The Secrets of College Success

Dr. Lynn F. Jacobs is professor of Art History at the University of Arkansas. Jeremy S. Hyman is founder and chief architect of Professors' Guide content products. Between them, they have over 40 years of teaching experience at eight different colleges and universities. Additional tips are available at www.thesecretsofcollegesuccess.com, at www.facebook.com/professorsguide, and on Twitter at @professorsguide.

Preface to the Second Edition xv Introduction xvii Top 10 Reasons to Read This Book xix The Professors' Guide Icons xxi 1 THIS IS COLLEGE 10 Things You Need to Know About College (But Probably Don t) 3 What's New at College? Fun Facts 7 The 15 Habits of Top College Students 10 The 10 Worst Self-Defeating Myths 14 The 11 Secrets of Getting Good Grades in College 18 20 No-Brainers to Save Money at College 22 14 Ways to Ensure You Graduate in Four Years 31 Top 10 Tips for Community College Students 36 10 Best Tips for Engineering School 41 Top 10 Tips for Applied Arts and Design Colleges 45 The College Student s Bill of Rights 49 2 IN THE BEGINNING ... 7 Things to Do the Summer Before College 54 15 Things to Do the Week Before College 58 10 Things to Consider Before Buying a Tablet, E-Reader, or Laptop for College 62 Do's and Don ts for Picking Your Courses 68 Top 12 Tips for Picking a Major 72 Top 10 Secrets of the Syllabus 78 10 Questions to Ask Yourself the First Week of Classes 82 The 13 Warning Signs of a Bad Professor 85 Tips and Tricks for Improving Your Course Schedule 89 3 SKILLS 3.0 Top 10 Time-Management Tips 96 Top 10 Reasons Never to Procrastinate 100 The How Not to Study Guide 104 10 Secrets of Taking Excellent Lecture Notes 109 15 Ways to Read Like a Pro 113 15 Strategies for Painless Presentations 118 How to Build Your Confidence 123 4 SPECIALTIES OF THE HOUSE 10 Ways to Whip the Freshman Comp Requirement 129 10 Tips for Taming the Math Requirement 134 Top 10 Tips for Mastering the Foreign (or World) Language Requirement 138 10 Ideas for Learning to Love the Lab 142 10 Tips for the First-Year Experience Course 146 Facing Up to Remediation: Top 10 Strategies 149 10 Tips for Online Courses (and MOOCs) 154 How to Take Courses on the Web for Free 160 5 IT'S SHOWTIME! 12 Tips for A+ Test Preparation 166 "So What's Going to Be on the Test Anyway?" 171 Top 13 Test-Taking Tips 174 10 Tips for Writing the Perfect Paper 179 10 Things Your Professor Won t Tell You About Grading 185 How to Turn a B into an A 189 14 Techniques for Doing Research Like a Professor 190 Top 10 Tips for Doing E-Research 196 6 INTERFACING WITH THE PROFESSOR 15 Ways to Make Your Professor Love You 203 10 Biggest Hesitations About Going to See the Professor and How to Get Over Them 208 The 14 Secrets of Going to See the Professor 212 Etiquette for E-mailing Your Professor 217 10 Surefi re Ways to Piss Off Your Professor 220 Top 10 Things Professors Never Want to Hear and What They Think When They Do Hear Them 224 7 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ... 10 Things to Do When You Can't Keep Up with the Lecture 228 Top 10 Signs You ve Been Cutting Too Many Classes 233 What to Do When You ve Bombed the Midterm 234 7 Best Last-Minute Strategies for Saving Your Grade 237 10 Signs You re in Real Trouble at College 241 What, Then, to Do? The 7-Step Approach 244 8 THE SECOND HALF 10 Must-Do s at the Halfway Point of College 249 13 Skills You ll Need for a Career and How to Get Them at College 253 10 Strategies for Women Considering a Career in STEM Fields 257 Transfer Tips from Community College to Four-Year College 261 Summer School Pros and Cons 264 Top 10 Myths About Study Abroad 268 Top 9 Tips for Taking Out Student Loans 272 10 Tips for the Senior Thesis 277 9 MOVING ON The 10-Step Program for Thinking About Grad School 284 Top 10 Tips for Getting Bang-Up Recommendations 289 8 Tips for Finding a Job 294 Top 13 Tips for Acing the Job Interview 298 Top 10 Tips for Paying Off Your Student Loans 303 10 THE END AND THE BEGINNING The 3 Most Important Tips 309 Top 10 People We'd Like to Thank 311 Web Resources 313 Index 317