The Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Students: An Academic Success Workbook

By Ann Rodier Ph.D.

If you can be admitted to a post–high school training program, a vocational training program, or a college or university, you have the potential for academic success…

But to reach your full potential in higher education, you need to develop advanced academic skills. The Seven Secrets outlined in this workbook by Ann Rodier, Ph.D. will help you do so. Dr. Rodier is a private educational consultant who spent decades as an administrator and academic adviser at colleges and universities.

You were taught many subjects in high school, but you might not have learned the strategies in this workbook, such as the best way to study, how to manage time, educational planning, organizational skills and test-taking skills.

The workbook includes a time management worksheet, quizzes, self-assessments, information on financing your education, methods for evaluating current study habits, and much more.

By following the Secrets revealed in this workbook, you can move your academic performance to a higher level and achieve what once seemed impossible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781480895454

Ann Rodier Ph.D.

Ann Rodier received her Ph.D. from Fordham University in 1998. She was an administrator and academic adviser for many years at colleges and universities in the New York City area, including Fordham University, where she teaches undergraduates. After leaving college advising, she became a private educational consultant. She is married and has two sons and three grandsons.

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S-T-U-D-E-N-T

The best way to complete this program is to finish the exercises and complete the worksheet included for each secret before moving on to the next. Implement the changes right away, and you will see results quickly. The seven secrets of highly successful students can be summed up by the word student:

S Study Skills

T Time Management

U Understanding Yourself

D Determination to Overcome Obstacles

E Educational Planning

N Note-Taking and Organizational Skills

T Test-Taking Skills and Test Anxiety

CHAPTER 1

The First Secret: Study Skills

The most important secret to becoming a successful student is study skills. There are middle schools and high schools where study skills are formally taught, and very often, this is an effective way to learn them. However, you most likely were expected to learn study skills on your own. You are about to correct this gap in your formal education.

It is very important to understand the why of study skills as well as the how. It is also important to know some basic study strategies that can be applied to all situations in college. Study strategies involve a place to study, a time to study, and methods to use for the most effective studying in the shortest time possible.

A PLACE TO STUDY

A place to study is probably the most obvious but most ignored study strategy. Students often decide to study in their bedroom or dorm room. This usually means studying on the bed with music or TV on and access to a phone, text messages, and internet. Family and friends are often nearby. In this environment, you are tempted to interact with them.

Even if you are alone in your room or house, you might not be able to concentrate. You might decide to cook, eat, do laundry, or take a nap. In bed is the worst possible place you can study. You are likely to fall asleep and not cover the information you needed to know in the time you set aside to study.

The best decision you can make is to study at the college library. If it is expensive or inconvenient to get to your college library, please go to your local public library. High grades in college are usually correlated with amount of time spent in a library. University research indicates that the more hours you spend inside that facility, the higher your grades will be.

There are many reasons for this outcome. First, there are probably fewer distractions at the library than there are at home. It is very similar to going to the gym. Once you are there, what else would you be doing other than your planned tasks? Yes, you might check your phone or play on your computer at the library, but at least you are away from your personal TV.

You are also away from family who might interrupt you or friends who might stop by your house or room. You can’t be tempted to do the laundry or ironing because you are not near those appliances. You also cannot cook, eat, or clean your house because you are not in your house! It might sound obvious, but there are many, many temptations and distractions to pull you away from your study schedule and take your attention away from your study materials if you stay in your room.

At the library, develop a routine of sitting in a particular location, either a chair or a study carrel in the library. Most colleges will allow you to reserve a study table or carrel. But even if this is not possible, try to get in the habit of studying in the same location every day. It will eventually be comfortable for you to be there.

You might even meet classmates or friends in that location every day, giving you more incentive to show up. Try to go out for lunch or dinner after you leave the library and perhaps meet family or friends after a few hours in the library. You will then associate your visit to the library with an additional pleasant outing for pizza or snacks.

Although most of your studying should be done in a library, there are times when you will be studying at home. There are many reasons for establishing a home study area. The library might be closed on Sundays or late at night. You might not feel well and need to stay home to study. Or you might have family responsibilities and can’t get to the library on a particular day or evening. In this situation. it is important to set up your study area very carefully.

Have a desk you use only for studying. If possible, also set up a bookcase where you can keep your study materials organized. If your desk is always clean and clear, you won’t have to waste time clearing it off when you need to sit there and study. A bookcase ensures that your books and papers are not lost on or under your bed. A file cabinet is also a great idea if you have the space for it. If file cabinets or bookcases are not available or feasible, set up four or five cardboard boxes—one for each subject you are studying in school—and store your books, notebooks, handouts, and papers separately in each box for each subject.

A flat writing surface in your home study area is essential. If you don’t have a desk, you can make one out of storage cubes and a piece of plywood or a door. You need good lighting in the study area as well. Invest in a lamp for the desk. The setup of this study environment will keep you on track as a student.

You will take your study schedule more seriously if you have a dedicated area established for it in your home. Those around you—whether family, friends, or roommates—will know not to disturb your study area, and they too will appreciate the seriousness of your studying routine. Sit in a straight-backed chair in your designated study area. Don’t get too comfortable! If you have a