by Shelby M.

Back in high school, I found that I didn’t have to put much effort into studying. I may have made a few Quizlets here and there, reviewed some practice problems, and other small study techniques like the ones I just mentioned. My first year of college was very similar. This could have been because a lot of my classes were not upper-level courses, they were simply introductory courses. After my first year I felt super confident about getting through college. It seemed like it was going to be a breeze, that is if every year was similar to freshman year. However, it wasn’t until organic chemistry my sophomore year that I realized I had no good study techniques or habits– especially ones that were beneficial to my major.

I got an unfortunate wakeup call when I “thought” I knew that material the night before an exam, but my exam grade failed to show that. That’s when I knew I actually had to spend more time studying. But how does one actually study? I found that a lot of my friends were in the same position, it seemed we were all trying to get by with our current techniques just barely understanding the material. I knew I needed to change something, but I never knew what I could do to help myself. It seemed that my sophomore year was going to be impossible to get through. I had a class that I had absolutely NO idea what was going on. Then, in my second semester, we all got sent home to isolate for the COVID-19 pandemic.

I will admit, approximately all of sophomore year I continued to study the way I have in the past– sit down the night before to review some sample problems and use Quizlet to memorize some important terms. It wasn’t until my physical chemistry class that I actually learned a technique that worked for me. So here I am in the fifth semester of college finally learning how to study in such a way that I almost fully understand the material. My technique was not much different than before but there certainly was a small change. Instead of using a professor’s study guide, I instead created my own. I went back and rewrote important concepts chapter by chapter. Anything that confused me I asked a friend or referred to the book. After completing snapshots of each chapter, I made my equation sheet for the exam. Physical chemistry is a primarily math-based course, so my equation sheet was super helpful. I noticed that creating a “cheat sheet” was what helped me identify things I needed to study more for the exam.

Since physical chemistry, for every exam I study the same way I did for my chemistry course. I always think to myself “If my professor let me take a cheat sheet into the exam, what would I put on it?” This drove me in the right direction, enabling me to focus on what I truly didn’t understand. It also helped me recapture the entirety of the lessons included on the upcoming exam.

I hope you take away two things from my story. One, it’s never too late to learn how to study, and two, creating a “cheat sheet” may be the technique that finally helps you grasp the material.

By: Kate D.

One of the hardest transitions from high school to college, is learning how to manage classwork and stay organized. Students are challenged more academically as compared to high school courses, and many struggle to stay on top of assignments and avoid procrastinating. Here are some tips I have found to be helpful over my four years.

1. Use a Planner

Planners should be your best friends. They are a place where you can keep track of all of your assignments, exams, study sessions, etc. In your planner, you should keep track of weekly/daily assignments as well as take advantage of the monthly pages. At the beginning of the semester, I always put all of my major assignments and exams in the monthly calendar. This allows you to see ahead of time which weeks are going to be jam packed versus weeks that do not have much. Knowing this ahead of time allows you to plan ahead and try to get ahead when you know you have difficult weeks coming up. Also, remember that the ARC gives out free planners at the beginning of the year!

2. Plan out Study Times

With busy schedules, you may feel overwhelmed and like you have no time to get things done. I find that it is helpful to plan out study times. If I know I have a two-hour break, I dedicate that time to a specific assignment, and find that it is easier to get started on the assignment. By using my planner and knowing my schedule, I can find the best times in my day to study. Figure out if you work best in the morning or at night. If you are a morning person, it will not be beneficial to save a paper until 10 at night. Planning study times in your schedule will help prevent you from procrastinating.

3. Stay in Contact with Classmates

Over the course of your college career, you will begin to have classes with many of the same people. Get to know these people and use it to your advantage. By creating these relationships, you have given yourself an additional resource for questions. Make group chats with your classes so you can remind each other of assignments. Study together so you can bounce ideas off each other and easily ask questions to people learning the same material. Being close with your classmates can force you to work on things as well. For example, if they say “Hey I’m working on this tonight if you want to join?”, it gives you motivation to as well.

