Study Tips: Pros and Cons of Summer Classes

Summer classes require balancing relaxed mood with intense pace

Summer on campus: There’s more room to walk but more need for focus.

By Texas State SLAC

It’s summer at Texas State. Parking’s closer. Traffic’s lighter. The river and its banks are less crowded. On campus, you can walk without dodging skateboards and bikes. Classrooms seem bigger — you don’t trip over backpacks as you squeeze between desks. If professors don’t mind, you can even prop up your flip-flops.

Only one problem: The seemingly relaxed pace doesn’t extend to studying for summer classes. If you don’t get your textbooks and the syllabus early, you may saunter unprepared into a lecture on two chapters — or an entire book! 

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: 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: Keeping Up With Goals

Don’t procrastinate! Keep up with your goals by planning ahead

The PACE Center provides mentors and academic coaches for freshman students. Take advantage of the free help to stay on top of your grades!

By Texas State SLAC

It’s never too late to remind yourself that staying up to date with school work now is crucial—especially considering extracurricular activities you may have committed to this fall. Make sure to keep up with all of the readings and homework for your classes. The longer you put them off, the harder it is to catch up, and the more likely you will become overwhelmed the night before a test or project due date. Bad grades at the beginning of a course are very hard to bring up at the end.

Here are three tips to help you keep going:

Study Tips: Academic Checklist

Start the semester right by checking off the academic essentials

By Texas State SLAC

Make a contract with yourself to establish good study habits and stay ahead of the curve this semester.

Welcome back, Bobcats!

This is the first full week of school and a good time to set the tone for what lies ahead in this semester. Establishing good study habits and routines from the start will help you maintain your grades and manage your workload well.

You want to write a plan outlining the essential parts of your study routine. Consider the following checklist to help you get started:

Study Tips: Summer School Time Management

Keeping a steady pace is key for
success in summer classes

By Texas State SLAC

It’s 1:30 a.m: You’re at your desk — a huge energy drink can precariously perched on the shortest stack of books and articles — with 456 words or 19 more algebra problems to go. Our advice? Go to bed, whether that’s a mattress, bunk or futon, and sleep. At this point your biological clock, the one that says you think better at night, is lying to you.

Study Tips: Spring Finals 2012

Are you a self-saboteur? When it comes to finals, avoid pitfalls.

By Texas State SLAC

As finals approach, prepare to pace yourself.

As finals approach, it’s important to have a sound strategy for finishing each course well. You can undermine a semester’s worth of work (and a good GPA) with bad study techniques. Follow these reminders of what not to do while preparing for crucial tests and last papers.

Study Tips: Finishing the Second Half

Finishing the second half: How to
win from midterms to finals

By Texas State SLAC

Midterm results are a good indication of what it will take to win the game. You scored points during the first half, but you know from experience the game is not over.

Your current grades are only the halftime score. Term papers, projects and final exams remain, giving you big opportunities to raise your grades. Don’t wait until the last minute. Studying for finals will be stressful enough without pressure caused by procrastination.

Study Tips: Preparing for the Future

There’s no better time to prepare
for the future than right now

By Texas State SLAC

So many times we are reminded to live in the present, but we still need to prepare for the future. And if you are reading this, you have a future. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, listen well: It’s never too early or late to have a game plan.

But how do you start to prepare? In his article Advice for Students: Start Planning Now for Life After College, Dustin Max tells students not to view college as a break from real life but to start seeing it as a stage of real life. Here’s our summary of his tips:

1. Network. Start making connections by talking to potential employers, attending conferences, and joining or creating campus groups that deal with topics that excite you. Most importantly, get your name out there.