Excerpts from:

The

Student Survival
Manual
for new and returning college students

6th Edition

Art Development

 2006, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1995 by Art Development

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or
by any information storage or retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher.

ISBN 0-9715836-0-9
Disclaimer: The advice and tips given in this book are for
informational and entertainment purposes only. The publisher and
author assume no responsibility for the use of the information
contained in this book by anyone.

Art Development

Contents

10 TIPS FOR SURVIVAL IN THE CLASSROOM

10 TIPS ON TAKING NOTES IN CLASS
10 HINTS FOR REVIEWING YOUR NOTES
10 THINGS TO EXPLORE IN THE LIBRARY BESIDES BOOKS
10 TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR WRITING SKILLS
10 WAYS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE YOUR TIME
10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO EARN POOR GRADES
10 FAKE EXCUSES NOT TO USE FOR MISSING AN EXAM
10 REMEDIES FOR FALLING BEHIND IN A COURSE
10 TIPS FOR CHOOSING AN EFFECTIVE TUTOR

10 TIPS ON CHANGING YOUR MAJOR

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CLASS SCHEDULE
10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ID CARD
10 TIPS FOR SURVIVING REGISTRATION
10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR STUDENT RECORDS
10 THINGS TO LOOK FOR AT THE "INFORMATION DESK"
10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TEXTBOOKS
10 TIPS ON PARKING YOUR CAR ON CAMPUS
10 TIPS FOR FINDING YOUR WAY AROUND CAMPUS
10 PLACES TO GO WHEN YOU'RE "STRESSED OUT"
10 PEOPLE TO TALK TO WHEN YOU'RE FEELING DOWN
10 QUESTIONS TO ASK AT "HEALTH SERVICES"

10 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY WHILE YOU'RE IN SCHOOL

10 PLACES TO GO OFF-CAMPUS ONCE IN AWHILE
10 MORE GREAT WAYS TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
10 EASY WAYS TO GET PLACED ON PROBATION
10 WAYS TO GET CAUGHT CHEATING IN SCHOOL
10 POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF CHEATING AT SCHOOL
10 REASONS TO APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP
10 REASONS TO LOOK INTO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRANSCRIPTS
10 TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR CAREER
10 ITEMS TO KEEP AROUND FOR FUTURE EMPLOYERS
10 CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS TO EXPLORE

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK AT THE CAMPUS POST OFFICE

10 REASONS TO WATCH THE CAMPUS BULLETIN BOARDS
10 REASONS TO BE NICE TO PEOPLE ON CAMPUS
10 WAYS TO POSSIBLY IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL LIFE
10 TIPS IN CASE YOU ARE HAVING A PARTY
10 REASONS JOIN SPORTS AND RECREATION ACTIVITIES
10 GENERAL SKILLS WHICH WILL HELP YOU IN COLLEGE
10 PEOPLE TO ALWAYS STAY ON GOOD TERMS WITH
10 PEOPLE ON CAMPUS NOT TO ANTAGONIZE
10 REASONS TO WRITE THE FOLKS BACK HOME
10 PHONE NUMBERS YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE
10 TIPS FOR SURVIVING YOUR FIRST COMPUTER COURSE

10 TIPS FOR SURVIVING ANY COMPUTER COURSE

10 COMPUTER TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
10 REASONS TO USE A WORD PROCESSOR FOR WRITING
9 REASONS TO BUY YOUR COMPUTER AND 1 REASON
NOT TO

10 tips for survival in the

classroom

1.

Dont be late.

2.

Sit near the front.

3. Act interested in what the instructor is

saying once in awhile. This may be difficult, at
times.
4.

To alleviate boredom, Take notes.

5. Ask questions. "When does this class get

out?" is not often the most appropriate
question, however.
6. Try to determine what the instructor
thinks is important. Often, he or she is the
one who will make up the exams and assign
the grades.

7.

Turn your assignments in on time.

8.

Turn off your cell phone.

9.

Do not fall asleep.

10. If you do fall asleep, try not to snore

loudly or obnoxiously.

10 tips on taking notes in class

1. As described earlier, sit near or at the

front of the classroom.
2. If all else fails, try this method: start the
notes for each lecture on a new page in your
notebook and put the current date on the top
of the page.
3. Write the main points in the lecture on the
right-hand page of your notebook while you
4.

write the details on the left side,

5.

Bring 3 pens to class with you.

6. Use a dark black pen to underline the key

points discussed.
7. Use an orange or green pen to highlight
points to review later. You may use a different
color if you really insist on it.

8. Use a dark red pen to highlight the

important topics.
9. leave a lot of empty space in your notebook
pages for adding additional notes or
comments later. See: 10 Hints for reviewing
your notes (p. 11).
10. Talk to a counselor or tutor at the campus
academic assistance center for more tips on
effective note-taking.

