“Students must have initiative; they should not be mere imitators. They must learn to think and act for themselves – and be free.” ~Cesar

Chavez~

WHAT PROFESSORS

EXPECT FROM YOU

The Survey

We asked professors and other college personnel what advice they would give to first-time college students and this is what they had to say…

Check deadlines for everything!

Some General Advice…

You can do anything if you are willing to invest the time

and effort.Be ready for the biggest

challenge in your life – you’ll have to study and study hard.

Don’t procrastinate!

Go to class every class period.

Establish goals… especially short-term

goals.

Create a schedule for yourself by determining

when and how you operate most effectively.

Think about the whole picture. Ask yourself, “What am I trying to achieve?”

Some More General Advice…Never be afraid to ask questions or

seek assistance. It shouldn’t be embarrassing to go to a

professor or instructor and ask for assistance; that’s what they are there for! Learn to study: it

is a skill that must be practiced to be

effective. Learn to use the internet and computer programs to your

advantage. Technology is here to stay. Learn to read from a

computer screen

Stay focused on your academic

goals…avoid distractions.

Things of value, like a college education take work. Give your best all the time and do not give up when things are difficult

or do not go your way.

How Do You Become a SUCCESSFUL College Student?

According to college professors…

QUESTION

If a student doesn’t understand, they

will ask questions until comprehension is achieved.

CONFIRM

If an employee says they will take care of something, a

successful student will confirm that it has been taken care of.

FOCUS

If you keep your mind set on the goal of completing college and

going beyond that to achieve the future you want, you will succeed

and be able to overcome the hurdles placed in the path.

DILIGENT

Maintaining a constant effort to reach your goal of graduation and beyond is made possible

through hard-work and perseverance.

META-COGNITIVE

Students who understand how they learn best do better.

CONFIDENT

A student needs to believe in themselves and be their own

cheerleader.

PLAN

Research before picking a major. Then find out what classes you have to take your first semester and have a rough draft when you

take it to your advisor.

EXECUTE

Once you have the plan, you need to execute it. It is time to

put your plan into action.

INDEPENDENCE

College students can create their own obstacles when they listen to what other people think they should be doing rather than to what they know in their hearts

they should be doing. You’re the one who has to live with the

choices you make, so be true to yourself.

ENGAGED

A successful college student must be engaged in his or her

classes, engaged with the professor, and engaged with

fellow students, it is only when a student is fully engaged with the

college experience that real learning can take place.

INITIATOR

Don’t rely on others to coordinate your college decisions

and choices.

DETERMINED

A student needs to be 150% behind their own goals and plans. The only option is

“success.”

CREATIVE

Today’s employers are looking for college graduates who are problem-solvers and critical

thinkers. Creativity is the key to these skills.

PROMPT

Be on time and, if possible, a little bit early. You won’t miss

any information and you will be ready to devote your full

attention to the class once it begins.

RESPONSIBLE

College is all about you and your future; it is up to you to keep

track of your decisions and to be a part of every moment.

DISCERNING

Since you will be making a lot of life-changing decisions, you need

to have the ability to judge a situation and evaluate it in order to make an informed decision.

ENDURING

Education is like a marathon…if you start college thinking you will be able to race through as fast as

you can, you will wear yourself out. Pace yourself by taking as

many classes as is right for you. Exhausting yourself early on will

not set you up for your graduation 2-6 years away.

READY

Be prepared…to listen, take notes, respond, analyze,

evaluate, solve, read, communicate, etc.

ORGANIZATION

Organization is a must for success. Not only organization in

terms of keeping up with assignments and class materials,

or taking organized notes, but also organization in regard to time management. Students

must learn to organize their time effectively.

OPEN-MINDED

A student must come to college with an open mind. In today's

polarized, absolute, political and social environment students will all too often tune out opinions or

ideals which may be different from their own; this hinders true

learning.

WILLING

If you don’t want to be in college, you will not be successful. This does not mean just showing up; this means putting a full effort

into class assignments and class discussions.

BALANCE

If students are unable to balance their educational and personal

lives now, how will they balance their personal lives and professional lives later?

