Lucy always has something to yap about!
She has some tips for freshmen and returning students.

Tips For Freshmen

Welcome to Georgia Southern!
What an exciting time, huh? Maybe a little scary too? Well, Lucy understands that as a new student to Georgia Southern you are probably experiencing a lot of mixed thoughts and feelings. It's pretty normal to feel excited, inspired, motivated, and energetic. It's also normal to feel anxious, lonely, sad, and apprehensive.

This is a time of big changes for you, your family, and your friends. Going to college can be a real culture shock as you suddenly have to get adjusted to a new environment, find out where everything is, take care of all your own errands, make new friends, and oh yeah... make good grades!

Lucy has some tips for helping you to get off to a good start in your first year at college...

Get involved! It may take a little courage, but get out of your room and look for something interesting to get involved in. Join a group, a club, or an organization. Georgia Southern has over 200 official student organizations. In fact, during the month of August, these organizations will have display tables available at the Russell Union. They are looking for new members! Getting involved in campus activities is by far one of the best things you can do to help yourself feel more connected with the University and to feel good about being here.

Get organized! Your classes in college will be much more challenging than they were in high school. Professors will not remind you about due dates or tell you how to study or take notes. You have to take responsibility for these things yourself. Many students find it helpful to learn good time management and study skills. See Lucy's article to the right.

Get to know your professors! The instructors at Georgia Southern are friendly and interested in your learning. If you have questions about class, don't be afraid to talk to your instructor after class, meet him/her during office hours, or send an email. In fact, instructors really like it when students show an interest in their own learning.

Get informed! There are a lot of great resources on campus that were put there to help you out. If you find yourself having any kind of difficulty, there is always someone who can help you... including the folks here at the Counseling Center.

Get studying! There are a lot of great strategies for studying effectively. See Lucy's "Study Strategies" in the column on the right.

Lucy found some internet articles on topics that may be of interest to freshmen as well...

About Freshmen

Annual Survey About Freshman Attitudes and Behaviors (.pdf file)

The "Freshman 15"

College Freshmen Weight Gain is a Myth

"Freshman 15" Is No Myth, Researchers Say

"Freshman 15" Could Be Optional For Students

College Freshmen Can Avoid the "Freshman 15"

Stress!

Georgia Southern Counseling Center: Self-Help: Stress

Handling Stress on Campus (and other mental health issues)

Homesickness and Adjustment

University and College Students: The Freshman Year

Adjustment to Life's Changes (.pdf file)

Getting Ready for College

Loneliness and the College Student

Homesick: Having Trouble Adjusting to College Life

Academic Help

Study Skills Self-Help Information

Lots of Sites that Promote Academic Success

RefDesk.com "The single best source for facts on the internet"

Tips For All Students

How to succeed in college
Getting ready for another semester, huh? It's pretty common in the first few days or weeks of a new semester to say to yourself, "I'm going to study better this semester," or "I'm really going to get organized," or, "I'm going to make all 'A's and 'B's this time!" Have you had thoughts like that? If so, have you thought about just how you can achieve what you want?

Well, the first step for many students is improving their time management skills. Here are some tips from Lucy about good time management...

GET A DAY PLANNER!! And, of course... use your new day planner!

In your planner, schedule all of your activities for the entire upcoming week. First, schedule blocks of time for major things like classes, work, sleeping, eating, etc.

Next, schedule errands like grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry, travel time, etc.

Then, schedule study time. It is advised that you study two hours for each credit hour of classes you are taking. More is expected of you in college than in high school.

Don't schedule marathon study sessions. Shorter, more frequent sessions are better for storing information into memory, for staying on task, and for your own sanity.

Schedule time for fun and relaxation (a healthy part of a balanced lifestyle!)

Schedule flexible time for the unexpected. Leave some holes of "open time."

Make a habit of reviewing and revising your schedule on a daily basis. Incorporate this activity along with an already existing habit such as having breakfast, or loading your backpack. This is key in helping you to form a new good habit!

Don't set yourself up for failure by overloading your schedule. We all have limits. Enthusiasm is good, but being realistic will serve you much better in the long run.

In addition to good time management skills, a successful student will have a few good strategies for studying. Check out Lucy's suggestions below and see if some of them might be useful for you.

Study Strategies

Study for the hard or "boring" classes first. If you study the interesting material first, you will likely be too tired for the more difficult material later. It's like dessert, save the best for last.

Study at your best time of day. Do you study and learn better in the morning? Late afternoon? Early or late evening? Learn when you are at your peak times of energy, alertness, and motivation.

Study while you are waiting. A few minutes reviewing notes here and there while standing in line, waiting for an appointment, or passing time between classes can really add up.

Study in a regular place. This will train your mind and body that when you arrive at your regular place, it's time to focus and work.

Study where you'll be alert. Not while sitting on your bed! Your mind and body recognize the bed as a place to sleep. Study at your desk, in the library, in a study hall, etc.

Study in the library. That is what it's designed for. It's quiet, and it has few distractions, appropriate lighting, large tables, and good, solid chairs that encourage students to stay awake.

Notice your attention. Your mind will wander now and again. That's okay. When it happens, write down your thought with the intention of addressing it later. Then, bring your focus back onto your work.

Agree about study time with roommates. Make explicit rules for yourselves about when study time will be, what sounds/noises are allowed, whether phone calls will be answered, etc.

Don't get on the phone. Let your friends know when your study time is so they won't disturb you. Let the answering machine take a message. Unplug the phone. Be assertive and cut your calls short.

Be assertive. Learn to say "no" courteously. Don't let others misuse YOUR time with interruptions.

Put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on your door. This works. People will not barge in on you while you are engaged in some quality study time.

Reduce distractions. Turn off the television and radio. If you like background noise, then make sure it is not something that will draw your attention from your work. People, food, room decorations, and video games are other things that should be managed if they are distracting for you.

Take small steps. For large projects, complex exams, or other big jobs, choose one part of it to accomplish. Then choose another part. Pretty soon, the large job is much smaller and more manageable.

Prioritize your tasks. Don't do what is important while ignoring what is urgent. Make a "to do" list, and prioritize each item with a 1, 2, or 3. An item should be assigned a 1 if it is urgent and must be done immediately. Assign a 2 to an item that is important, but not as important as a 1. Assign a 3 to what needs to be done, but not right away. Work on the 1's first, then the 2's, then the 3's.

Adapted from: D. Ellis and D. Toft. (2002) Becoming a Master Student. Houghton Mifflin Co.

Also, see our Self-Help section on Study Skills for more strategies.