Happy New Year, everybody!
January is always an exciting month of change. For those students whose semesters didn’t end in December, keep in mind that Finals are just around the corner! Figure out what you need to get the grade you want, and put it into effect. I’m here to help if you need guidance and study help. Here are some tips to start 2014 on the right foot.
1) Make goals, not resolutions. Everyone tries to make resolutions but few people actually stick with them for more than a couple weeks. This is because resolutions are often about a past failure, and this is subconscious sabotage. Therefore, make goals. Goals are desired results, not necessarily based on any past failures, and focus on long-term success.
2) Be realistic. Make the goals attainable: it’s nearly impossible to go from an F to an A–but an F to a C, or a B to an A, is doable. Keeping goals realistic helps you stay on task and keeps the goals from being discouraging. To make realistic goals, make smaller goals/objectives as stepping stones to the bigger, long-term goals above. Breaking down the overall goals divides them into manageable components. For example, the smaller objective of “understand one section of the current chapter” is a specific target that can be clearly measured. The final grade ends up an attainable, realistic goal when the smaller steps are reached.
3) Ask for help. Some students aren’t comfortable asking for help, whether they feel insecure about their abilities or that someone might judge them or some other reason. I’m here to tell you that it’s okay to ask for help. In fact, successful students are usually the ones who ask for help. Study with a classmate or join a study group. Work with a tutor (check me out!) or ask the teacher for pointers. Successful students rarely achieve their success on their own. They study hard and ask for help when they don’t understand. There are plenty of resources; seek them out!
Have a great 2014. Happy learning!