10 hints for reviewing your notes

1. Review your notes within a few hours or

less of taking them.
2. Try to decipher what you wrote in your
notes. Ask a friend for help, if necessary.
3. One technique found to be successful is to
attempt to paraphrase each important point
that the instructor made in the lecture or:
4. Outline the contents of the lecture or use
another of many approaches described on
excellent study-skills pages available on the
Web. See the Student Survival Manual web site
for more details.
5. Make a list of all of the important or key
words. Keep that list at the front or back
pages of your notebook so you can reference
it easily.

6. Within a few hours after reading your

notes (see item 1. above), write three possible
exam questions for each lecture.
7. Try to answer the questions you wrote in
item 6. (above) correctly.
8. Write a summary of each days lecture
notes in the same notebook or in another one
designed for this purpose.
9. Keep an audiotape journal of your
progress in each course. Start the recorder
when you are reviewing your notes and talk
about what you think were the important points
in that day's lecture. Later, while driving to
school the next morning, listen to the notes
you narrated. You will be impressed with the
sound of your voice, very likely.
10. Take a short-course or seminar in note
taking at your college's academic assistance
office or study skills center. It won't cost you
anything but your time, which you are probably
wasting too much of anyway.

10 tips for improving your writing

skills

1. Find the campus writing or "academic

skills" center. Talk to the counselors there.
2. Get Strunk and Whites Elements of Style
or another style manual which can be located
at your library or campus bookstore.
3. Use a dictionary and, of course, you'll
always use a word processor to write your
papers. On your word processor, use the
spelling checker. Spelling correctly makes
you appear more intelligent. See:10 reasons to
use a word processor for writing papers (p.
Error! Bookmark not defined.).
4. Become the most excellent friend of an
English composition major. Have that person
critique your writing and offer suggestions.
Buy them lunch -- often.
5.

Find an on-line writing lab on the Web.

6. Plan your thoughts carefully before you

begin your masterpiece. An outline often helps.
7. Don't try copying term papers off the
Internet written by someone else as you may
get kicked out of school or something equally
unpleasant for the average student. See:10
possible consequences of cheating at school
(p. Error! Bookmark not defined.).
8. Learn how to cite information from other
sources so that you aren't accused of
plagiarism, which could get you in more
trouble than you may be able to deal with at
this stage in your illustrious career. See:10
easy ways to get placed on probation (p. Error!
Bookmark not defined.).
9. If you want to use information you found
on-line in your paper, check out a good guide to
citing electronic sources such as Columbia
University's Guide to Online Style which is
available for reading on the web.
10. Always write your paper with your reader in
mind. Try to keep your reader from falling
asleep before reaching the end of your paper.

10 ways to more effectively utilize

your time

1. Get an academic desk calendar and use it

to record due dates for important things like
assignments, review sessions, quizzes, exams,
and your next dental appointment. Severe
toothaches in the middle of the night before a
difficult exam can often take a lot of fun out
of the cramming experience.
2. Create a weekly schedule which allows at
least a few hours of time every day for
homework. Doing homework on a daily basis
can help you to succeed admirably in your
courses. Most experts seem to agree on this
point.
3. Take a "time management" course, read a
book on it, or find out about it on the Internet.
Do this even if you cant spare the time to do it.
4. Buy a watch. Learn to set it accurately -- to
one microsecond per year should be
acceptable for most purposes.

5. Unplug your TV and don't watch it, except

for the most important shows like Oprah
Winfrey, of course.
6. Sell your TV and watch Oprah in the
campus commons while enjoying a snack you
purchased from a vending machine for 10 times
its actual value.
7. After you've sold your TV to the highest
bidder, subscribe to a newspaper to have some
idea of what is happening in the world. Also,
read the national and world news before your
personal horoscope, if possible.
8. Keep your phone conversations
friends under 6 hours in the evenings.

with

9. Get a good nights sleep (especially before

exams). Shortage of sleep can cause you to do
strange and unusual things, like forgetting
who you are or where your car is located.
10. Try to get up from bed before noon on
most weekdays, however.

10 fake excuses not to use for

missing an exam

1. Your grandfather died suddenly and most

unexpectedly.
2. Your friend's grandfather died suddenly
and most unexpectedly.
3. Your friend's grandfather almost died
suddenly and most unexpectedly, and you, out
of respect for the family, kept a bedside vigil
all night.
4. Your alarm clock lost the time after the
massive lightning strikes and power outages
that occurred in the night.
5. Your car broke down on the way to the
exam, or -- worse yet -- your friend's car broke
down on the way to the exam.
6. You got bumped off of your airline flight
back from Denver because you bought the

super-discount seat to visit your ailing

grandmother who may not live to see another
year.
7. Your bicycle chain snapped at the worst
possible time, or:
8. Your brain snapped at the worst possible
time.
9. Excuses like: The roads were impassable,
after the snowstorm, on the way back from the
ski resort.
10. You were sitting in jail.

