Winthrop's REACH: Strategies for Success

Strategies for Success

Have you identified the major obstacles to your success at Winthrop? The next step is to develop strategies to overcome them. What strategies have helped others? What strategies might help you? The sections below suggest strategies and available resources that might help in overcoming particular difficulties. Our Resources for Success offers a complete alphabetical listing of potentially useful resources that are available here at Winthrop University or through the Internet.

Note: Links to websites that are not directly part of the Winthrop University website will open in a new browser window when clicked.

Academic Strategies

Are you struggling academically? If so, the likely cause is related either to ability or background in your chosen field of study, study and/or testing skills needed to succeed, or effort. When you completed the Checklist of Obstacles, which did you identify as the primary culprits?

Let's look at potential strategies to deal with each possibility.

Academic Ability and Skill

Can you follow your instructors in class? Do their lectures and examples make sense? Can you say, "I understand" when they make a point or solve a problem? If so, you can learn the material. You might need to study more, or study more effectively, but the prerequisite skills already are there.

On the other hand, not all students come equipped with the same skills. The abilities to write coherent research papers or to solve differential equations or to follow complex threads of logic are not inbred. They do not appear magically at birth. They must be learned. And some students have had fewer opportunities to learn them than others.

If a class lecture or discussion leaves you dazed and confused, or if a homework assignment looks like alien hieroglyphics, what should you do? Consider the possible strategies below.

Ignore the problem and hope it goes away.

No, no, and no. Do not even consider this strategy. It promises only a quick slide into academic disaster. You are in college. You have learned by now that the concept you ignore always is the first question on the next exam. When something does not make sense, you must take the initiative and ask.

Speak with your instructor.

All instructors keep regular office hours. Use them. Stop by their offices. Explain your difficulties and listen to what they have to say. If your schedule conflicts with their official hours, tell them. Ask if you can meet at another time. Most instructors welcome the opportunity to help students learn course material more effectively, and they have experience with the techniques most likely to be successful. If you do not understand an explanation, ask them to explain the material again. Ask them to try another example that might help you make the necessary connections. graphic: student & specialist

Act quickly. Material in many courses builds from class to class. Misunderstanding a concept on Monday may mean being lost in Wednesday's class. Do not wait for problems to go away. The sooner you try to resolve them, the less daunting they will become.

Alas. We all learn in different ways. Occasionally students and instructors simply dance to the tune of incompatible learning styles. If your instructor cannot help, consider the following:

Speak with your academic advisor.

Advisors want you to succeed. When you are struggling in a class, please tell your advisor about it early in the semester. He or she might know of resources that can help.

Seek tutoring.

Some colleges and departments offer free tutoring services for the more difficult introductory courses. The Student Services specialist in your college can help you find these services. Take advantage of them. Student tutors might use less academic jargon and be able to explain concepts in terms that you can more easily understand. They might know of tricks that helped them learn the same material with the same instructor in an earlier semester.

If mathematics causes your stomach to churn, Winthrop's Math Lab might provide the needed antidote. If trying to express your thoughts on paper is a problem, the Writing Center can help you learn to formulate arguments, to attack research papers, and to use proper style and grammar. Several web sites also offer tips for writing more effectively. Consider the following:

If free tutors are not available, consider paying for one. Advanced students often are eager to earn some money by tutoring. Your instructor or advisor might be able to identify potential tutors. If not, try putting an ad on a bulletin board in your classroom building.

Study with a classmate.

If tutors are not available, try hooking up with a classmate that appears to be doing well. Ask to study with them. Ask them to explain material to you. Wrestling to find solid explanations that make sense to you will help them as well.

Investigate possible learning disabilities.

Many successful people experience learning disabilities that impede their capacity to process certain types of information effectively. Winthrop already offers a variety of support services for students with a documented problem. If you have a documented learning disability, or suspect that you might, please contact Winthrop's Health and Counseling Services. A Students with Disabilities Handbook is available on-line also.

Change your major.

We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. Very few of us could succeed in astrophysics, and very few astrophysicists could succeed in theatre. The trick is to find those areas in which success is more likely. Speak with your advisor about other options. Winthrop's Career Services offers career counseling and career assessment tools that might help you identify a more appropriate field.

Study and/or Testing Skills

Some students attend faithfully, follow class lectures and discussions, put in the recommended amounts of study time, and yet still perform poorly on exams and assignments. Is that you? If so, you might need to develop better study and/or testing skills.

