FOCUS on College Success

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Brief Contents......Page 20
Content......Page 22
Introduction to Students......Page 4
Meet the Cast......Page 5
Acknowledgments......Page 12
FOCUS Entrance Interview......Page 16
You’re about to Discover......Page 34
FOCUS Challenge Case: Gloria Gonzales......Page 35
What Do You Think?......Page 36
Who Are You? And What Do You Want?......Page 37
Spending Time “in the System”......Page 40
How Motivated Are You and How Are You Motivated?......Page 43
Give Yourself an Attitude Adjustment......Page 47
Eight Ways to Adjust Your Attitude......Page 48
Statements That Ought to Be Outlawed in College . . . and Why......Page 49
Ability versus Effort: What’s More Important?......Page 50
Values at the Core......Page 54
Dreams versus Goals......Page 55
College Success: You Make the Call......Page 58
Graduating from College: What It Takes......Page 59
The Bad News: Obstacles along the Way......Page 61
The Good News: Benefits at the End of the Road......Page 63
NoW What Do You Think?......Page 64
You’re about to Discover......Page 66
FOCUS Challenge Case: Tammy Ko......Page 67
What Do You Think?......Page 68
Go to the HEAD of the Class: Learning and the Brain......Page 69
Ask Questions and Hardwire Your Connections......Page 70
Take Charge and Create the Best Conditions for Learning......Page 71
Multiple Intelligences: How Are You Smart?......Page 77
Translate Content into Your Own Intelligences......Page 80
Choose a Major and Career That Fit Your Intelligences......Page 81
How Do You Perceive and Process Information?......Page 83
Using Your Sensory Preferences......Page 87
What Role Does Your Personality Play?......Page 91
Interpreting Your SuccessTypes Learning Style Type Profile......Page 95
Using Your SuccessTypes Learning Style Type Profile......Page 97
Now What Do You Think?......Page 99
You’re about to Discover......Page 100
FOCUS Challenge Case: Jessica Taylor......Page 101
What Do You Think?......Page 102
College Success: Resources That Can Help......Page 103
Financial Resources: Managing Your Money......Page 105
The Ins and Outs of Money Management......Page 106
The Perils of Plastic......Page 108
Getting “Fiscally Fit”: Ten Suggestions to Curb Your Credit Card Spending......Page 111
Technology Resources: Net Life......Page 115
E-Learning versus C-Learning......Page 116
College Students and the Net: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly......Page 118
Library Resources and Your College Success......Page 123
Information Literacy: Are You Literate?......Page 126
Campus Resources: HELP Is Not a Four-Letter Word......Page 127
First-Year Students’ FAQs......Page 128
Now What Do You Think?......Page 133
You’re about to Discover......Page 134
FOCUS Challenge Case: Derek Johnson......Page 135
What Do You Think?......Page 136
Time Management Isn’t Enough......Page 137
Energy, Our Most Precious Resource......Page 141
Get Physically Energized......Page 142
Get Emotionally Connected......Page 143
Manage Your Classroom Energy......Page 144
“I’ll Study in My Free Time” . . . And When Is That?......Page 146
Schedule Your Way to Success......Page 150
To Do or Not to Do? There Is No Question......Page 156
How Time Flies!......Page 158
The P Word: Read This Section Now! . . . or Maybe Tomorrow . . . or the Next Day . . . or......Page 160
Beyond Juggling: Realistically Manage Work, School, and Personal Life......Page 163
Now What Do You Think?......Page 167
You’re about to Discover......Page 168
FOCUS Challenge Case: Annie Miller......Page 169
What Do You Think?......Page 170
Rethinking Thinking......Page 171
What Is Critical Thinking?......Page 173
Why Is Critical Thinking Important?......Page 174
Asking Questions: Inquiring Minds Want to Know......Page 177
A Four-Part Model of Critical Thinking......Page 178
I. Reasoning: The Foundation of Critical Thinking......Page 179
II. Problem Solving: The Basic How-To’s......Page 187
III. Decision Making: What’s Your Style?......Page 188
IV. Thinking about Your Thinking......Page 191
Becoming a Better Critical Thinker......Page 193
Unleash Your Creativity!......Page 195
Creativity: “Thinking Outside the . . . Book”......Page 196
Ten Ways to Become a More Creative Thinker......Page 199
Now What Do You Think?......Page 201
You’re about to Discover......Page 202
FOCUS Challenge Case: Lindsey Collier......Page 203
What Do You Think?......Page 204
Get Engaged in Class......Page 205
Dare to Prepare......Page 206
Follow the Rules of Engagement......Page 208
Listening with Focus......Page 210
Easy Listening” Is for Elevators—Focused Listening Is for Classrooms......Page 211
Listening Is More Than Hearing......Page 212
Trick Yourself into Focused Listening......Page 213
Identify Lecture Styles So You Can Modify Listening Styles......Page 214
Ask and You Shall Receive......Page 218
How Do You Know What’s Important?......Page 220
Taking Lecture Notes: Different Strokes for Different Folks......Page 223
