Starting college can be one of the most exciting times in your life! I sincerely hope this manual is a help to you as you prepare for such a huge change. I perceive Berea College as the best place I could possibly be right now, and I hope you find it to be a positive environment for you as well. There are some amazing things happening in this community! Study hard, but please don't forget to take some time to enjoy the journey along the way.

This year will be the third year we will have our new name - the Center for Learning, Teaching, Communication, and Research. Before that, we were known as the Center for Effective Communication (CEC). Occasionally, you'll see this acronym appear throughout the manual to describe the jobs of the authors.

This project has truly been a community effort. Thanks to all who helped out! Special thanks also to Michael Startzman (Berea '97) for his illustrations.

You have finally reached the exciting realm of opportunity and higher education we affectionately call "college." No doubt you are experiencing numerous emotions, as if you are about to embark on a dangerous mission, but without the mysterious background music. At the same time, your senses are probably being overloaded with the sights and sounds of Berea's campus and the friendly orientation volunteers clothed in matching t-shirts. With time, this will all become an amusing memory, but not without some adjustment to college life.

The adjustment to college life is challenging for all new students. Adjustment is more than just looking like a college student and knowing the campus well enough to leave the map in the room. Those of us who arrive at Berea three months after high school tend to face the same major issue: Freedom.

Freedom is often like owning a flashy new highway-patrol-magnet red sports car with racing stripes. After years of dreaming about it, it may be difficult to manage it once you get it. Berea does not guarantee total and absolute freedom from everything, but students are given choices that have formerly been dictated by authority figures. These choices may include any of the following:

• Do I get up, or do I turn off my alarm and sleep through Anatomy and Physiology?
• Should I call my Labor Supervisor and say I'm sick today?
• How much time can I spend volunteering without jeopardizing my studies?
• Food Service or the Crossroads Cafe?
• What should I major in?
• Will I drink anything stronger than Dr. Pepper?

These choices may seem trivial, but the manner in which they are handled is an indication of how well students are managing their freedom. Each student has to be aware of how his/her choices affect academic performance.

Later sections of this manual provide a glimpse into what you might expect to encounter as a new student at Berea College. The "fear of the unknown" is often the cause for much of the anxiety new students face, but it's also very exciting! We hope this manual will help to reduce the number of antacids you consume and give you insight into how to manage freedom through suggestions from seasoned Berea students.

One major challenge when entering college is adapting to the way college students are expected to think. High school, for instance, generally demands that students memorize well-established facts. In college, students learn more specific "facts," particularly within their majors, but they are also required to analyze, to evaluate, and to make judgements. One Berea professor, for instance, gave several lectures on growth and development of children at different ages. Afterwards, the students in the class spent a day at Toys R Us choosing toys which would be appropriate for hospitalized children of different ages. Other students have been required to design toys that are appropriate for children at specific ages.

College professors tend to stimulate students to use intellectual skills that may not have been explored in high school. New students may realize that they must adapt their reading and study skills in order to maintain the same level of academic success they enjoyed in high school. Rote memorization will be of less importance in many cases; studying will need to involve the ability to apply principles learned in class and homework. At first, this unfamiliar learning style may be scary, but experimentation and investigation of ideas is often eye-opening and fun. Honest.

Non-traditional students, who gain this title by virtue of marital status, parenthood, or being 23 or older, tend to have some different concerns from those "traditional" students who just graduated from high school.

Some may fear the challenge of balancing family and education, or may be apprehensive because they see themselves outside the social realm of the College. Once the non-trads get settled in Berea, however, they often are surprised by the support and acceptance they receive from the campus community. The experiences and different perceptions non-trads possess make them a valuable asset to the Berea campus and classroom.

With this enlightenment in mind, have a great experience at Berea College! Adaptation to college life is dependent upon many factors, so try not to get discouraged if your transition takes a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months. Remember, too, as you read this manual that the tips are gleaned from the experiences of generally well-adjusted fellow Bereans who vividly remember their "invasion" of Berea. Sometimes comfort is found in realizing you are not alone.

