FISH STUDY GUIDELINES/TIPS FOR FALL 1998 SEMESTER

Preamble

HOWDY FISH AGS!

We must be motivated to learn, know what to learn, how to learn, when and how to ask for help. The task may appear overwhelming at many times, like eating an elephant. How do you eat an elephant — one bite at a time? Learn in pieces and fragments and build confidence that your study time was not wasted — NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL AT STUDY TIME, YOU CAN LEARN AT LEAST ONE IMPORTANT FACT.

  1. The first day of class for each course, start a notebook section for that class.
  2. The first entry for each course is the objective of the course. It may be obtained from the syllabus or directly from the instructor. Each and every entry in the notebook should be dated.
  3. For each lecture, list the key topics to be learned from the lecture. These key topics should be crossed referenced with textbook pages corresponding to the material. Each homework problem should be related to a specific lecture (by date). A schedule for doing the homework should be written in the notebook. By the end of each week the fish will have reviewed all the material in the notebook for each course and should have done all the assigned homework.
  4. Can’t remember key facts? Note-cards could be made for key topics, equations, definitions, etc that list associated dates corresponding to the lectures for the related items. Keep experimenting until you find what works for you. This is what is called problem solving in life and is a major activity all our lives.
  5. Note-cards can be carried easily with you and you can begin to memorize the topics, concepts, equations, etc.
  6. For Reading courses, like history, political science, reading notes and outlines of chapters should be made of key topics and concepts.
  7. Prepare a definitive study schedule that accounts for each waking hour for the seven days of the week. Should be posted on desk.
  8. All fish should have email accounts setup by the end of the first week so they can communicate with the faculty academic advisor — Mac Lively: lively@cs.tamu.edu, work phone 409-845-5480, home phone 409-690-6034 — available 24 hrs a day. Dr. Lively can also help you setup your email system on your computer.
  9. A daily planner is a helpful tool for organizing.
    10. Strongly consider taking Dr. Walter Bradley’s course on Time Management and Studying.

First semester fish:

Acclimation to TAMU as a CORPS fish is a daunting experience. There is so much to learn and remember. Frantic? Worried? Remember how to eat an elephant and build confidence in small pieces. Always be focused and use your mind to the best possible extent. Look atWeltanschauung for tips on how to use your mind to the best possible extent.

Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. The beginning of real wisdom is knowing when to ask. What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom?

Most fish will have to learn how to study. You may have made all A’s in high school without studying. The probability at TAMU is 99.999999999% that approach will not work here. LEARN HOW TO STUDY, DISCIPLINE YOURSELF, MAKE GOOD DECISIONS AND BE A GOOD FRIEND — STILL SOUNDS LIKE USING YOUR MIND TO THE BEST POSSIBLE EXTENT DOESN’T IT? Return to Homepage