The Cornell System......Page 224
Mind Maps......Page 225
PowerPoint Miniatures......Page 226
Parallel Note-Taking......Page 227
Using Lecture Notes......Page 228
Now What Do You Think?......Page 231
You’re about to Discover......Page 232
FOCUS Challenge Case: Kevin Baxter......Page 233
What Do You Think?......Page 234
Memories Are Made of This”......Page 235
Memory: The Long and the Short of It......Page 237
The Three R’s of Remembering: Record, Retain, Retrieve......Page 239
Your Sensory Memory: Focus......Page 240
Your Working Memory: Record......Page 242
Your Long-Term Memory: Retain and Retrieve......Page 244
Twenty Ways to Master Your Memory......Page 245
Make It Stick......Page 246
Make It Meaningful......Page 247
Make It Mnemonic......Page 249
Manipulate It......Page 252
Make It Funny......Page 253
How Our Memories (uh . . . hmmm . . .) Fail Us......Page 255
Memory-Enhancing Drugs......Page 257
Hazardous Chemicals......Page 258
Deepen Your Memory......Page 259
Now What Do You Think?......Page 260
You’re about to Discover......Page 262
FOCUS Challenge Case: Katie Alexander......Page 263
What Do You Think?......Page 264
Who Needs to Read?......Page 265
Read Right!......Page 269
Meta-what? Metacognition, Reading, and Studying......Page 280
Becoming an Intentional Learner: Make a Master Study Plan......Page 282
Sprinting to the Finish Line: When to Take Shortcuts......Page 285
Integrated Learning: Learning Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts......Page 286
Now What Do You Think?......Page 291
You’re about to Discover......Page 292
FOCUS Challenge Case: Joe Cloud......Page 293
What Do You Think?......Page 294
Testing 1, 2, 3 . . . Show What You Know......Page 295
Before the Test: Calm Your Nerves by Preparing Carefully......Page 297
Cramming: Does “All or Nothing” Really Work?......Page 300
Test-Taking: High Anxiety?......Page 302
During the Test: Focus and Work Hard......Page 307
True-False: Truly a 50–50 Chance of Getting It Right?......Page 311
Multiple Choice or Multiple Guess? Taking the Guess Work Out......Page 312
Short-Answer, Fill in the Blank, and Matching Tests......Page 313
Taking Subjective Essay Tests......Page 315
Don’t Cheat Yourself!......Page 317
After the Test: Continue to Learn......Page 319
Now What Do You Think?......Page 321
You’re about to Discover......Page 322
FOCUS Challenge Case: Darnell Williams......Page 323
What Do You Think?......Page 324
Writing as a Process: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan......Page 325
Prewriting......Page 327
Writing......Page 329
Rewriting......Page 332
Avoid These Three Writing Traps!......Page 333
Build a Better Paper: The Seven C’s......Page 337
Downloading Your Workload: The Easy Way Out?......Page 341
In a Manner of Speaking......Page 343
Scared Speechless?......Page 344
Ten Ways to Oust Anxiety......Page 346
Craft a Winning Presentation: The Seven P’s......Page 348
PowerPoint or PowerPointless? Five Ways to Make Your Presentations Stand Out......Page 351
Now What Do You Think?......Page 354
You’re about to Discover......Page 356
FOCUS Challenge Case: Kia Washington......Page 357
What Do You Think?......Page 358
The Heart of College Success......Page 359
What Is Emotional Intelligence?......Page 361
Can Emotional Intelligence Be Improved?......Page 364
What Is This Thing Called Love?......Page 366
Communicating in Intimate Relationships......Page 368
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do......Page 375
Diversity Makes a Difference......Page 378
Appreciate the American Mosaic......Page 379
Think Globally; Act Locally......Page 385
Now What Do You Think?......Page 386
You’re about to Discover......Page 388
FOCUS Challenge Case: Ethan Cole......Page 389
What Do You Think?......Page 390
What’s the Connection?......Page 391
College in a Box?......Page 392
How Do the Disciplines Connect?......Page 393
Building an Academic Map......Page 394
Step 1: Follow Your Bliss......Page 399
Step 3: Take a Good Look at Yourself......Page 403
Step 4: Consider Your Major versus Your Career......Page 411
How to Launch a Career......Page 414
Now What Do You Think?......Page 420
You’re about to Discover......Page 422
FOCUS Challenge Case: Anthony Lopez......Page 423
What Do You Think?......Page 424
Health, Education, and Welfare......Page 428
Physical Health: In Sickness and in Health......Page 430
Mental Health: Up or Down......Page 433
Depression......Page 434
Anxiety......Page 436
Spiritual Health: Department of the Interior......Page 437
You Take the Wheel!......Page 438
Stress: Fast and Furious......Page 440
Nutrition: Feast or Famine......Page 442
Exercise: Don’t be a Couch Potato!......Page 446
Sleep: Are You a Night Owl?......Page 448
Alcohol and Drugs: The “Party Hardy” Syndrome......Page 450
Sex: Better Safe Than Sorry......Page 452
Now What Do You Think?......Page 455
FOCUS Exit Interview......Page 456
Notes......Page 460
Credits......Page 476
Index......Page 478