ARIANA: Hey Dawn! You're working too hard! Let's go and see Matthew; he said he and John were going to be watching movies tonight.

DAWN: Ohh. . . that sounds like fun, but I can't. I still have 60 pages to read for our Stories class tomorrow. Have you finished the assignment?

ARIANA: No, I just can't get into that book. Everytime I start to read, my mind wanders off, and the next thing I know, I've thought of ten other things I'd rather be doing. Besides, I really want to be with Matt tonight. Didn't you say you wanted a chance to get to know John better?

DAWN: Yeah, I did. . . But it's not like this is the only chance I have. I really think I can do well in this course if I study and stay up with the assignments, so I think I'll stay home tonight and read. And besides, this book is really pretty interesting once you get going.

These two Berea students are approaching college in very different ways. One is energetic and excited about her classes and sounds as though she is consciously planning to succeed in her college career. The other is easily distracted, has a difficult time staying on study tasks, and probably doesn't understand why. Dawn and Ariana are the same age, come from comparable backgrounds, and have similar tastes. So why does Dawn have the inspiration to study and Ariana doesn't?

The difference is a simple matter of motivation. Motivation is what successful students depend on to keep them going; it's quite literally a force that drives them towards their future goals. "So," you're thinking, "I know being motivated is important to college success, but how do I get that way? More importantly, how do I stay that way?" Well, that's what this chapter is all about -- learning how to develop and maintain a strong sense of motivation and purpose that will result in both inspiration to study and to learn. This task can be accomplished by defining your long term goals, developing a plan of action in order to accomplish those goals, learning to get the most from every course, and developing specific strategies for getting motivated and staying motivated.

If someone asked you right now why you're going to college -- would you have a ready answer? Answering this question helps you get to the heart of an important matter -- do you have a real purpose for being in college? Many students would answer this in a vague way, such as, "My parents think I need an education." That's a good reason, but is it specific enough to keep you on track if everybody in your suite is going to party and you have a paper due the next day?

It might be, but then again, it might not be. If instead you're thinking to yourself, "I want to do my best in this course because I know it's going to help me find my purpose in life, or further my goals of becoming a lawyer/manager/artist," that's a specific reason as opposed to a vague one. This type of thinking is goal-based and provides a motivating force to learn. In other words, identifying what you want to accomplish in the future could be a key to staying motivated in the present. There are many good reasons for being in college. If you're not sure about yours, consider the following:

Three Reasons for Being in College

1. College can help you discover your hidden talents and help you find purpose for your life. You may have arrived at Berea without really knowing what you want to do with the rest of your life. Don't feel alone; many of your classmates feel the same way. You couldn't be in a better place for finding answers, though! College is an awesome place to explore your interests and discover your talents. For example, you may discover in a computer science course that you have a knack for understanding and writing in computer languages; then, who knows? You might decide on a future in software development. Or you may find after giving a speech that you actually enjoy talking in front of people; this could give you a whole range of career fields to consider. College can provide you with the tools you need to develop a vision for your future -- use them!
2. College can increase your probability of securing an interesting job. A college degree could mean the difference between going to a job every day that you find rewarding and pleasurable or going to one that you dislike. Degreed people are more likely to land jobs with opportunities for decision-making, high levels of responsibility, and opportunities for travel. Maybe you've already had a job you didn't like; in that case, an interesting job is probably already one of your reasons for being in college!
3. College can help you refine your thinking skills. Philosopher and psychologist William James observed that education's goal is "not so much the transfer of information as the development of mental training" (Flemming 5). Mental training is learning to think hard and well. It's learning to present your ideas concisely and clearly. It's learning to evaluate conflicting opinions. These are great skills to learn for life and a college education can really help you do this!

When you have your very own specific reasons for being in college, it becomes easier to determine your long-term goals. Your goals may be broad at first; that's okay. They'll firm up and become more specific as you experience college life. Once you've decided on your goals, it's time to develop a plan of action. What steps (short-term goals) do you need to take in order to accomplish your long-term goals? For example, if your long-term goal is a career in journalism, your first step may be to take a journalism course. After that's under way, becoming a reporter on The Pinnacle would be a logical next step. Your third step could be working as a summer intern at a newspaper. All of your long-term goals may not work out; don't be discouraged by this. Everyone learns by trial and error. The key is to keep fine-tuning your goals, and don't give up.

