Develop your reading skills
- Concentrate when reading assigned material. Ask yourself: Do I comprehend what I am reading? Can I place ideas in their accurate context?
- Seek help from a reading instructor if necessary.
Improve your note taking
- Borrow notes from classmates who get A's to see what their notes look like.
- Try explaining to someone who is not in your class what the professor talked about in a particular class meeting.
- Determine whether your notes were accurate and if not, get help.
Get A's on your papers
At this point you should be earning A's on all of your papers. If you aren't, work closely with your teachers and tutors. Learn to revise your work. Consider using these Student Learning Center resources:
- For the writing process
- For grammar and style
- For writing essay exams
Improve time management skills
- All graduate students must be self-managers. Do you write papers at the last minute or run out of time to finish your reading?
- Every month do a time inventory, noting how you spend your time in a given week. Do you study when you are most likely to be alert? Do you budget some time for leisure?
Don't procrastinate
Procrastination can set in just when you most need to move forward academically. If this becomes a problem or you begin to feel hopeless, don't give up. Seek out a counselor at Counseling and Psychological Services.
Tutor others
You will learn material in-depth by explaining it to others. The Student Learning Center is a place to start to be a tutor.