Seek personalized help with a specialist.

This is the clear first choice strategy. And it is free. Winthrop's Learning Assistance Coordinator provides group and individualized instruction to students wanting to improve their study skills, note taking skills, test taking skills, time management skills or other learning-related difficulties. Check it out.

Manage time more effectively.

Effective study takes time. graphic: sleepy student Success at the college level probably will require more time, and more careful use of time, than many students expect. An oft-quoted rule of thumb is that students should spend two hours outside of class for every hour spent in class. Do you?

On a typical weekday a student might be in class for three hours. After allowing eight hours for sleep, an hour for exercise and three hours for leisurely meals with friends, there are still 9 hours per day plus the weekends left over. That's a lot of time. How effectively do you use it?

Consider the following recommendations from time management experts:

Make prioritized lists of what needs to done. Not everything can be a top priority. Start with the highest priorities and work your way through the list.
Make schedules and stick to them. The person who insists upon waiting for "free time" to accomplish a task seldom accomplishes the task. Make your own free time. Schedule it.
Avoid perfectionism. You can often complete 80% of a task in 20% of the time.
Learn to use short periods of time effectively. Short periods of time offer excellent opportunities for recall and review of information. Carry a notebook that you can study if you must wait for an appointment. Carry 3x5 cards with formulas and facts to learn or memorize. Use the time between classes to review lecture notes and to prepare for your next class.
Work on your most difficult and least favorite assignments first. These require the most energy and creativity. Do them when you are fresh. Save the ones you most enjoy for last.

There are many excellent web sites that can guide you through potential time management strategies. Some that might prove useful are available through:

Stop procrastinating.

Procrastination offers an alluring trap. We take its bait to make our life more pleasant, but instead it creates stress, disorganization, and failure. Procrastination afflicts all of us on occasion. It's normal. It's to be expected. However chronic procrastination can be a ticket to chronic failure.

Are you a chronic procrastinator? Take a minute to calculate your procrastination quotient.

How did you do? If procrastination is an obstacle to your success, surf ways of overcoming procrastination at one the following university web sites:

Improve your study environment.

Pay attention to several key factors:

Study in a regular place. Studying in the same location every day acclimates you to study. When you enter that space your mind automatically will sense that is time to study. This makes it easier to concentrate.
Find a place that is similar to the classrooms in which you take exams. Studies show that it is easier to recall information if your study environment is similar to your test-taking environment. That means no television, no telephone, no bed, and no stereo.

Is your current study environment an obstacle to success? Work through Virginia Tech's Study Environment Analysis to see.

Learn to concentrate more effectively.

Studying can be difficult. Does your mind wander? Are you easily distracted? Learning professionals have some ideas that can help improve concentration.

Avoid marathon cram sessions. Your productivity and concentration will be much better through four two-hour sessions than through one eight-hour session.
Get rid of distractions. Turn off the TV. Turn off the stereo. Turn off the cell phone. Students often insist that they study better with music. In nearly all cases, the evidence says otherwise.
Take a break. You cannot concentrate effectively when fatigued. Many students find that working for 50 minutes and then taking a 10-minute break is ideal, although this varies, depending on the student and subject matter.
Find your "prime time." Most students concentrate better during the day. One hour of daytime study is often as productive as one and a half hours at night.
Form study groups. It will make study time more lively and interesting.

Want some other ideas? Check the following links:

Take better class notes.

A clear and complete set of lecture notes is an indispensable tool in many classes. How good are yours? Do they look like a foreign language when you try to study them? Do they often miss the concepts that show up on exams?

Students often overestimate the quality of their notes. Do you? Try taking the Lecture Note Pretest and Lecture Notes Self-Evaluation from Ohio University.

For some practical tips on how to take better notes, try the following sites:

Learn to read more effectively.

Do you fall behind with reading assignments? Do you read a chapter and then wonder what you read? Do you get lost in the details and have trouble picking out what is important?

Reading specialists have developed several practical approaches to reading textbooks more efficiently. For details, check any of the following sites:

Learn to retain information more effectively.

"I knew that, I just forgot!" Is that you? Do you quickly forget what you learn? Some quick tips for better retention include:

Organize course material to see how the pieces fit together. Seeing the interrelationships will help you categorize information into related "chunks." It is easier to remember five chunks of information than to remember 25 unrelated pieces.
Study early and often. This certainly is easier said than done, but it works. If you wait a week before reviewing material you will be relearning rather than reviewing. The sooner you hit the books and the more often you review, the better you will retain the information.
Study actively. Don't just read your text or read your lecture notes. Put your pencil to work. Writing down a concept or a formula or a definition makes it far easier to recall in the future. Think of possible test questions and write out answers.