Once your goals are set and you have a plan of action, the next step is to get excited about your classes.

Get the Most From Every Course

Try to get excited about your courses each term. Going to the bookstore and buying the textbooks for a new semester usually piques my interest. This technique may not work for a course you're dreading, but try to give the course the benefit of the doubt.

We all have to take some requirements that we'd rather not tackle! That was certainly the case for me. As a non-traditional student (having been out of high school for 25 years), an English major, and a self-professed science and math weakling, I was very nervous about the Quantitative Reasoning and Natural Science requirements. Amazingly, though, I learned so much in both of those classes. They weren't easy for me, but even though there were struggles, I took things away from those classes that will serve me for the rest of my life. For instance, I took Modeling With the Computer for the Quantitative Reasoning unit. My general computer skills improved dramatically, I learned new programs, and I gained new confidence in working with the computer. I'm so glad I took that class! So try to keep an open mind about those "scary" courses. You might have an experience like mine, or, even if you don't, you might learn something that helps you at some unexpected point in the future.

Tips on Getting the Most From Every Course

• Pay full attention in the first class. Instructors usually use the first class to give a course overview, and to detail course objectives and organization. The course syllabus is usually explained at this time, as well.
• Fully study the syllabus, the course goals, and what's expected of you. Make sure you understand the course requirements. Don't wait and learn at the end of the semester that your research project is worth half of your grade!
• Get to know a classmate, or at least exchange phone numbers with someone in each class. It helps to have someone you can call if you have an emergency and have to miss a class, or if you just need to clarify a question or discuss an assignment.
• Attend every class. No matter what the temptation to cut class is, don't give in. Each class provides not only new information, but new opportunities for learning through discussion and the exchange of ideas.
• Talk to your instructor and ask for help when you need it. Most instructors will be happy to help you.

Following these guidelines will serve you well; making them a solid part of your college routine will put you well on your way to being a successful student. Now comes the actual task of studying. There are many techniques you can use to inspire yourself to study and learn. For example:

Tips on Inspiring Yourself to Study

• Write your long-term goals out on paper. Keep the list handy so you can refer to it if you are having a hard time sticking with your study goals.
• At the end of each day, prepare yourself mentally for the following day. Think through each job and how you'll handle it. Psych yourself up by thinking about how great it will be to have accomplished all the things you've planned.
• Give yourself short-term rewards to look forward to for studying well or sticking with a difficult task. You might give yourself some TV time, an ice cream break, or social time with friends -- whatever you really like. Be good to yourself!
• If you feel your motivation slipping, make a list of the things you've accomplished so far in school. Remind yourself of your successes.
• Talk to yourself. You don't have to do this out loud so people think you're crazy. Just mentally give yourself pep talks. Get stern if you have to. For instance, tell yourself, "I can pass this test, and I'm going to do it." Encourage yourself, "This is a difficult chapter, but if I read it through again carefully, I know I can understand it."
• Be an effective strategist. Spend five minutes each night reviewing your accomplishments during the day and evaluating your studying strategies. Ask yourself leading questions: Did I study as long as I intended? Did I use my study time productively? Am I keeping up with my assignments? Have I fallen behind in one course? If so, what's the best thing to do now?
• Establish daily work habits and routines. In an interview, Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gymnast, explained the role of habit in her training program:

Some days you don't feel like working out. Somewhere inside me, though is the eye of the tiger. On a down day, it's as if that eye is closed shut. What gets me through, what ultimately opens the tiger's eye, is habit. Habit gets me up at 5 a.m. Habit gets me into the gym. Habit gets me into the routine. Suddenly, the tiger's eye opens again.