WILLING

If you don’t want to be in college, you will not be successful. This does not mean just showing up; this means putting a full effort

into class assignments and class discussions.

CURIOUS

Don’t wait until your instructors tell you to research something—

go after it if it peaks your interest.

CRITICAL THINKING

You will need to know how to think beyond the obvious

answers and use analysis to create new solutions.

SELF-ADVOCATE

Stand up for yourself, express your needs and let faculty and

staff know what you need.

SOCIALIZE/NETWORK

We learn a huge amount of information from others. Interact with your peers. Find out what

they’re thinking and doing. Share resources with them.

Learn from them.

COURTEOUS

Good manners show the student has respect for his/herself and

that carries over to their interactions with other students,

faculty and staff.

What Students Should AvoidMaking Assumptions

Being Absent

Laziness

Seclusion

Being Unmotivated

Being Disconnected

Unawareness of Self

Lack of Responsibility

Being Undisciplined

Rudeness/Bad Attitude

Not Caring

Disorganization

Closed-Mindedness

Disengagement

Apathy

Being Withdrawn

Negativity

Not Thinking

Professors Have Pet Peeves Too…

Texting in class even after I tell you not to do

so!

Late work - your inability to be responsible just created

more work for me or created a reason for me to have to be "mean" by not

accepting it.Doing non-school related stuff

in class - personal grooming,

texting, game playing, etc. It’s

SO rude and communicates to

me that your education comes second.

Any disrespectful

behavior.Inappropriate attire…such as pants hanging

between waist and knees.

Expecting the instructor to hand feed you everything. College requires personal

responsibility!

Using dip in class. Spit

it out before you

enter. When you ask at the beginning of

the semester, “Will I need the

book?”

Professors Have Pet Peeves Too…

Put away the iPod…and the

earbuds!

Show up on time. School is just like a job – if you’re

late for work, you get fired; college should be

the same way.I can’t stand for students to

say, “Are we going to do anything in class today?” Or

if you miss class, I can’t stand to hear “I heard we

didn’t do anything in class” or “Did I miss anything?”

When students fail

and then say, “Mr. __

failed me!” Generally,

the student is the

one who does it to

himself/herself!

Your clothing

should not be a

distraction.

Parental involvement…

you are an adult and I will

only discuss your

performance with you!

Keep your head up and eyes on the speaker when listening to a lecture or presentation. Show

mutual respect for instructor and fellow students.

It’s the 1st Day of Class…What Do You Need?

Notebook

Pencil

Textbook

3-Ring Binder

Open-mind

Positive Attitude

Campus Map

Class Schedule

What Non-Academic Skills Do You Need?

Not all skills needed for life have to do with the academic coursework you’ve

done for years. You also need soft skills. These are the skills that allow you to be successful in your courses,

your career, and life in general.

Read for

ComprehensionSkim

for H

ighlights

Courtesy Listen

Study

Teamwork

Verbal Communicatio

n

Self-Sufficiency

Personal

Responsibility

Engage in Class

Discussions

Time Management

Take Notes

Pay AttentionAsk Questions

Professors Used to be StudentsOnce upon a time, professors sat

in the back of the classroom as students. If only they knew then

what they knew now…

Thankfully, they’ve decided to share some of this hindsight

knowledge.

Started my search for

financial aid sooner and

sought more of it.

Been better organized and used

3-ring binders.Pushed myself

harder from the beginning…it took

a long time to bring my GPA back

up.Asked more questions while

I had access to different resources.

Partied less and studied more.

Taken advantage of the resources the college as an institution

provided.

Learned to study.

Applied myself more.

Started younger –

gone straight from HS to

college.

Considered “optional” to

mean “mandatory.”

I wish I’d…

Now It’s Up To You

Consider all of this information tools of success. Take them with you as you enter college and travel along the pathway you’ve chosen for

yourself. Best of luck and make the most of this awesome

experience!

C.O.R.E.

This presentation was created by…

Creating Opportunities for Relevant EducationThe CCR Initiatives Division of Cisco College