10 remedies for falling behind in a

course

1. Evaluate your own performance

identify your weakest areas.

and

2. Get help from your instructor; show

him/her that you're trying; at least make it
appear that way.
3. Schedule more minimum daily study time for
your weak course(s). See: 10 ways to more
effectively utilize your time (p. 15).
4. Get a study partner who you get along with
fairly well on most days.
5. Check if your college or department has a
tutoring center or academic "study skills
improvement center" or similarly named
resource. Use it. Use it often. Use it as often
as you need to.

6. Unplug your TV until you're back "ontrack." Do the same with all the other gadgets
and people in your life that are taking time
away from your studies.
7. Check the library or bookstore for study
guides relating to the subjects in which you
are struggling. Ask your instructor or the
librarian for assistance, if necessary.
8. Find a friend who performed well in the
course, or has a friend who did, or who knows
a boy/girlfriend of a friend who did. Be nice to
this person, if possible.
9. Find a friend or acquaintance who will
tutor you. It would be preferable, of course, if
this prospective tutor had already taken the
course and completed it successfully.
10. Hire a tutor if you can afford it, but see
item 5 (above) first before you throw away all
of your hard-earned savings on this approach.

10 places to go when you're

"stressed out"

1. To the home of a good friend. Talk things

over. Have some laughs or non-meaningful
conversation. Eat some food. Food if often
good for the human body and soul.
2. To another friend's house and do the same
or similar activities. This friend may have
superior food or provide better laughs than
the friend in item 1. (above).
3. To the campus counseling center where
you can speak with someone who gets paid to
listen to your problems and may have just the
right words for you at the right time.
4. To your support group. If you don't have a
support group, or don't know what one is, see
item 3. (above).
5. To the zoo: animals are nature's great
stress relievers. Observe the monkeys - they
rarely seem too stressed.

6. To the running track, pool, handball

court, aerobics center, hiking trail, ski hill, pet
store, library couch, coffee house, or other
place of choice.
7. To the library: find an "escape" book with
no words having more than three syllables.
8. To a place in your mind or in your visual
imagination, such as to your favorite beach,
waterfall, driving range, or campsite by the
lake.
9. To a museum or park bench. Observe the
futility of fretting over life's temporary
problems. Learn to relax.
10. To your clergyman or spiritual advisor.
They may be willing to listen to you and give
you another perspective on how to deal with
the issues causing you the most worry.

10 people to talk to when you're

feeling down

1. A good friend you can trust and who will

have the time and patience to listen to you.
2. Maybe, another friend who will do the same
if the friend in 1. above is unavailable.
3. Possibly, even, a third friend who you
haven't talked to in years and who might be
delighted to hear your voice and hear how you
have been surviving college.
4. A counselor at the campus counseling
center. The reason that these people are
called "counselors" is they have been trained
on how to counsel students. That may be just
what you need at this moment.
5.

A clergyman or spiritual advisor.

6. A crisis intervention "hot-line" counselor.

These people are trained to listen and provide

you with resources which will help (it's only a

phone call away).
7. A doctor, nurse, or other health
practitioner at the clinic. These people are
also trained to listen -- and they have a special
understanding of students who may have
problems or concerns just like yours.
8. Your spouse, significant other, good
friend, mentor, grandmother, fishing buddy,
aerobics partner, or... a radio "talk show" host
(if so, try to keep your problem down to a
sound byte 2 minutes or less).
9. Your dog; (it has been shown by extensive
research that golden retrievers are more
effective listeners and superior counselors
than many of the best radio talk show
"therapists").
10. Yet, another friend who will listen. Old
friends are often the best friends.

10 ways to stay healthy while

you're in school

1. Walk to school every day or ride your bike

to your job when it isn't raining so hard that
you can't see anything out the window.
2. Keep all of the things in your life in proper
perspective and balanced. Don't forsake the
important things necessary for your emotional
and spiritual serenity because you are too busy
for them as a student.
3. Walk your dog for at least an hour or so a
day. The dog will certainly enjoy your company
and may be willing to put up with your moaning
and whining for awhile.
4. Eat balanced meals like they told you to do
back in elementary school.
5. See one of those nurses, dieticians or
nutrition specialists at the health clinic.
Follow their advice.

6. Get more sleep. I know you aren't getting

enough sleep, even though you say you are. I
just know this; I really do.
7. Quit spending time doing things in the
evening that your body and brain tell you in the
morning were a moronic waste of time and
money.
8. Learn to relax every day. Some people
never have learned how to relax. Their
arteries are hardening faster than normal as
they are reading this survival list right now. I
can see it all the way from over here.
9. Mark a spot on your schedule every day to
do absolutely nothing but meditate or stare
into space and breathe normally again.
10. Sign up for one of those wellness
workshops at the counseling center and learn
a lot more valuable information than I can
possibly provide in a single Top 10 survival list.

Excerpts from:
The

Student Survival
Manual
for new and returning college students

Information on obtaining this book at:

www.AreteVision.com/student/