Study Tips: Your Financial Future

As semester closes, consider how finances affect academic success

Plan now for success down the road.

By Texas State SLAC

Preparing for finals is probably the biggest thing weighing on your mind this time of year. But whether you’re continuing at Texas State University in the summer or completing your degree and moving forward with graduate studies in the fall, now is a good time to think about your financial plan for future semesters. As this semester’s end draws near, consider the following:

Study Tips: Mapping an Essay

Use a Google Maps approach to find your way through essay tests

By Texas State SLAC

Map your way through composing an essay.

When you read an essay question, do you get a headache? Does your brain go blank? Try comparing taking essay tests to using Google Maps. Principles that achieve good map search results also work for answering essay questions.

Study Tips: Mobile Research Apps

Take your research mobile!

By Lisa Ancelet, Head Reference Services Librarian

Mobile apps help you research on the go.

Do you often find yourself conducting research on your mobile device or wishing you could? Alkek Library at Texas State University offers students, faculty and staff many different options to make mobile research not only possible, but easy.

Study Tips: Spring Break

Plan ahead to maintain your academic rhythm over Spring Break

By Texas State SLAC

Plan time to study over Spring Break.

Spring Break is almost here! Unfortunately, semesters don’t always end when a college student’s vacation begins. Learning to manage working while enjoying your time off is an essential skill for college life and beyond.

First: Make a plan. Since your brain is still in college mode, take advantage of it. Just as in the regular semester, put what you have to get done and related deadlines on a calendar and make a schedule to be sure you study some each day and more on days you aren’t actively involved in extracurricular fun. Making a plan now will prevent stress later and keep you from completely losing the rhythm of academic life.

Study Tips: Office Hours

Office hours: Take advantage of time to get help from your professors

Need help? Don’t forget to ask your professor!

By Texas State SLAC

It can be difficult to converse with professors before or after class. There may be too little time because the professor may have to go to another building, or another class may be waiting outside. That’s why professors designate office hours to meet students outside of classes. Yet many professors say few students use this time.

Take advantage of your professors’ willingness to help. Your professors may be formal in class yet friendly and approachable one-to-one. Follow these tips to make your approach to office visits a little easier:

Study Tips: Interlibrary Loan

Free ILL service at Alkek lets you borrow library materials worldwide

By Jerry Weathers, Head of Access and Delivery Services

If Alkek’s seven stories don’t have what you need, try Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services.

Have you ever had a research assignment for a class and discovered the library didn’t have everything you needed? If this happens to you again, consider giving Interlibrary Loan (ILL) a try.

ILL is a free service and is available to all CURRENT students, faculty and staff at Texas State. If the libraries at Texas State don’t have what you need, ILL staff will try to borrow from other libraries worldwide to get not only scholarly books and articles, but also items for your entertainment, such as feature films on DVD, audio books and music scores.

Study Tips: Get Back on Track

Start Smart: 9 Ways to Get Your Semester and Studies on Track

By Texas State SLAC

Start smart! Reconnect with study partners from previous semesters.

Welcome back, Bobcats! As you kick off another semester at Texas State University, you face the task of re-establishing your academic routines and habits. To help you get your semester started right, the Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC) has a nine time-tested suggestions.

Study Tips: Finals Prep 2012

Finals: How to prepare
without going to extremes

By Andrew Osegi (@AEOsegi)

Alkek Library: Your home away from home.

It’s that special time of year again! As the 2012 fall semester winds down, Texas State students are gearing up for their biggest academic challenge: finals week.

Indeed, the quest for a stellar final grade will push many students to extremes, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If students take advantage of their time and resources, finals can be one of the smoothest weeks of the year.

The following tips were collected to help Texas State students shine light into the looming shadow of finals week so they can finish the semester strong.

Study Tips: Preparing for Thanksgiving Break

One reason to give thanks:
No homework over the break!

Complete classwork ahead to avoid a hectic Thanksgiving break.

By Texas State SLAC

The days are getting shorter as your to-do list is getting longer. You might be tempted to postpone your class work until after Thanksgiving because you don’t want to be doing homework while visiting family and friends, eating turkey, and sleeping off the tryptophan! But if you put off your studies, you could find yourself neck-deep in homework — and facing low motivation because the semester is almost over. Plus you’ll have the added stress of studying for finals.

Choose a better course of action by doing homework ahead of time so you can relax over the Thanksgiving break. Here’s what we suggest:

Study Tips: Avoiding Self-Sabotage

Self-sabotage affecting your grades?
Take some advice from Mark Twain.

By Texas State SLAC

Mark Twain

“I have never let schooling interfere with my education.”
— Mark Twain

Mark Twain teaches a good lesson: Students can get so caught up making good grades that they forget to learn. Also, students sabotage themselves by practicing bad study techniques that further hinder their actually learning. Many of you know things you should and should not do before a test, but this will be a good reminder.