4. Go to the Library / Study Rooms

It is easy to get distracted and feel unmotivated when trying to study in your room. To prevent these distractions, go to another place to study. This separates “work” time from “fun” time. There are so many great places on campus – study rooms in the dorms, many places in the library, open classrooms, the ARC, etc. Find a place that you like and feel productive and focused in.

By Emily P.

The misconception of learning a second language in college is that you will learn everything you need to know in class. While this may be true in many subject areas one will never learn a language fluently by being a good student when only in the classroom. Engagement in the classroom is extremely important but engagement outside of the classroom is what sends you in the direction of success. As college students, it is often hard to find time to dedicate to something that is not for a grade. As a student who has been dedicating my time to learning Spanish, I have found many fun and easy ways to engage in a language that will create a huge difference in your proficiency and long-term retention

1. Listen to Music. This is already a pastime that many of us enjoy so why not learn something from it. Many music streaming sites already have playlists that contain music in the language you are learning. For me, I have found that I absolutely love Latino Pop. This was a surprise to me because it is much different than the music I typically listen to. I made it a point to listen to music in Spanish for a few hours every week but due to my enjoyment of the music, It no longer felt like I was learning but I was. If I liked a song I would look up the lyrics in Spanish to try to translate them. Due to listening to Latino music I have been able to improve my vocabulary and my listening skills.

2. Watch TV. Through the tv streaming sites, we already love and know there are many shows and movies that are in other languages. I have found that some of my favorite reality shows are also popular in Spanish-speaking countries! I began watching shows like Nailed it Mexico. I was able to use vocabulary that I had already been exposed to in class and follow along. The nice thing about streaming shows is that many times they have the option to have English or Spanish subtitles. While this can be a challenge it can also open up your learning of a language to the culture and pastimes of native language speakers. There are also opportunities to watch shows that may have the presence of both English and the language you are learning. One show that I have watched that uses both Spanish and English is Jane the Virgin. This is one of my favorite shows and I learn while watching it.

3. Reading the News. It is important in our global culture to keep up with the news. One way I have been able to do this is by reading news in the language I am learning. Many times you can find an article on the same subject in both English and Spanish. I have found it can be helpful to read the article in Spanish then read the English article to see how much I was able to comprehend. There is a wide variety of news sites that are not in English all over the web and many times they are free.

4. Spend Time on Social Media and Watch Ads. The last way that I engage myself in the language outside of class is by paying attention to the Spanish being used around me. When I see an advertisement in Spanish, rather than scrolling past or skipping it I take the time to listen, watch, and comprehend. Many times it is for a product I am familiar with so I may be able to interpret their phrases and slogans easier in Spanish. I also try to engage in social media posts that are in Spanish. Tiktok has a large community of Latinos so I enjoy watching the videos posted within the community.

By engaging in Spanish outside of the classroom I have been able to excel in my language abilities more than those who are only engaged in the class. By continuing my engagement even during breaks and semesters where the language may not be in my curriculum, I am not forgetting the things I have learned or falling behind. In order to learn a language, you must engage yourself in the language as much as possible. Due to growing media presence and representation of minority groups, this is easier to do than ever.

By Peyton H.

Let’s face it: A chemistry, math, or physics course has the potential to negatively impact your GPA, especially if you’re unprepared for the challenge. Taking STEM courses can be particularly vexing for humanities majors, who have settled into certain habits they have found successful for excelling in history, English, or political science classes. Some students take STEM courses because of a curiosity or fascination, others decide that a STEM minor may look good on a graduate school application, and still others are forced into taking STEM classes because they need to fulfill a dreaded General Education requirement. The bottom line is, STEM courses are hard, plain and simple, and can present steep challenges for unprepared students. The following tips can help you prepare for STEM classes:

1. Recognize that it is likely the hardest class you will ever take. STEM courses require students to use analytical and logical reasoning capabilities in tandem and often utilize complex terminology, which can be frightening for even the most determined student. Additionally, STEM courses, even chemistry and biology, often require the use of mathematics, and this can be problematic if you are number-averse. By recognizing just how difficult these courses are, you can mentally prepare yourself for the rigorous study routine you will have to design in order to be successful. Also, you can be prepared for the potential disappointment when you get a less-than-hoped-for grade on the first exam (remember, there’s always time to improve!).

2. Plan ahead. Once you get a feel for the course’s level of difficulty, it’s time to make a study plan—and be as detailed as possible. Allot the appropriate amount of time before class to read the material that will be covered, noting any topics that are confusing. This will allow you to ask questions in lecture. After taking detailed notes in class, review them as soon as possible—take 15 minutes after class to simply read through your notes and possibly work through a problem. Start studying at least 5 days in advance for an exam, trading in a little free time to review notes, reread your textbook, or solve problems so that you don’t feel overwhelmed the night before the exam.

3. Utilize every resource at your disposal. Your professor has posted office hours for a reason: to help you. Your professor did not receive a Ph.D. in his or her subject area just to admire it, but because he or she is passionate about the subject and wants you to learn and be successful. Do not be intimidated to ask questions in class, via email, or during office hours. Additionally, forming study groups among your classmates can be beneficial. It goes without saying that booking a tutoring appointment is a tremendous step forward, regardless of whether you’re struggling. Being able to talk through difficult concepts with a tutor is great reinforcement, and it just may be the difference between a C and B in the class.

Best of luck, and with determination and hard work, you will succeed.

By John G.

I always make the same joke to students (mostly in statistics) that I tutor: I actually enjoy tutoring for history and political science courses—and that’s true to an extent. When you pit those against statistics, the answer seems clear cut in my opinion… but it goes deeper than that. I enjoy statistics to be sure—I recognize its value as a mathematical science that contributes to life in more ways than we can ever imagine. But when I look at history and political science, I see two modes, one a humanity and one a social science, that enable us to look more critically at our world for what it is in ways that don’t require understanding and memorizing formulas. I always hear students—and I’ll blatantly admit that I’m guilty of this as well—comment on the fact that these classes “have nothing to do with their major” and that they’re “just taking the classes for general education requirements,” and that always makes me a little sad over in my biased corner of appreciation for these disciplines. History and political science—all of the humanities and social sciences, for that matter—have explicit effects on virtually every avenue that any student finds themselves going down, and understanding the mechanics of those classes and their relevance is what I’m writing about today.

1. Try to determine relevancy to your field of study. One of the best and easiest ways to engage yourself in a history or political science course is to understand how what you’re learning may impact and influence your own studies. I meant what I said when I talked about the near universal application of these disciplines in life. I have a perfect example of this: the Physician Assistant program. How the heck can you relate the physician assistant program to political science, you may ask? Just two weeks ago the program sponsored a talk from an alumna that got her post-graduate job working as a PA for the Department of State. She currently resides in Peshawar, Pakistan, and has worked in places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, and many other regions of the world. My point is that she is affected daily, like it or not, by the forces of international politics and works in environments that necessitate cultural understanding, something impossible to achieve without some education in the social sciences and humanities. I could go on and on about Petroleum Engineering and the history of Venezuela or about Sports Management and the role of local politics, so I’ll stop myself...

2. Understand the different “feel” of these classes. There’s no question that a history or political science class is different from a chemistry or accounting or insert area of study class. At least here at Marietta, you will find that reading primary and secondary sources as well as interpreting them become a large part of the curriculum. From that to interpreting everyday events such as the Israeli election for, say, a Middle East Politics class go a long way in applying past and present forces to understand what may or may not happen in the future and go a long way in furthering your critical understandings.

3. Adapt to the differences. I understand that it may not be easy to shift from the rigidity of some classes or the relaxed feels of others to the methods of the humanities and social sciences. It takes work to get used to these changes! Making sure that you keep up with readings, current events, going so far as to talk with your professor about any struggles you may be having all will help in your participation in these classes. Whatever you do, stay engaged! Keep trying to relate it back to interests and inevitably you will be better able to understand the relevancy of your coursework as you move on through your life.

I understand the dismissal that comes with things you perceive as irrelevant to your studies—trust me. But I hope I’ve painted a picture for you that expands your abilities to think critically and look at how the things you are passionate have come to be and how they play a role in the world today.

by Katie M.

Throughout my college experience, I have garnered a lot of crucial information in my fields of study that have allowed me to better understand the world I plan on pursuing a career in. However, when the time came to actually conduct research in these fields, my mind went blank. Almost every student will have to conduct research in their major in a capstone class. I am a double major in economics and political science, and both these capstones were offered in the same semester, so I was hit with having to weed through potential research topics in two different fields at the same time. Eventually, I was able to find research questions that inspired me, so I want to offer a few quick tips in finding research that you’re passionate about.

1. Don’t Narrow Your Options Early

One thing that often plagues students early on in selecting a research topic is that they narrow their interests much too quickly. While you will want to eventually find a topic relating to a specific issue, you do not need to limit yourself early on. For example, when trying to find a topic for my economics capstone, I thought back to almost every theory/topic/concept that we had covered over my previous three years. After doing that, I began to think about how these different theories interacted with each other. It is also beneficial to keep track of these ideas as you go, so you do not forget something that might interest you. When you lay out all the potential topics you could consider, you give yourself so much freedom in finding something that works for you.

2. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Your Professor/Classmates for Help

This is so important. While it can be scary to ask your professor/advisor for help in selecting a topic, that is what they are there for! I am sure they will be more than happy to help. Your professor or advisor has an immense amount of experience in your field of study, so by asking them what their thoughts are while also bringing to them your ideas formed in the previous step, they will be able to guide you in narrowing down your thoughts. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your classmates for help! You are all going through the process together, so communicating with one another and sharing ideas will help all involved.

3. Make Sure you are Adding to the Conversation

After narrowing down your list with your professor and classmates, it is important to make sure that you are going to recreate research that has already been conducted. You will want to make sure that if research is already conducted in your area of interest, you are adding a new piece to the puzzle. For example, my economics capstone had to deal with the impact that inflation and unemployment have on income inequality throughout the U.S. There was research conducted on this topic in cross-country comparisons, but it had never been done in the domestic U.S.; thus, I was able to compare state by state data to contribute to a conversation that had already begun internationally. Once you are sure you have something meaningful to bring to the table, you should be set!

4. Be Passionate about your Topic

The most important thing to consider is your passion in the area. Conducting research is a very time-consuming process, so it is crucial that you are interested in the topic you are looking at. After following the aforementioned steps, I was excited to work on my research every day. It may even be useful to write down why you chose to study your major in the first place. This will help you realize your interests and passions which will ultimately make choosing a topic much easier. Do not settle for a topic just because it will be “easy” or because someone told you to do it. At the end of the day, your research should reflect YOU.

I hope these tips are able to help you in selecting a research topic! I know the entire process can be scary, but do not forget that there are people surrounding you that want you to succeed. Good luck!

by Racquel K.

The hardest thing for me in college was writing research and review papers for STEM classes. I understood how to write an analysis of a book or poem and how to find outside academic sources to help further my analysis, but that was because it was all relatively old knowledge and just new interpretations. When it came to writing a paper for a biology class I was lost because I was writing on topics that were beyond my understanding. How was I supposed to find sources when the language in them is completely foreign to me? How do I find good sources? It took a lot of trial and error, but here is what I have found works best for me when it comes to finding good sources and using them.

1. Narrow your search as much as you can. I don’t just mean by using specific keywords. Make sure the dates are recent and that you can access it easily as a PDF or website before even searching your keywords. This should help you feel less overwhelmed by the amount of information on your topic and save you from the frustration of not being able to access an article that seems perfect.

2. Pick a few articles out just by the title and the keywords. If it has your keyword in the title or listed as a keyword, and it sounds promising, add it to your folder. (This a feature available on the library website for finding articles) That way you have backup options and they’re all in one easy to access place.

3. Read the abstracts of each article to ensure that it covers your topic of interest as a main focus. If there seems to be a lot of irrelevant information, it will probably a difficult source to use and won’t provide much information on your topic. From there click each article and see if the source is primary, secondary, or tertiary. (helpful link: https://guides.library.vcu.edu/c.php?g=250231&p=3782794).

a. Primary

When using these sources, it is best to use the introductions of the papers to gather basic information about your topic. The conclusion section is good for this as well, but any experimental procedure details will likely be insignificant. The results and interpretation section will help you to develop the analysis of ideas in your paper. Look at how they interpret their findings and why they interpret them that way. I usually find this section the most heuristic.

b. Secondary

These are the best sources for research papers because they provide a good collection of information. I would recommend reading these papers in their entirety. Then revisit the conclusion to find the main takeaways. In the conclusion there may be one or two idea that relate to your topic better than others. Look back in the paper to find more detail on the takeaway you find most compelling. This is usually a good opportunity to find another source too, look at what paper is cited for the information that interests you, and look at that paper as well.

c. Tertiary

These sources can be nice to start off, but often the information is too broad to be useful in a research paper. I would not use this in a paper normally, but it can be good for directing your paper’s focus.

4. By now you should have a few papers selected and some ideas you want to use in your paper. Something I like to do for bigger papers is to start a list of the sources I have skimmed and to write a quick two sentence summary of the ideas I would want to use, and on what pages those ideas are located. This is really helpful when outlining your paper because you can insert a small summary of what you want to cover into the outline and be able to quickly find more information on it once it comes time to write that section.

Other Tips

- Printing out sources and annotating them can be really helpful for comprehension

- Don’t be afraid to reach out to professors to ask for help understand concepts in your sources! If they can help you, they will want to!

- If you have the opportunity to pick your own topic then spend the time to make sure you are picking a topic that has good information available about it by doing some quick preliminary searches.

By: Christian K.

Image Credit: Adorable prairie dog near hole on sunny day · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com)

So, you've finally done it: you've made it far enough in your academic career that, if you don't already read some scientific literature for fun in your downtime (don't judge me), you'll probably be reading a published journal article for the first time. Well, I'm here today to share a couple of methods with you that could help you tackle those scientific publications and get you reading like a pro!

The Active Method

This is not one I use personally, but was one mentioned in my Capstone class. The way this works is sort-of by brute-force. Essentially, you start at the beginning of the article, and read until you get lost. Then start at the beginning again, and read until you get lost again (this time, hopefully further along). You don't necessarily need to worry about figures and tables at first, just read, reread, reread, reread, …

This method certainly requires time, but can be a sure-fire way to make sure you understand the paper at hand.

The Back-Burner Method

This is the method I personally use when I read papers. I call it the "back-burner" method because there isn't a whole lot of active thought in it. Here, let me explain:

Start at the beginning of the paper, and slowly make your way through. Reread a section if you don't fully understand it, but the goal is to make it all the way through the paper. Examine tables and figures as they come up, and really just take your time with this one comprehensive read. What's next, you ask? Why, leave it alone. Come back in a few hours.

This method relies on the use of your sub-conscious. Ignoring any Freudian shenanigans, your sub-conscious is an amazing tool for working through things while you go about your other business. Literally don't think about the paper: go on with your daily life, for an hour or two. You'll find that when you come back, you'll have some questions on the paper, and overall understand it better than when you initially left it, as your sub-conscious has been working on it the whole time.

This method won't work for absolutely everyone, and that's okay. I do recommend to at least give it a shot, though. It's a very powerful tool, whether it be for problem-solving, or for understanding.

Concluding Thoughts

No matter what method you ultimately decide to use when reading the literature, always remember one thing: these articles are information-dense. Publishers only allow a certain page-cap on articles that can be submitted, so authors need to cram all of their information into a space that may be less than desirable to fit it all. Everyone eventually develops their own method for reading and understanding articles like these, and you will, too! These two methods are meant to serve as a starting point, to help you think about how you should read, and give you the tools you need to get started. So get out there, and do some science-ing!

By Alex F.

I’ve found that one of the greatest things about college is the relationships, both professional and personal, that I have made with my professors. However, it wasn’t always like that. Like many other students, I was intimidated by my professors at first: they are all incredibly intelligent, after all!

Many students find walking in on a professor’s office hours scary. The first time I walked into my advisor’s office to have a conversation was surely not easy; I introduced myself and asked Dr. Van Camp questions about the class I was taking. He excitedly responded with defensive programming techniques, and from there we began to have weekly conversations about what is happening in class and expanding upon what I learned. As I became more comfortable, we started talking about everything from sports (Go Washington!) to our shared love of guitar. These personal developments led me to feel even more comfortable in asking higher-level questions outside the classroom and led to a deeper understanding of the material presented. Had I not asked these tough questions and visited office hours, I would not have found my love of Algorithms!

What I have found extremely valuable is the knowledge that the professors here at Marietta possess. Every professor is more than happy to discuss their current research with you and even happier to help you with anything inside the classroom you may need. Not a week goes by that I don’t ask one of my professors to review a concept with me to increase my understanding of the material or to review the homework problems. It never fails that they say to pull up a seat.

I highly encourage taking one day out of the week and going to your professor's office hours, even if it does not directly relate to your course work, to ask questions! You never know what you might learn!

By Alec B.

In addition to managing your time for studying, classes, and meetings, one of the most overlooked keys to college success is scheduling. It may seem arbitrary and non-essential to plan classes ahead of time, as you must take them all eventually anyways, but strategizing when/where you take classes can have big implications on your semester course load/time management. Therefore, I decided to make a list of suggestions, comments, and ideas to help you put yourself in the best possible position to succeed:

1. Know your requirements:

The most obvious thing to consider when planning your four-year schedule is to make sure all required courses and electives will be completed at some point during your stay at Marietta College. No student ever wants to live the nightmare of taking an extra semester or overloading due to a scheduling mishap. The easiest way to avoid this catastrophe is by printing out the course catalog from MyMarietta and manually checking off each of the major/Marietta requirements. In addition, your academic advisor serves as a great resource in making sure no classes were left out or ignored. You will also want to check with professors ahead of time to ensure that they are offering the class when you are planning to. It is worth noting that certain classes may only be offered one semester a year, or even only once per two years.

2. Morning or Night?:

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to class time. Some people are night owls, whilst others are early birds, and some are all right with either. If given the chance of multiple sections, picking the best time to suite your sleep schedule can be a make-or-break decision to showing up on time. Nobody who stays up past midnight regularly wants to be in the position of daily 8:00AM classes when they could have taken it at 10:00AM instead. As stated earlier, you may not get much of a choice of when the class is, but it’s something to always keep in mind.

3. Watch those labs!

As a fellow STEM major, academic labs have basically infused themselves as a part of me, heck I currently have four labs a week as I am writing this (don't recommend BTW). So in order to avoid having what seems like no life for a semester, keep a watchful eye on what classes you need to take that have a lab, and do your best to sprinkle them throughout your 4 year plan. As easy as it would be to coast through the first four semesters without any labs, don't hurt future you by pushing all the labs back to one semester! You will thank younger you for being responsible!

4.The right professor for me?:

Some courses have multiple options for different professors for the same course, and while they must obviously all go over the same material, they typically each have their own unique teaching style. Knowing this could put you in position to have the best possible fit, per your learning style, by talking with upperclassmen who have previously had the professors. Now this doesn't mean gossip with them and figure out who is the easiest/most likeable, but rather can just be another option that makes life easier when the time comes.

6.Mental Health Electives:

While I hope people in general enjoy taking their in-major classes and electives, taking certain classes can really do a number on students’ motivation and mental health. Therefore, if the schedule space provides itself, it may be worthwhile to take one of two 'fun' classes to help break up the technicality/seriousness of your schedule. The college offers a slew of classes from golf to yoga to dinosaurs. So, if you see something you like occurring where you have time to spare, I say go for it!