For more detailed advice, look at the following sites:

Strategies for taking tests and exams.

Learning to take exams properly ranks among the most important keys to college success. How do your test-taking skills stack up?

For general hints about test taking strategies, check these websites:

Successful strategies vary depending upon the type of exam taken. Try the following sites for ideas geared to specific exam formats.

Multiple-choice and objective exams:

Essay exams:

Problem-solving exams:

University of Texas - "Problem-Solving Tests"

Deal with test anxiety

Do you have trouble sleeping the night before an exam? Does your stomach tighten? graphic: frustrated student Do your palms start to sweat? Does your mind race or get "fuzzy" so that you can't think clearly during exams? Do you make many careless errors? You may suffer from test anxiety.

Don't panic, it's a common ailment and can be managed with proper preparation and strategies. The following test anxiety sites might prove useful:

Effort

Many students have the ability to succeed academically, but fail to put forth sufficient effort. Is that you? Do you attend every (or almost every) class? Do you come to class prepared? Do you spend the recommended out-of-class study time? No? Why not?

Let's be honest. Learning can be tough work. Knowledge does not pop into our brains magically like a rabbit from a hat. It takes effort, lots of effort. We wish that it were not so. We also wish for a life with no dirty laundry, a bank balance that never declines, and free Hawaiian vacations. All are about equally likely. Do not hold your breath.

Effort is a choice. Many students choose to put forth the necessary effort; others do not. Why? There is no mystery here. It is a matter of perceived benefits and costs. Two types of students are likely to put insufficient effort: those who see little benefit in learning and those who face high costs.

Do you value learning? Students who see little value in learning always can find something better to do with their time than attending class or studying. Students who see no benefit to knowledge will not be motivated to learn it. For example, instructors often insist that attendance is the single most important key to classroom success. Many students never skip a class, yet others skip at the drop of a hat. They skip classes on sunny days to be outside, and they skip classes on rainy days to stay inside. They skip morning classes because they are too early, they skip midday classes because they conflict with lunch, they skip afternoon classes because they are sleepy after lunch, and they skip evening classes because…well…because evenings are for parties.

Is that you? If so, what can you do to change it?

First, and foremost, you must want to change it. If you are not motivated to study or attend class, identify why you are not motivated.

Try career counseling and/or seek a new major.

Perhaps you are in the wrong field. We all have our comparative strengths and weaknesses, our relative likes and dislikes. Perhaps your true love is theatre, but you are majoring in a "practical" field like elementary education to please your father. If so, your motivation to study and learn understandably will be minimal.

Talk with your academic advisor about career opportunities. If none of the opportunities in your major excite you, get out. Find something else that does. A field you enjoy is a field you will study. When you see learning as a path to a rewarding career, it is much easier to muster the motivation to study.

Winthrop's Office of Career Services can help you assess career interests and identify areas more suited to your aptitude and abilities. Give it a try.

Seek positive feedback.

We like rewards. That's not a surprise. Students who get positive feedback from attending class are more apt to attend. Students who get positive feedback from study find studying to be more fun. The trick is in finding the positive feedback. What can you do?

Seek new friends. Yes, it's a tough thing to do. Nonetheless, if you want to head up the hill and your friends are coasting down, you've got to part ways. If not, you're going to go down with them. If your friends do not study, it's not likely that you will study. If your friends drink and party every night, it's likely that you'll do the same. Many of your fellow students do value study and do value good grades. Look around your classrooms, they are not hard to find. Ask to study with them. Get to know them. They'll give you the positive feedback you need. When you choose to study, they'll compliment your choice, not try to pry away from your books. When you earn that A on your math test, they'll rejoice at your success, not sneer or treat you with scorn.
Try journaling. Provide your own positive feedback by keeping a journal. It's so easy to dwell on what we do wrong. A journal gives you the opportunity to reflect on what you do right. Take a few minutes every few days to document your successes on paper. Did you study when you could have partied? Write it down. Did you ace that history quiz? How did you accomplish that? Write it down. Did you add an interesting point to a classroom discussion? What was it? Write it down. Did you manage time more effectively this afternoon? How? Write it down.
Seek a mentor. You already may have met a peer mentor through ACAD 101. Hopefully it was a good experience. Try a faculty or staff mentor. Many faculty and staff members welcome the opportunity to work with students on an individual level. Mentoring differs from advising in that it involves a personal relationship not dependent upon a particular major or coursework. A faculty/staff mentor can act as a resource person, an advocate, and a friend. A mentor can help provide the support, the encouragement, and the motivation we all need in our quest for success. Can you find such a mentor? How about a favorite instructor or a staff person who seems especially helpful? Ask if you might meet with them on a regular basis just to share thoughts and experiences here at Winthrop. Winthrop does have a formal mentoring program that targets freshmen whose GPA’s are below 2.00, but other students are eligible to participate as well. If you are interested, contact the REACH Student Mentoring Program coordinator.

