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Tips for Academic Success

First Steps

First and foremost, ATTEND EVERY CLASS. Allow enough travel time to get to to class on time, each time.
Be sure to allow for driving time (with construction or traffic and weather delays figured in), and at least another five minutes to park and get to your classroom. Missing the first few minutes of class is stressful for you and disruptive to the professor and your classmates. Arriving five or six minutes early allows you to get settled and even review notes from the last class. Late is better than skipping class entirely, but late arrivals should be limited to emergency situations.
Talk with your instructors.
Most people feel intimidated by college professors--but remember, they want you to learn. Find out when they hold office hours, and make an appointment. Some instructors are also willing to communicate via email, if their office hours are not convenient for you. If you must miss class for any reason, be sure to let the instructor know ahead of time, and make arrangements to acquire class notes or assignments. See "How to Talk to Faculty" for more information.
Sign up for a Freshman Seminar course, COAS S102.
This class helps with everything from study skills to finding your way around campus. It also counts as elective credit for most IU degree programs. The classes are small, and structured as a seminar, which means that you and your classmates will have one on one contact with the instructor each week. This is a great way to learn about the college, yourself, and the course topic all at the same time.
Ask for help!
Each semester, we see students in the last few weeks who tried to "hang on" or "tough it out"--it's too late for a tutor to really help them, and their instructor has suggested that they withdraw from the class. IU East has many helpful resources, and often you only need to walk in and ask for help. Most services are also paid for with your tuition & fees, so there isn't an extra monetary charge. The earlier we know about a problem, the sooner we can help. Just find the courage to ask. We promise you won't be the only one struggling.
Acquaint yourself with the library.
It's right on campus, it's newly renovated and it's a quiet place to study. Don't be afraid of the system. The staff can help you access any document available in the IU system and teach you the proper ways in which to do searches.

Time Management

Develop effective time management skills!
Most of our students are balancing work, school, family and community commitments - that's a full plate! In order to be successful, you will need to spend some time planning each day and how to use time to your advantage.
To get started, link to the following pages: The Academic Advisors will be happy to help you learn how to do time management more effectively. Just ask us!

Study Skills

Note-Taking
Taking notes in class and from books helps you to keep alert and pay attention. Falling asleep in class or while reading the textbook? Try one or more of the techniques at this link.
Reading Techniques
While we think we know how, reading college textbooks can be more challenging than we are expecting. The following links provide you with approaches that can help you become more efficient and effective at reading different kinds of texts and improve your retention while reading and studying.

Test Preparation

START EARLY AND ALWAYS BE PREPARED!
To review some strategies for being most effective while preparing for tests, print this page and keep it handy.
Test Taking Techniques
There are some specific techniques for taking different kinds of tests. Use these strategies to get the most points on your exams.
Continuing Steps
One of the concerns students frequently share is with their test taking abilities. In particular some find themselves experiencing enough anxiety before and during a test that it is not giving the instructor an accurate picture of the student's degree of mastery of the course.
Try some tips on overcoming Test Anxiety

Get Involved

Apply for a work-study job, or explore your interests through campus activities. Being involved in even one group will introduce you to campus resources, and can help build experience for your resume. It's also a great way to meet other students with similar interests. Our Campus Life staff would love to tell you more! They are located in Whitewater Hall across from the bookstore.

How to Prepare for an Advising Appointment

Whenever time allows, make an appointment to see your advisor. Try to collect your thoughts before the meeting and write down some of your concerns and questions. Be specific about the history leading up to your question so your advisor can have a complete picture of the complication you are experiencing.

Each semester students should take advantage of a chance to register early for the following semester. If you will click on the following link, "How to Prepare for an Advising Appointment," you can print out a copy of this planning guide. By using it, the Schedule of Classes for the following semester on the OneStart web page, and your degree advising sheet you can create a preliminary schedule for that semester for discussion with your advisor. (Most advisors teach their advisees how to use the advising sheets for their chosen degree programs. If you have not already received a copy of this important sheet, you can go to the link provided earlier in this paragraph, scroll down to your degree preference, and print a copy for yourself.)