• Establish for yourself regular study hours, a regular place that is comfortable and well-lit, an environment conducive to work -- with tempting distractions minimized.
• Find support for yourself. Look for a friend whose goals are similar to yours and who wants to study. A supportive friend is invaluable (Flemming 12-14).

There are many ways to motivate yourself; if these aren't the ticket for you, think about it and come up with some of your own. Help is always available to you at the Learning Center if you need ideas for keeping yourself going or just some encouragement to do your best. The main thing is to maintain that motivation; it truly is the key to being a successful student who is inspired to learn.

The Learning Center's Top Ten Hints for Good Study Habits

1. Know the requirements for the course. The syllabus should be kept for the entire semester because it not only includes the assigned materials and due dates, but also contains the instructor's policies and rules.
2. Go to class. Regular class attendance is one of the most important tools to learning. If unable to attend class, call the instructor with the reason. Also, call a friend to get the notes and/or assignments from the missed class.
3. Plan! Write down all of the assignments in a weekly planner or calendar. Schedule social time around homework, not vice versa.
4. Study subjects according to their difficulty -- hardest first, easiest last.
5. Allot enough time for each assignment and BE REALISTIC! For example, avoid scheduling time to study a subject that is difficult for you right before bedtime when you are prone to be sleepy. Allot enough time for sleep, too. A rested mind works much better than a tired one.
6. Never ignore some classes in an attempt to catch up in other classes. This only causes all classes to suffer.
7. Study in a comfortable place, but avoid places with a lot of distractions. Removing distractions improves your chances for success. Dorm rooms may be a great place to socialize, but if the phone is ringing, the radio is on, and people are coming in and out, it may not be the best place to study. Stake out your own space where it's quiet, you have enough light, and you can spread out.
8. Make time for relaxation. Relaxation enables people to retain more, get more accomplished, and feel better. Short breaks between hours of study are beneficial. Remember to keep a balance between study and relaxation (i.e. 45 minutes of study and 15 minutes of break).
9. Ask for help! Professors, the Learning Center, R.A.s, roommates, friends, and the Business, Math and Language Labs are all great resources for help in studying. Roommates and friends are usually good at quizzing. Come to Learning Center for help with your assignment or to receive additional study hints.
10. Procrastination only hinders learning. Procrastination or dreading the subject only results in making studying that much more difficult. Stick to a schedule. (See chapter on time management for more on procrastination.)

No matter if a student is talented and bright, without the skills of listening, note-taking and effective reading, a successful college career would be difficult if not impossible to achieve.

Listening is a particularly challenging skill. Many professors teach their students speaking and presentation skills, but tend to forget that some or all of the students in the class might not have the knowledge of how to effectively listen. College students spend more than 50 percent of their waking time listening--either to the professor, fellow students, radio and television sets or convocation speakers. Listening is the most important part of every lecture. Many Berea College professors have attendance policies, where attending lectures is required and is a part of the student's grade. Still, many students do not use the lecture time actively engaged in listening. Boredom, daydreaming, not taking notes, tiredness, and lack of motivation are only a few of the problems that students face when they walk in the classroom. How can you use lecture time effectively? How can you listen to the professor of your eight o'clock class, whom you find extremely boring? Answering these questions and learning to listen effectively can lead to the academic improvement of every student.

Have you ever talked for 10 minutes, and then, the person you have been talking to asks you a question that you just explained in your little speech? Obviously, this person was not a good listener. Bad listening in the classroom can not only cause your grade to drop significantly, but it can embarrass you as well. If the teacher asks you a question and you happen to be thinking about the date you had last night, the only part of the question you are likely to hear is your name. The expectant look of the professor and puzzled faces of your classmates will not help you answer the question. So, how do you avoid these and other situations that might be caused by a lack of listening?

How can I improve my listening habits?

• Listen with concentration: be open to the subject, create interest, prepare yourself to listen, realize how the lecture can help you, and turn off your emotional blocks.
• Learn what to listen for: determine the purpose of the lecture you are listening to, determine the main points and summarize, pay attention to phrases like "it is very important to remember," or "this is probably going to be on the test."
• Listen critically: relate what is being said in the lecture to your own experience; analyze and evaluate what you hear. Be a critical listener by not simply accepting everything that is being lectured on: instead, create your own opinions and ideas.
• Take notes: good notes help improve listening skills. Note-taking will help you sort, organize and comprehend what you hear (more about this later in this chapter).