Try again later.

What if nothing about the academic life excites you? What if every class throws you into a dazed stupor? What if you tried career counseling and found that none of the options could stir your energies? Is that you? If so, leave. Yes, leave. Drop out of college. Try the alternatives and see how they compare. If the alternatives prove less exciting than you think, you can always come back. And you may come back with a renewed sense of purpose.

What if you never come back? Maybe that's OK, too. A college degree certainly increases your options and opens doors: doors to careers, doors to understanding the world around you, doors to understanding yourself. But, ultimately, it is no prerequisite for a happy or fulfilling life. If you can find fulfillment elsewhere, grab it.

Finally, some students have the academic skills to succeed and do value learning, but lack the time needed for academic success. Is that you? Are your waking hours tied up with an outside job? Are you a mother with three children and a husband clamoring for your time? Are there just too few hours in a day? Many young college students have relatively few competing claims on their time. Others are overwhelmed with job, family, or even extracurricular responsibilities. Time spent studying is time lost to these other needs.

The solutions to scarce time are not easy.

Better time management. Can you make better use of the limited time already available? Check some of the time management techniques listed elsewhere on this site.
Cut back on other obligations. Yes, this also is easier said than done. Single mothers in college cannot very well ask their children to wait four years for dinner and a hug. Families matter. Yet learning to say "no" can be an important lesson for us all. Membership in that club or organization is rarely an absolute necessity. Listing college activities on your resume will be useless unless there is a B.S. or B.A. listed after your name first. And how many hours do you really need to work at that outside job? Is that income needed to put food on the table? Or is it being used to pay for extra clothes for your closet or a cell phone plan?
Cut back on the number of classes you take. No one has to graduate in four years. If you struggle academically, you may need to take a slower pace. Do not take more credits than you successfully can handle. The student who cuts back to four classes rather than five a semester is not failing, he/she is preparing to succeed! At that pace a student will need an extra year to graduate, but he/she will graduate and be a success.

Students needing to work at an outside job may also need more than four years. If you must work 20 hours per week bagging groceries at the local Harris Teeter, you may not have the time to study successfully for a full load of courses. Far better to take lighter course loads and do well, than try to make it in four years and fall flat on your face.

Graduating in four years is not that important. Ask your favorite aunt or uncle if spending an extra year in school would have ruined their life. They will say NO! And they will laugh.

Personal Strategies

Can personal problems stand in the way of success? Of course. It happens all the time. Has it happened to you? If so, your best strategy is to head to Winthrop's Health and Counseling Services. Specialists there routinely handle the types of problems you are most likely to encounter, and their services are free. They are there for you. Take advantage of them. What other strategies might you consider? It depends on the problem.

Financial Problems

Want a seven-letter word for someone who is struggling financially? How about "student?" Almost all students suffer dollar deprivation, but some more than others. Are financial worries an important obstacle to success at Winthrop? Our Office of Financial Aid can assist you in finding possible scholarship and other aid possibilities, and Winthrop does offer payment plans that might help. If you feel overwhelmed with debt, please consider contacting one of the many nonprofit credit-counseling organizations that specialize in helping people like you. As a first step, you might want to visit: National Foundation for Credit Counseling. This non-profit organization receives funding through United Way and maintains a local office in Rock Hill.

Physical and/or Health Problems

If your problems result from physical illness or injury, they may solve themselves as you return to health. However illness and injury can take quite a bite out of a semester. Have they caused you to miss too many classes and/or be unable to study? How should you handle this? Withdrawing from one or more courses might be your best option. Talk with your instructors. Explain your problem and ask where you stand. Do they think you can catch up? If so, what is involved? Are extra credit opportunities available? Should you consider a grade of Incomplete that you can make up later? Talk with your academic advisor and get his/her ideas as well. What classes are more important for you to finish now and which ones can wait?

