Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface -- 1: Becoming A Student -- Looking back and moving forward: applying life experiences to being a student -- Juggling responsibilities -- Evaluating information -- Working with others -- Researching a problem -- Box: Assessing your strengths -- How being a student affects your relationships with others -- Friends and family members -- Instructors -- Classroom protocol -- Diversity -- Box: Dos and don'ts in a diverse community -- Key words in academia -- Presenting your work -- Written work -- Oral presentations -- Collaborative projects -- Box: Guidelines for oral presentations -- Box: Guidelines for collaborative projects -- Learning online -- Box: Classroom do's and don'ts -- Getting your work done -- Box: Communication and goals -- Setting goals -- Additional resources -- Box: communication and goals -- 2. Assessing Learning Needs And Course Requirements -- Types of learners -- Visual learner -- Kinesthetic learner -- Auditory learner -- Worksheet: Evaluating your learning style -- Box: Tips for capitalizing on your learning style -- Understanding classroom formats -- Lecture -- Seminar -- Workshop -- Worksheet: Assessing your preferred class format -- Recognizing different areas of study -- Choosing your classes -- Deciphering course descriptions -- Box: Identifying your course requirements -- Evaluating a course syllabus -- Box: Questions to ask about a course -- Worksheet: Your college career plan -- On line learning -- Finding an on line provider -- What you can expect from an on line course -- Additional resources -- 3: Identifying College Resources -- Educational advisors -- Study skills classes -- Instructors -- Classmates -- Testing services -- Counselors for students with disabilities -- Career counseling -- Personal counseling -- Mentoring programs -- Tutoring networks -- Box: Making the best use of support resources -- Writing center -- Computer center -- Librarians -- Box: Planning a meeting with an advisor -- 4: Strategies For Managing Time And Stress -- Time commitments of being a student -- Ten hints for time management -- 1: Be realistic -- 2: Build in "safe time" -- 3: Keep a planner -- 4: Find a space -- 5: Look at the big picture -- 6: Speak up about your concerns and commitments -- 7: Work a little every day -- 8: Make a checklist each week -- 9: Just say no -- 10: Get a study buddy -- Procrastination -- Perfectionism -- Six tips for managing stress -- 1: Identify a source of comfort -- 2: Try relaxation techniques -- 3: Use exercise -- 4: Try imagery -- 5: Find an anchor -- 6: Connect with your support system -- Box: Relaxation exercise -- 5: Developing Note-Taking, Studying, And Test-Taking Skills -- Taking notes from different kinds of instructors -- Organized lecturer -- Storyteller -- Discusser -- Box: General pointers for taking class notes -- How to prepare for tests -- Assessment -- Study time -- Preparing for a multiple-choice or short-answer test -- Preparing for an essay test -- Test-taking -- Box: Types of essay questions -- Understanding your grade -- Additional resources -- 6: Strategies For Reading -- Taking an active approach to reading -- Reading a textbook -- Reading a theoretical or critical book or article -- Reading fiction -- Reading poetry -- Box: Analyzing your reading assignments -- 7: Strategies For Research -- Choosing a research topic -- Formulating a research question -- Distinguishing primary and secondary sources -- Using the internet for research -- Evaluating internet sites -- Box: Internet lingo -- On line searches -- Article databases -- Box: Some useful databases -- Library resources -- Dictionaries -- Encyclopedias -- Popular magazines -- Professional and scholarly journals -- Dissertations -- Book review digest and book review index -- Biographical indexes -- Newspaper indexes -- On-line catalogs -- CD-Rom -- Taking notes based on your research -- Using quotations -- Paraphrasing -- Summarizing -- Documenting sources -- Styles of documentation -- Organizing your notes -- Index cards -- Notebooks -- Tape recorders -- Computer files -- Plagiarism and over documentation -- What is plagiarism? -- When does plagiarism occur? -- How can you avoid plagiarism? -- Are you over documenting? -- Box: Useful guides to research -- Additional resources -- 8: Strategies For Writing -- Writer's block: what is it and what causes it? -- Box: Writing assignment checklist -- Generating ideas -- Journal writing -- Free writing, brainstorming, and mind-mapping -- Box: Example of freewriting -- Starting with passages from source material -- Outlining -- Box: Sample paragraph outline -- Visualizing a reader -- Planning -- Drafting -- Writing an introduction -- Developing paragraphs -- Writing a conclusion -- Box: Useful transitional words -- Revising -- Box: Revision checklist -- Three qualities to aim for in your writing -- Conciseness -- Clarity -- Box: Eliminating unnecessary words -- Coherence -- Word processing -- Box: Tips for writing on a computer -- Appendix A: Grammar Brushup -- Parts of speech -- What is a sentence? -- Pronoun protocol -- Handling verbs -- Placing phrases and clauses logically -- Punctuation -- Using the active voice -- Possessives -- Common usage errors -- Additional resources -- Appendix B: Math Brushup -- Math anxiety is a learned behavior -- Overcoming mathematics anxiety -- Language of mathematics -- Arithmetic -- Multiplication -- Fractions -- Decimals and percentages -- Scientific notation -- Algebra -- Number line -- Real number system -- Expressions and equations -- Prime numbers and factoring -- Working with exponents -- Ratios -- Method for dealing with word problems -- Appendix C: Financing Your Education -- Worksheet: Assessing your college expenses -- How to find financial aid -- Scholarships and grants -- Loans -- Assistantships, internships, and work-study plans -- On-line resources -- Index.