Learning how to listen effectively is a continuous process. Being a good listener will help you get through not only college, but your future work and life as well. Now, let's take a look at the skill that goes closely with effective listening--note-taking.

" I don't get it! I wrote down every word the professor said, but I still can't understand what she was talking about!"--these are common words from a student who blindly takes notes non-stop, forgetting to critically think about the information. The desire to capture every word of the lecture in the notebook can really 'kill' the meaning of the lecture. The speaker talks at rate of 120-150 words a minute. The listener has an advantage; he or she can comprehend 300-500 words a minute. As we can see there is plenty of time to analyze and decide what information is worth taking notes on. This time could also be used for the critical analysis of the information received.

Tips on Effective Note-Taking

• Do not simply copy what the professor is saying, but analyze and put the information in your own words. Not only will you better understand the lecture, but it will also help you in your critical thinking. It will also bring the meaning and information of the lecture closer to you.
• Pay special attention to the professor's clues such as: "It is important to remember," "Three significant points are..." Carefully note the information that follows.
• Draw graphs, charts and pictures (but not cute little cartoons and love notes). Research shows that visualizing helps in the learning and comprehending process.
• Use abbreviations. The symbols such as $, &, = are known to most everybody. You can also use: # (number), ! (surprising fact), max (maximum); word beginnings such as assoc (associate), mixt (mixture); or you can eliminate vowels such as pblm (problem), or bkgd (background). You can also make your own abbreviations, but remember do not overuse them to the point you cannot understand the notes because they are so filled with unknown hieroglyphs.
• Keep your notes organized. Rewriting your notes and sorting them in the proper folders will improve your organization and will also help you to review the lecture.
• Sit where you can hear your professor. This should also help with staying awake and achieving better concentration.
• Remember: your notes are there to help you, not to confuse you. Use them as the assistant to your learning process. Reviewing your notes within 24 hours will help you understand and remember the ideas.

Note-taking process

You hear: On September 1st 1939, Hitler gave a command to German forces to invade Poland. Two days later, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany.

You decide what to write:

• what information is important?
• what do I need to know?
• can I use abbreviations?
• can I put the information in my own words?

You write:1939: Hitler invades Poland = Eng & France declare war on Germany.

Like listening and note-taking, reading requires discipline, concentration, and determination. Before you even start to read, you need to set goals and objectives. For example: "I will read because I want to succeed in college." "I will read for an hour, and then take a break. For this I'll give myself a reward." You know yourself the best: set your own reading pace, decide at what time of day you want to read (some people like to read in the morning, while others prefer reading late at night). Choose comfortable surroundings (but not too comfortable; you do not want to fall asleep), eliminate all distractions (TV, stereo, noisy roommate), and have a notebook and a pencil ready. Now, get started!

Reading Strategies

• Do not forget to read the title and the introduction. Skim through the entire chapter. See how long it is. Decide in how many parts can you 'split' it into if it is too long to read in one piece. If there are section or topic headings, read those -- they usually form an outline of the chapter.
• Read passages carefully. If a passage does not make sense, reread it.
• Underline important points. Take notes.
• Pay special attention to graphs, pictures, and illustrations. They improve comprehension and memorization of the material being read.
• Think critically; ask yourself questions about the text.
• Take breaks--there is no purpose in pushing yourself too hard. A tired brain will hardly be efficient. Open windows, take a walk, or close your eyes. Relax.
• When you have finished reading, remember to review. This is very important. Reviewing helps you retain the information in a text better and for a longer period of time. There is no reason to read if you are not going to remember anything you have read.

Listening, note-taking, and reading are very important skills in every student's career. Mastering these skills leads to a successful education process and achievement of career goals. Recognize the importance in practicing them. It's the same as bodybuilding, you have to "build your muscles." The process is slow and sometimes painful, but the results are more than impressive.

