What Smart Students Know

Argues that smart students have a different attitude about school and learning, and offers advice on taking notes, studying, preparing for tests, and writing papers.

Is graduate school right for you? Should you get a master's or a Ph.D.? How can you choose the best possible school? This classic guide helps students answer these vital questions and much more. It will also help graduate students finish in less time, for less money, and with less trouble. Based on interviews with career counselors, graduate students, and professors, Getting What You Came For is packed with real-life experiences. It has all the advice a student will need not only to survive but to thrive in graduate school, including: instructions on applying to school and for financial aid; how to excel on qualifying exams; how to manage academic politics—including hostile professors; and how to write and defend a top-notch thesis. Most important, it shows you how to land a job when you graduate.

You Can Succeed in College--Even Make Straight A'sGood grades are too important to leave to chance because your future depends on what you do in college. It's sobering. But it's true. Now, with Making A's in College you CAN master new college challenges and even make straight A's. When you use the practical study tips in this book, you'll find that college success doesn't come just from studying harder.It comes from studying smarter. And Dr. Sandra Gibson shows you exactly how to do it.Dr. Gibson has spent years as a full-time professor of study skills. She's helped thousands of students succeed through popular workshops, seminars, classes, videos, books and individual help. So she knows exactly what college students NEED to know--and that's what's in this book. Real-world college-success tips for real-world students, whether you're new to college or already there.College Success Is Like JugglingSuccess in college means you have to keep lots of balls in the air at the same time, balancing assignments, classes, study time--and your social life. That's a lot to manage--but you can do it if you know how. And you can even have time to spare!Truth is, you may not know the secrets to making good grades-you weren't born with this knowledge, were you? So you need a guide like Making A's in College to secrets of making good grades that's very easy to read. It's packed with proven cutting-edge information, and it shows you a simple, practical system you can use right now--today to make better grades.Here's a Sample of the Study Tips You'll Get From This BookWith study techniques in Making A's in College you'll discover how to quickly: Improve Your Memory Take Great Notes in Class Build Good Concentration Read Better and Remember More Study the Best, Most Effective Way Be Testwise on Objective and Essay Exams Manage Test Anxiety Overcome Procrastination and Control Distractions Get Started on Difficult Projects Get (and Stay) Organized Manage Your Time In this book you'll also discover: The proven BEST way to remember what you read Useful tips for reading complicated chapters Strategies for remembering all kinds of lists The BEST way to study Real ideas for reducing test anxiety And much more Plus there's a big bonus section packed with 21 MORE useful tips to build your college success. And seven high achieving college students reveal their FAVORITE study tips.Here's the best part: Dr. Gibson's tips are organized and easy to use. Some study strategies are simple while others are surprisingly counter-intuitive. But they ALL work and they come straight from her extensive experience with today's university students.Making A's in College is by a real study-skills expert, not just another freelance writer looking for a book idea. You'll find it easy to read and immediately useful. A Message from Dr. Sandra GibsonWhether you're in college already, just starting out, or returning after years away, you're probably under a lot of stress. That's natural, since so much depends on success in college. I've worked with all kinds of students and I've discovered that virtually all of them can do better in college by using these smart-study tips and techniques. I'm sure you will, too. I'm happy that that this book doesn't read like a textbook. That's important because I hope you'll really use it and profit immediately from what you learn. I wish you a successful college career, and hope you make straight-A's!Dr. Sandra GibsonScroll up and click the Add to Cart button above to start right now to be sure of your study skills-all for about the cost of a hamburger!

How do smart students succeed? How do they crack exams and come out on top? What tricks do they have up their sleeves? How do they succeed in life? Find all the answers here in 6 Secrets Smart Students Don't Tell You! A book that tries to answer the pressing question asked by students and parents alike: how to study better and have a successful academic career. Based on his extensive research of smart students, Chandan Deshmukh enumerates the six secrets that will ensure success for all students. Conversational, funny and insightful, this book is a compilation of useful advice, tips and tricks, and anecdotes that not only help answer these all-important questions but also provide a clear and concise guide to how students can pass their exams with flying colours. Simply put, this book is what you need to succeed!

Looking to jumpstart your GPA? Most college students believe that straight A’s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don’t study harder—they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. You will learn how to: • Streamline and maximize your study time • Conquer procrastination • Absorb the material quickly and effectively • Know which reading assignments are critical—and which are not • Target the paper topics that wow professors • Provide A+ answers on exams • Write stellar prose without the agony A strategic blueprint for success that promises more free time, more fun, and top-tier results, How to Become a Straight-A Student is the only study guide written by students for students—with the insider knowledge and real-world methods to help you master the college system and rise to the top of the class.

Praise for How Learning Works "How Learning Works is the perfect title for this excellent book. Drawing upon new research in psychology, education, and cognitive science, the authors have demystified a complex topic into clear explanations of seven powerful learning principles. Full of great ideas and practical suggestions, all based on solid research evidence, this book is essential reading for instructors at all levels who wish to improve their students' learning." —Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor for educational development, University of California, Berkeley, and author, Tools for Teaching "This book is a must-read for every instructor, new or experienced. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, as I read this book I found myself resonating with many of its ideas, and I discovered new ways of thinking about teaching." —Eugenia T. Paulus, professor of chemistry, North Hennepin Community College, and 2008 U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Thank you Carnegie Mellon for making accessible what has previously been inaccessible to those of us who are not learning scientists. Your focus on the essence of learning combined with concrete examples of the daily challenges of teaching and clear tactical strategies for faculty to consider is a welcome work. I will recommend this book to all my colleagues." —Catherine M. Casserly, senior partner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "As you read about each of the seven basic learning principles in this book, you will find advice that is grounded in learning theory, based on research evidence, relevant to college teaching, and easy to understand. The authors have extensive knowledge and experience in applying the science of learning to college teaching, and they graciously share it with you in this organized and readable book." —From the Foreword by Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; coauthor, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; and author, Multimedia Learning

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

Discusses the best methods of learning, describing how rereading and rote repetition are counterproductive and how such techniques as self-testing, spaced retrieval, and finding additional layers of information in new material can enhance learning.