities. Be sure that you allow plenty of time to start on long-term assignments and prepare for exams at least seven days in advance of each exam.
Start with a month-by-month calendar that outlines all of the major tests and assignments for the entire semester. On the calendar, include your study routine and write down when you need to start preparing for each deadline. Once you have your roadmap for the semester, reflect on the calendar. What weeks are going to be busy? How can you adjust your planning to create as much efficiency and balance as possible?
Remember this formula: for every three credit hour class, you should spend six to nine hours outside of class on that course each week. Therefore, if you are in a 15-credit schedule, you should plan to spend 30-45 hours a week outside of class on your academic tasks. Schedule in daily study time on your month-by-month calendar.
Prioritize your tasks through written or electronic to-do lists. There are many free web apps that help with prioritization. Wunderlist is one example.
Ensure that you schedule in plenty of daily study time. If you do not currently use a planner or calendar, try using a weekly scheduling tool to plan your week ahead.
Start your homework early—don’t wait until the last minute! Starting early gives you time to ask questions if needed.

Study Techniques

After taking notes in lecture, actively review them by writing key concepts from your notes on the front of a notecard and examples of those concepts on the back of a notecard.
Annotate – There are many ways to annotate a text. Underline main ideas; circle important words and words you do not know; and write notes in the margin of your textbook that summarizes key points and main ideas. Finally, write questions about the content in the margins. After you annotate, write a summary about what you read and/or try a few practice problems.
Self-test on concepts for each class every day for a few minutes. For example, quiz yourself by reviewing notecards; try practice problems without study aids; and write questions about what you learned in class.
Teach others the concepts to help cement them in your memory. This could be great to do with a friend or study group.
After you take an exam, use the post exam review to understand where you missed points. Consider using this as a study tool moving forward, and bring it to office hours to discuss with your professor.
Learn and review course material in daily blocks of time that are varied and repeated throughout the week through time-spaced learning.
Review the Lecture Capture if your lecture has one.
Try a SMART pen.
Try concept mapping – a variation on outlining in which you diagram main ideas and supporting details to learn concepts covered in class.
Manage Distractions - The Pomodoro Technique is a study strategy and productivity tool to help you stay focused and gain momentum to successfully complete assignments and stay focused during studying. Also, use apps such as Cold Turkey to block certain applications and your phone for certain periods of time if you are distracted by your phone or computer.

Note Taking

Try the before, during, and after process. Before lecture, set up your notes by listing the learning objectives at the top of your notes and comparing those to the notes you took on the readings and/or Power Points prior to class. During lecture, listen for and note key points, main ideas, and explanations of concepts and steps. After lecture, actively review your notes by summarizing them; creating note cards from them; and writing down key questions from the lecture, for example.
While taking notes during lecture, expand your understanding by writing questions in your notes to revisit after lecture, and ask the questions during class when time allows.
Work on your listening skills. Notice when your mind starts to wander and quickly jot down your distractions on a scratch piece of paper. Then, shift your attention back to the instructor. Refocus by leaving a space in your notes with a question mark to fill in as soon after lecture as possible.
Compare your notes from lecture to the notes you took on your reading. One way to do this is by creating a Venn Diagram of the two forms of notes.
Try the Cornell note taking process.
Try adapted Cornell Notetaking. Take notes on the right side of the margin and condense or expand them on the left hand side. Check out this article, which discusses different note taking formats.

Reading Assignments

Stay up-to-date on all reading assignments. Students often say they should have spent more time on the reading assignments for class, and when they start to engage with the readings more proactively, they notice their outcomes improve.
Preview the chapter before you read the assignment by skimming paragraphs, titles, charts, introductions, and conclusions. Write the learning objectives for the chapter at the top of your page. Then, read the assignment before you go to class, and annotate the text as you go. Take notes on your reading to keep you focused.
Review your reading notes and compare them to your lecture notes. What connections can you make between the two?
Try a reading log.
Try the SQ3/4R reading strategy.

Test Preparation

In the first week of classes, document all of your first exams on one page using the first exams of the semester template.
If available, utilize practice exams and old exams to prepare. Simulate the testing conditions for the practice exams as much as you can so you have a clear roadmap of your strengths and challenges. To simulate the testing conditions, take the practice exam in the same amount of time with the same study aids (if any) that you will have on the exam. Try to take the practice exam in a similar location in which you will be assessed.
Utilize as much active practice as possible through practice problems and by applying these critical thinking words to self-test. Remember, do not simply study to remember; study to have a thorough understanding and analysis of the concepts.
Find practice problems and/or questions in your textbook, from your professors, and through other resources such as open access textbooks for example.
Prepare for an exam at least one week prior to the exam, and ensure that you quiz yourself daily on the material.

