These words of advice were written with UCSB freshmen in mind. But they apply in general to freshmen at any college or university.
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1. |
HIGH SCHOOL IS OVER.The university is very different in philosophy from high school. High school is very democratic: everyone in our society is given access to a high school education. But the university is an intrinsically elitist institution. You are only here because you met a demanding set of criteria, and you will only remain here if you work hard and continue to meet an increasingly demanding set of criteria. |
2. |
YOU MUST WORK.You must abandon the idea that you're "entitled" to a certain grade in a course because of the amount of work that you put in (many students bring this idea with them from high school). Just like in the real world, what matters at the university is not effort but results. If it takes you 20 hours to perform a certain task, and someone else does the same task with the same results in 5 hours, you will both receive the same grade. Plan on spending 20 hours per week or more on each of your major classes. (It may take you less time than this, but you are advised to be prepared!) |
3. |
CHOOSE A MAJOR EARLY...Many students arrive at UCSB with the idea that "I'll just take some miscellaneous classes my first year until I figure out what I want to major in." These are the students who take five years to graduate! The reason is that almost all UCSB majors involve a sequence of courses that takes most of four years to complete (see Paragraph 8 below). So if you wait until your second year to start on your major, you'll need a grand total of five years to get your degree. If you have any idea of what you might like to major in, start in with that major now. If you find that major to be just what you want, that's great. If you find you don't like it, that's great too - because you will have made that discovery early in your UCSB career, and will have plenty of time to move into a different major (see Paragraph 4 below). |
4. |
... but CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR WELL.Be absolutely certain that the major you've chosen is really what you want to study! In particular, don't choose a major because it's what you think your parents want you to do - it's your life, after all. Make sure you do a "reality check" as you begin taking classes for your major. If you don't enjoy the subject matter, and/or you're not doing well, think seriously about doing something else. If you don't enjoy your major now, you probably won't like working in it for the next 40 years either! |
5. |
GENERAL EDUCATION IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.No matter what your major, never forget that your "general education" courses are an essential part of your education. No matter how good your high school teachers were, they only had time to give you a very superficial introduction to the basic notions of science, history, literature, and art that are essential to becoming an educated member of our society. If you fail to become educated in these all of these subjects, you frankly will not be worthy of a university degree. Don't try to "get the general education courses out of the way" during the first year - spread them out over your four years at UCSB. Having one general education course per quarter will give you more variety in your studies. |
6. |
HELP IS AVAILABLE.Remember that a vast array of help is available to you. A very important form of individual assistance that students frequently fail to use is the professor's office hours. It's a chance to interact one-on-one with your professor, who is likely to be a world expert in the subject. Another kind of help is tutoring. If you think a tutor is necessary, get one early in the quarter - getting a tutor late in the quarter, in the belief that you'll be able to catch up with what you missed earlier on, is a pointless exercise. But if you find yourself depending excessively upon tutors, it's a sign that you're probably in the wrong major. |
7. |
YOU MUST HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.The UCSB quarter is 10 weeks long, and it goes by very fast. Many courses give two midterm exams as well as a final exam, which means that your first exams may be in the third or fourth week of the term. If you allow yourself to fall behind, you simply may never catch up. Time management is a crucial skill for success at UCSB! |
8. |
SEE YOUR ADVISOR REGULARLY, OR LOSE BIG BUCKS.Just as it's important not to fall behind during the quarter, it's important not to fall behind in taking the courses required for your major. Many courses at UCSB are part of a sequence that must be taken in order, and that are offered only once a year - which means that if you fail to take them, you're automatically a year behind, and may have to stay another year to get your degree. To avoid this, make sure you get an advisor in your major department and check with him or her every quarter before signing up for the next quarter's courses. If you don't have a major yet, talk to an advisor in one of the departments in which you think you might major, or see one of the advisors in the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering, or the College of Creative Studies. Failure to consult regularly with an advisor could cost you the price of one extra year at UCSB - which is many thousands of dollars! |
Stress is a common feature of a college student's life, as well as of life after college. Here's an excellent book/CD set that can help you effectively manage these stresses.
Published by Da Capo Press (ISBN 0738211745)
Click here for the companion web site
Click here
or here
to order
From a reviewer: "Although there are now a myriad of resources about stress management, most either focus on one method or provide an overview that is either too esoteric or too simplistic. Dr. Winner has accomplished the significant task of integrating all of the major contributions to stress management in a very readable and applicable manner. His book provides thoughtful and pragmatic one stop shopping for those readers who wish to better manage stress and to improve the quality of their lives." --- Steve Shearer, Ph.D., co-founder of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Institute of Maryland and Faculty, Franklin Square Hospital Family Practice Residency Program
All of the books listed below are available in inexpensive paperback editions. They should be on every college freshman's bookshelf.
2nd (1995) edition, published by David R. Godine (ISBN 156792025X)
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Comments from the publisher: This little classic, an indispensable vade mecum for the serious student, is in our opinion the best single guide ever published on how to acquire and maintain effective study skills. William H. Armstrong is best known for SOUNDER, winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal. But while his writing talents are of the first rank, his real calling is as a teacher, and it is from this experience that he conceived and organized this extraordinary guide. Divided into fourteen chapters, the book covers everything from developing a vocabulary to judging the quality of, and improving, written work. There are chapters devoted to the study of mathematics, science, and languages, and others about taking tests or effectively using libraries. Each one begins and ends with a series of questions that provide insights into both the students' aptitudes and their attitudes. Learning how to study is among the most important skills we can acquire, says Mr. Armstrong, and these skills and disciplines are best acquired when young.
Few books are as sorely needed as this one. An alarming number of students have deplorable study skills, are unable to express themselves effectively, and cannot accept that results come at the price of effort. Yes, study is hard work, but the rewards it yields go far beyond the initial investment. This little book is a lifesaver for anyone concerned with getting through high school and into college on the right foot.
"Although I have never been in William Armstrong's classroom, I know that he is a great teacher. I know this because I have read his book, STUDY IS HARD WORK. This uncompromising title foreshadows the clarity and honesty contained within the covers. Armstrong understands as much about the facts of learning as any author I know. The student who reads him and attends him carefully will be prepared not merely for success in school, but something far more important: a life of self-fulfillment. David R. Godine is to be praised for bringing this remarkable book before the public in a new edition." -- John R. Silber, President, Boston University
"William Armstrong is a great teacher. He speaks truthfully about the discipline required for learning, and about the pleasures of order and system in acquiring knowledge. Any reader, of any age, will enjoy this book." -- Jill Ker Conway, Author and former President of Smith College
First (1997) edition, published by Southern Illinois Univ Press (ISBN:
0809321114)
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Comments from the publisher: From junior college to Ivy League university, the level of teaching ranges from "great to awful," according to Richard A. Watson, who explains not only how to survive but how to profit from and enjoy your college experience. To help students make important personal choices - What school? What major? What classes? - Watson discusses such broad areas as administrative structure, institutional goals, and faculty aspirations. Charging the student with the ultimate responsibility for learning, Watson presents certain academic facts of life: teaching is not the primary concern of either faculty or administration in most institutions; few professors on the university level have had any training in teaching, and even fewer started out with teaching as their goal; senior professors do not teach much - the higher the rank and salary, the less time in the classroom - and those seeking tenure must emphasize research to survive; and almost certainly, the bad teacher who is a good researcher will get paid more than the good teacher who does not publish. This is a book about good teaching and how to find it. Rejecting the conventional wisdom that a professor devoted to research will not be good in the classroom, Watson advises that you take classes from that "old bear" you are afraid of, from the professor you may have been cautioned to avoid.
Fourth edition, published by Pearson Higher Education (ISBN: 020530902X)
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Some reviews of this classic:
The New York Times: Buy it, study it, enjoy it. It's as timeless as a book can be in our age of volubility.
The New Yorker: The work remains a nonpareil: direct, correct, and delightful.
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, this "excellent book, which should go off to college with every freshman, is recognized as the best book of its kind we have." It should be the ". . . daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all" (Greensboro Daily News). "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume" (The Boston Globe).
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e-mail to Roger Freedman: airboy@physics.ucsb.edu
Last updated 2008 December 15