Paper writing is an inevitable part of college. Even if we were successful writers in high school we may have some difficulty with college writing assignments at first, because college writing is a little different from high school writing. Our professors expect more from our papers, particularly regarding our content and thesis. They may have different interpretations or understandings of the subjects on which we write. Moreover, we have to know about the audience we are writing for, and the appropriate organizational format for the assignment in order effectively convey our thoughts and ideas. All of these expectations may initially seem daunting and overwhelming, but the following guidelines are here to help you get though the paper writing process. Other sources that provide clarification about college writing are The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing and The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers. In addition, you can refer to our online tip sheets

Step One:

Finding your topic

These exercises can help you find the right topic for your research paper:

• While you are flipping through sources jot down ideas that sound interesting, then think of ways that you could define and explain them.
• Brainstorm a list of any words that come to your mind as a topic.
• Cluster the words and group them according to their category.
• Find promising subdivisions of your topic in the cluster. If you find some related words, make a new cluster with them.
• Keep the words in mind while researching and when writing the paper.

Here is an example of a cluster:

Another way to find a topic is freewriting.

• Write continuously for about ten minutes straight on the topic.
• Write about anything that comes to your mind without paying attention to grammatical errors.
• Start with your own feeling about a certain topic if you are having a difficult time.

After you have the right topic, you can make an outline for your paper because it will force you to organize your paper before you start writing it.

• List some important details from general to specific.
• Include specific examples of those details on your list to support your thoughts.
• Add more specific information on each division.
• Keep on the right track with your topic, even though you may make future revisions to your outline.

Writing your thesis statement

The thesis statement is the main idea of your paper, and it is usually located in the introduction. A thesis statement:

• Is always a complete statement.
• Implicitly states your topic (which does not necessarily mean state your argument on the topic).
• Tells your attitude or point of view about the topic.
• Tells exactly what you are writing about.
• Should contain only one specific idea.
• Should contain only one explanation of your topic.

Creating topic sentences

In general, good paragraphs focus on one main idea per paragraph. One way to achieve this is by stating the main idea, or the topic sentence, clearly in a single sentence and then relating the rest of the sentences in the paragraph to that topic sentence.

Like the thesis statement, the topic sentence has a topic and makes some comment on the topic. The topic sentence may appear anywhere in the paragraph or may not appear at all, as long as the topic of your paragraph is implied.

The introduction of your paper

The introduction plays a significant role because it provides the context for your paper. Your introduction should:

• Spark the reader’s interest in your topic.
• Explain the main point or thesis logically and quickly.
• Provide the reader with a preview of the content of your paper.

Developing your essay

There are several ways you can develop the body of your paper. They include:

• Providing examples of the idea presented in the thesis.
• Explaining cause and effect relationships.
• Comparing and contrasting you thesis with other ideas.
• Arguing for your position.
• Defining unclear terms.

In addition to these methods, you can gather information and facts from outside sources to develop your essay. This approach may require a good deal of library research on your part. Remember to cite your quotes or paraphrases from the outside sources that you gather, and use the correct format to cite them. Refer to the St. Martin’s Handbook for proper citation formats in various styles. When you use outside sources, be sure to explain your quotes or paraphrases so your audience will understand why you included them. Below is an example of the correct way to quote an author using MLA format, and to interpret the quote:

"And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are and henceforward shall be free..." (Lincoln 431). With this sentence in the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in the United States.

The Learning Center has multiple writing handbooks and tip sheets, including the St. Martin's Handbook, which can help you develop your ideas and use sources effectively, and tip sheets on citing resources using MLA, APA, and other styles. In addition, the Learning Center has an online section on plagiarism.

Organizing your paper

The next important step is organizing your essay.

• The order of the paragraphs should be as natural as possible.
• Use transitions to shift your thoughts from one paragraph to the other.
• Your ideas should build on each other as your paper progresses.
• Ideas should become more specific and detailed the deeper you go into your paper.

Concluding your essay

Having written the body of your essay, the next important step is the conclusion.

• