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Truthfully, I’d have to say that college is as much a test of endurance than it is a test of intelligence, especially for non-traditional students. Why do I say this? As a non-traditional students, we have so much on our plates already. Many of us have kids, and let’s face it–kids are needy little creatures! Just when you’re sitting down to do some heavy-duty studying for that mid-term test, Billy or Susie will suddenly decide that they need help with their own homework THAT VERY MINUTE! Just when you get your tuition and books paid for the upcoming semester, the fuel pump will decide to implode on your car. Even when you’ve asked to reduce your hours at work to accomodate your academic demands, the boss will greet you with mandatory overtime.

With all these obstacles in your way, you will no doubt encounter classes that seem totally meaningless to the point that you are in your life. My biggest example of this was a required course I had to take in Philosophy, entitled “The Philosophy of Human Nature.” OMG, that was the most boring course I took throughout my college career. I was thirty-five when I started college, and by that point, I knew who I was, and was really not that interested in the musings of Descartes and friends. Funny, by this point in my life I was way over wondering if  “I was really real or not,” and listening to a weird discourse the professor kept going back to about pink elephants on the ceiling. I was so completely uninterested in this course that I swore one day I had an out-of-body experience in class! I think the reason that this class was so brutal for me is that several studies about non-traditional students have pointed to the fact that non-traditional students want classes that are relevant to their lives, and have practical applications for their career aspirations. My patience for abstract theories that I could never apply to my own life was nil, and I know that in this I was not alone among my non-traditional student peers.

While it definitely takes brain power to get good grades, having a system to organize yourself to study effectively is just as important as being a brainiac. In these earlier posts, here and here,  I outlined some study tips to make yourself a better student. But unfortunately, you will have to endure many classes that will frustrate you to no end because they  because of their lack of practical application. Getting that undergraduate degree shows an employer that you have a stick-to-it attitude and that you are not a person who gives up easily when they encounter obstacles. I toast all non-traditional students today. Don’t give up; don’t give in. You will persevere despite all the odds, and despite all the doubters who think you will never get to that degree. You have the intelligence AND the endurance it takes to get that sheepskin.

I just received notice that Borders is giving away free shipping with purchase of any item at Borders.com through 8/30/09. There is no minimum purchase required, which makes this offer even better.  If you need some last minute books for your classes, here is a great opportunity to get what you need and save yourself a few bucks.

Happy shopping to you!

Photo by Dheepak Ra

What guarantees you success in college? Excellent study habits, of course! Adult students with families need to be even more on top of their studies because,invariably, some kid-related disaster will arise to disrupt your study schedule. If you’ve been out of the classroom for a long time sitting down to study seems even more daunting. So how do you get excellent study habits?

Studying is an art, a science and a discipline. Firstly, you have to know what time of day you study most effectively. If you’re an early riser, as many moms are, don’t plan to catch up on your studies by pulling all-nighters. You will retain very little if you’re exhausted. If you’re just too beat to concentrate, go to bed. Even four or five hours of sleep will do you a lot more good than no sleep at all. I used to get up about 5:00 AM because I found I could get a lot done before my family rose and I wasn’t interrupted constantly. But, conversely, if you’re a night-hawk, don’t plan on getting up at dawn to study. It just doesn’t work if you’re fighting your body’s natural sleep rhythms. Secondly, it takes planning to study.

You need to review your notes and keep up on your class reading on a daily basis. This helps move the information you learned in class from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. You have to discipline yourself to study when you’d rather watch t.v.; fritter away time on Facebook or Twitter until your eyes cross. If you can’t easily turn off these distractions at home, try studying in the library with your Blackberry or i-Phone in the off position. There’s just something about being in a library that promotes wanting to study. As well, a daily study session quickly lets you know if you understood the information presented in class that day, or if you need to schedule a meeting with your instructor to go over the material. Don’t put off getting help if you need it; you’ll be sunk quickly in a college class if you can’t grasp a concept that is crucial for further understanding of the course material.

A way of taking notes that I found was really effective was to fold my notepaper in half vertically, then use the left side of the page for in-class notes, and the right hand side of the page for notes from the textbook. Implementing this little trick helped me to be sure that I wasn’t leaving out any vital information when I studied. This way, I quickly whether the prof had already covered the material in class or not when I was reading my textbooks. I found this method really worked well for science classes because you just have so much material to get through and retain.

Flash cards aren’t just for kids. Just the act of writing down information on notecards is a wonderful way to help move that information from your short-term memory to long-term memory. Flash cards are also a convenient way to sneak in a little studying if you are waiting in line, or don’t have easy access to your notebooks or textbooks. Flash cards are very helpful for studying for classes where you need to learn a lot of definitions and terminology. Using flash cards directly contributed to my success in my classes in chemistry, biology, microbiology and anatomy.

Lastly, practice makes perfect! If you struggle with math, the best way to get better at it is to practice by answering lots of problems. Check your answers in the back of your textbook to see if you’re on the right track. If your not, checking your answer can give you some clues where you went wrong. The same advice to practice holds true for math-intensive disciplines such as chemistry and physics.

Getting excellent study habits isn’t easy, or even very fun for most of us. But if you want the best grades possible, it’s in your very best interests to cultivate good study habits. Maintaining consistent study habits will put you up with the cream-of-the-crop in all of your classes.