How to Study: Practical Tips for Students

How to Study contains around 1,000 practical tips, taking students at college or university from their first lectures through to their final exams and beyond. The ideal companion for all students at college or university. Contains around 1,000 practical tips, taking students from their first lectures through to their final exams and beyond. Helps students to get through assessments, with suggestions about how to write essays, give presentations, prepare for and sit exams. Gives advice on how to handle the ups and downs of being a student, including managing disappointments and getting out of trouble. Helps students to get a job, with tips on creating a powerful CV, filling in job applications and succeeding at interview. All the tips are written in a jargon-free, friendly style and are illustrated with humorous cartoons.

Table of Contents:
About This Book ix Part I Managing Your Learning Wanting to Learn 3 Needing to Learn 7 Learning by Doing 9 Learning from Feedback 12 Making Sense of Things – ‘Digesting’ 14 Taking Charge of Your Studies 16 Managing Your Time 19 Getting Started 23 Take Charge of Your Syllabus 27 Part II Lectures, Labs, Computers, Portfolios and so on Don’t Just Take Notes, Make Notes 33 Making the Most of Handout Materials 37 Keeping on Top of Practical Work 40 Using Print-based Open Learning Materials 43 Keeping on Top of Your Emails 47 Computer Conferencing 50 Getting to Know Your Word Processor 53 Making IT Training Work for You 58 Getting Your Reflections onto Paper 61 Building Your Portfolio 66 Part III Essays Planning that Essay 73 Shaping that Essay 77 Drafting and Redrafting that Essay 80 ‘I’ve started, so I’ll finish!’ 84 Getting it Back – Marked! 87 Giving Due Credit 91 Part IV Presentations Preparing Your Presentation 99 Preparing Your Visual Aids 103 Practising Your Presentation 106 Performing on the Day 109 Part V Ups and Downs Peaks and Troughs 117 Managing Disappointments 121 Recovering from a Disappointment 127 Overcoming Problems 129 Getting out of Trouble! 133 Part VI Revision – Getting Your Act Together What Will Your Exams Really Measure? 139 Making Your Own Question Bank 144 Using Your Question Bank 149 Putting Revision into Perspective 152 Planning Your Revision Timetable 155 Getting Started with Your Revision 158 Revision Processes 162 Some Final Tips on Last-minute Revision 166 Part VII Exams – Before, During and After! Just Before an Exam 171 Those First Few Minutes 176 Answering Questions to Score Marks 181 Essays in Exams 186 Calculations and Problems 189 Towards the End of Each Exam 192 After an Exam 196 Open-book exams 200 ‘Seen’ Written Exams 203 Multiple-choice Exams 206 Preparing for Your Re-sit 210 Part VIII Job Hunting Writing Your Curriculum Vitae 217 Choosing and Using Your Referees 221 Application Forms 224 Writing a Letter of Application 229 Preparing for an Interview 232 Giving a Good Interview 236 After an Interview 239 Final Words 242 Further Reading 245 Index 246

About the Author :
Phil Race is Professor in the Educational Development Unit at the University of Glamorgan. He has spent many years working with both lecturers and students to develop their study and transferrable skills.

Review :
"Phil Race has a rare talent for expressing profound wisdom and sound advice in words which his readers find easy to understand and in suggestions which they can and do readily follow to good effect. He does this, again, in his new book – which is not so much a book as a rich library of booklets within one volume. These should guide any student reader through all the different and difficult demands which the university experience generates. ... he has linked chains of advice points into splendid plans of attack for use in dealing with each new challenge. I especially liked the plans for essay writing and coping with examinations, because they contained so much that I wish I had been told as a student, expressed in terms I wish I could have passed on to my own students." John Cowan, Emeritus Professor of Learning Development, the Open University "I was very disorganised at university so a lot of what is in How to Study left me wincing. It is spot on. Taking control of learning and taking responsibility can be the hardest parts of successful university study. Phil Race shows what is possible with forward planning. Not everyone needs all the tips but all of us I suspect could have done with some of them. And every little helps." Sally Hunt, General Secretary, AUT "I believe that this is an excellent resource which would, I am sure, be of benefit to all students trying to cope with the demands of higher education." Graham Henderson, Vice Chancellor, University of Teesside This book is much more than a manual. It is a self-help guide to students of all ages and can be used either by dipping in and out, or reading it, as I did, systematically from cover to cover. I wish I had had a book like this when I was a student and would certainly recommend it to anyone." Susan Bassnett, pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Warwick "A very readable and enjoyable study guide" Karen Monaghan, BSc (Hons) Psychology - 3rd Year, Glasgow Caledonian University & BPS/SMG Member's Liaison Officer 2002/3 - 2003/4 Featured in The Bookseller's 'Back to School' issue, Friday June 13 2003