Not all physical and/or health issues solve themselves.

1. Disabilities. Some students experience long-term disabilities. If that's you, please check with Winthrop's Services for Students with Disabilities about options and services available.

2. Alcohol and/or substance abuse. Untold numbers of students have floated right into academic failure because of alcohol. Do you drink? If you do, is it a problem? If you are like most students, you will answer "no". If you are like most students, you assume that the person with the problem always is someone else. Maybe not. Do you want to be honest about this? Try either of the following self-tests:

How did you do? Do you have an alcohol problem? Alcohol and substance abuse are serious issues. They will not disappear without help. Get it. In addition to seeking assistance through Winthrop's Wellness Services, the following web site provides excellent information and ideas:

Partnership for a Drug Free America

The University of Chicago provides a Virtual Pamphlet Collection on a wide variety of issues, including alcohol and substance abuse issues. Check them out.

3. Eating disorders. If you suspect that you might suffer from one, please seek help. Contact Winthrop's Wellness Services. For web information, try:

Social and Personal Problems

Relationships graphic: young couple

never are easy. Relationships with friends, with roommates and with romantic partners ambush students every day. Relationships often are even more complicated if issues of sexual orientation arise. In addition to assistance through Winthrop's Counseling Services, you might try the excellent information available through the University of Chicago Virtual Pamphlet Collection.

Family problems. We cannot choose our families. And however much we love them, they can drive us right up the wall. In addition to assistance through Winthrop's Counseling Services, you might try the excellent information available through the University of Chicago Virtual Pamphlet Collection.

Homesickness and loneliness. These afflict almost every college student at some time, especially during the first year. They are natural. They are to be expected. And counselors and student development professionals have many ideas for dealing with them. Experts often suggest that you become involved in either a student activity or a community service project. In addition, assistance is available through Winthrop's Counseling Services or you might try the excellent information available at the following sites:

Homesickness:

Loneliness:

Boredom. Boredom can kill motivation quickly. Does it happen to you? In your hometown you knew all of the opportunities available and had a set of friends with whom to do things. At a new school in a new town with new people, that might not be true. What now?

Getting involved in one of Winthrop's many student activities can be a good first step. Or, take advantage of the many recreational opportunities in Rock Hill and York County. Have you hiked the paths at River Park or explored historic Brattonsville? What about area state parks? Have you seen the spider lilies at Lansford Canal? How about a road trip to Charlotte? Have you watched the eagles at the Carolina Raptor Center? If the locations of these hot spots are unfamiliar, don't worry. A trip to Mapquest can provide detailed directions.

Perhaps your boredom is more academic in nature. Are classes paced too slowly for your taste? Talk to your advisor. Explore more challenging courses and programs. Check to see if your department offers opportunities for independent study or research collaborations with faculty members.

Stress. Students often feel stressed out, especially as exams and assignments pile up during the semester. Some students handle it well; others do not. Learning to handle stress more effectively is often a key to success. In addition to assistance through Winthrop's Counseling Services, you might try the excellent information available through the University of Chicago Virtual Pamphlet Collection. The following web sites also provide many useful links and hints for successful stress management:

Depression. Do you feel overwhelmed or helpless and have trouble coping on a daily basis? Do you have trouble finding enjoyment in activities you once loved? Do you feel sad most or much of the time? These are common emotions, but also can be symptoms of depression. We all feel "down," "blue," or sad occasionally. Clinical depression is not a passing sad mood; sufferers cannot simply "snap out of it." They need help. Do you? In addition to assistance through Winthrop's Counseling Services, you might try the excellent information available through the University of Chicago Virtual Pamphlet Collection.

The Next Step

Congratulations. If you have gotten this far, you must be serious about trying to succeed. You have identified obstacles to your success and you have thought about possible strategies that might help you overcome these obstacles. One critical step remains, and it is the most difficult. Commit to change. Can you do it? Go to our Commitment to Success and try.

[Student Guide to Success][Obstacles to Success]
[Analysis of Poor Course Performance][Checklist of Obstacles]
[Strategies for Success][Resources for Success][Commitment to Success]
[REACH Home Page] [Winthrop Home Page]


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