Goal Setting

Utilize the SMART goal process to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time oriented.
Monitor your progress toward your goals by journaling about your progress and telling others about your goals for an extra layer of accountability. If you are not making progress toward your goals, seek out additional support.

Connections and Campus Resources

Utilize resources and support even before you think you need them.
Move outside of your comfort zone by introducing yourself to someone in your class; forming a study group; meeting with your professors and TAs; and trying a campus organization.
Attend office hours to introduce yourself to your professors and meet with them consistently throughout the term.

How Do You Choose A Strategy?

Meet with your professors during office hours to discuss your academic success strategies, and talk to academic support professionals on campus about which methods may work best for you.

Additional Resources

ASAP Tutoring – Free tutoring for any student living on campus or commuting first-year students.
Campus Resources

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Working Through Uncertainty: Navigating the Uncertain when Nothing is Certain

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:08:45 +0000

Working Through Uncertainty: Navigating the Uncertain when Nothing is Certain Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 11:08

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

“What do I have to do to make this uncertainty the best thing that happened to me?” - Bill Johnson, Life Design Catalyst Coach and Facilitator, UNC Greensboro

As a college student, uncertainty is all around you. You make a lot of decisions that may impact your current and future success, and those decisions aren’t always easy. On top of that, there’s plenty of uncertainty in the world. This much uncertainty can cause stress and anxiety, so it’s important to know how to work through it.

No matter what kind of uncertainty you experience, working through the unknown requires a growth mindset and self-awareness. This article helps you reflect on your approach to uncertainty and gives you guidance for creating as much certainty for yourself as possible.

Growth Mindset

When you think about your life’s unknowns, you probably don’t think of them as “good.” There aren’t many people who enjoy uncertainty. However, that doesn’t mean that uncertainty has to be “bad.” Think of uncertainty as neutral, a space of possibility that can lead you to any number of outcomes. If uncertainty is a space of possibility, then your attitude and actions can affect how that uncertainty is (or isn’t) resolved. This is where a growth mindset comes in.

Facing uncertainty often connects to feeling a lack of control. You may become frozen with indecision, or you may try to avoid dealing with the uncertainty. With a growth mindset, you can embrace the challenge of uncertainty and see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s like choosing “fight” over “flight” or “freeze.” Having a growth mindset means having a strong sense of agency: you are confident in yourself and in your ability to solve problems and accomplish goals. In short, you believe that you control your decisions, and you have hope that you can resolve your uncertainty in the best way possible.

Self-Awareness

Growth mindset helps facilitate your agency for effective decision making, but you also need a strong sense of self-awareness to guide your actions. When you face the unknown, it helps to know your strengths--your unique talents or abilities that you can turn to whenever you face a challenge. If you’re not sure what yours are, take the CliftonStrengths Assessment through �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder and discuss your results with friends, family and your academic advisor.

In addition to knowing your strengths, it’s important to know your long-term goals. Of course, your long-term goals can be the source of uncertainty. If that is the case, reflect on the five aspects of wellbeing:

Purpose: What do you look forward to? What is something that you would be happy to do every day?
Social: What do strong relationships look like for you? How do they help you?
Financial: What does financial security mean to you? How will you attain it?
Physical: What does it take for you to feel good and healthy? How will you have the energy to get things done on a daily basis?
Community: What do you need from your community? What do you want to give back to your community?

Thinking through these questions brings your long-term goals into focus. When you have a clear sense of your long-term goals, resolving uncertainty can be a matter of making sure that your daily actions and choices are aligned with those goals.

Finally, remember to practice self-care and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Everybody experiences uncertainty, and your relationship with uncertainty is a process that takes time and effort. Be kind to yourself and be willing to reach out for help.

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Seven-Day Study Plan: A Time-Tested Strategy That Works!

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:30:05 +0000

Seven-Day Study Plan: A Time-Tested Strategy That Works! Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:30

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

When it comes to study strategies, there is no “one size fits all.” You have to figure out what works best for you. That being said, there are certain steps that all good study strategies require. The seven-day study plan is a tool that will help you think through these steps and map out your study strategies.

Step 1: Planning out the dates and times of your study sessions.

The general rule of thumb is to start studying seven days before the test and study for no more than 2 hours per day, for a total of 14 hours. You don’t have to follow that exactly; the main point is to start early and spread out your studying.

Step 2: Planning out the location of your study sessions.

Make sure that you’re studying in places where you can really be focused and efficient. Your studying won’t be effective unless you’re doing it in a productive environment. Some research suggests that it may be helpful to utilize a few different study locations so that you do not become dependent on recalling information in a specific location.

Step 3: Mapping out the topics to cover.

This sounds obvious, but you should always know exactly what material you’ll need to know and at what level of critical thinking you will need to know it. You don’t want to be surprised by something you see on a test.

Step 4: Gathering the materials that you’re going to use.

Think beyond just rereading your notes or reviewing lecture slides. Study guides, previous homework assignments, and practice tests are all examples of materials that can help you study more effectively.

Step 5: Preparing activities to test yourself as you go.

It’s important to have a way of measuring the effectiveness of your study sessions so that you have time to make adjustments to your strategies if you need to. Test your understanding and application of content in various practice scenarios and make connections between your content.

Step 6: Keeping track of your confidence level.

The whole point of studying is to increase your confidence with the material going into your test, so if your studying doesn’t help your confidence, you should adjust your strategies. You should also adjust your strategies if your studying tends to make you overly confident. It’s never a good idea to underestimate a test.

Remember these steps for planning out your studying, and you’ll be on your way to figuring out which study strategies work best for you.

The seven-day study plan is a tool that helps you think through the steps needed to create and map out study strategies that work best for you.

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Why hope matters: Rethinking motivation

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:15:56 +0000

Why hope matters: Rethinking motivation Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:15

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

Have you struggled in a class because the subject matter didn’t capture your interest? Do you find yourself procrastinating instead of studying or tackling a big assignment? Do you ever find it difficult to manage your time or maintain good attendance?

If you’ve experienced these challenges during your college career, then you’ve likely contemplated the concept of motivation. It may seem that motivation can define who you are as a student and as a person. By extension, it can seem to shape your entire college experience. Those that lack motivation may feel confused or guilty. Motivation may seem like an either/or question: you either have the desire and willingness to be successful or you don’t.

This is simply not true.

We want you to think differently about motivation. Understanding motivation as something that is either “on” or “off” is ultimately unhelpful, especially if you believe that you don’t or can’t control the switch. Motivation is not that simple. There are a myriad of complex factors that contribute to one’s level of motivation, and those factors can be controlled. To move past struggles with motivation, consider the concept of hope as a strategy.

According to Hope Theory, developed by C.R. Snyder, hope is one’s ability to create multiple pathways to goals. Think back on the times you were uninterested in a class, procrastinated or struggled with attendance. Now consider how you approached the problem. Did you believe that you were capable of overcoming the problem? Did you create a clear action plan that you were confident about and knew that challenges would come up in the plan and that is okay? Did you fully commit to executing that plan? Did you keep trying until you accomplished your goal, even if your original plan didn’t work?

If you answered “no” to any of those questions, then perhaps the real issue was low hope, not low motivation.

Hopeful students have a strong sense of agency—they believe in themselves and in their abilities. They can clearly articulate their action plans. If one pathway doesn’t work, they construct another one and recognize failure as part of growth. Hopeful students focus on connecting their present actions to their ideal futures, which allows them to maintain or increase their engagement as they pursue their goals. They see obstacles as opportunities, and they embrace them as an essential part of their learning and growing process.

If you identify as a student with low hope based on the above paragraph, don’t fret! Hope is a matter of mindset, and you have the ability to change your mindset. The next time you face an obstacle, think about what it means to approach that challenge with hope instead of hopelessness.

Hope starts with the belief that you are capable of accomplishing your goals. We believe that too! With that mindset, you are able to create a clear action plan and fully commit to it, even if you need to adjust your plans or if progress seems slow. Focus on hope, and you can persist through many challenges.

Nancy Snow, PhD, a professor of philosophy and director of the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma has written about hope as a character trait that helps us thrive. Her definition of hope: “the desire to attain a certain end and the belief it is possible to attain it.”

According to Hope Theory, developed by C.R. Snyder, hope is one’s ability to create multiple pathways to goals. Hopeful students have a strong sense of agency—they believe in themselves and in their abilities. They can clearly articulate their action plans. If one pathway doesn’t work, they construct another one and recognize failure as part of growth. Hopeful students focus on connecting their present actions to their ideal futures, which allows them to maintain or increase their engagement as they pursue their goals. They see obstacles as opportunities, and they embrace them as an essential part of their learning and growing process.

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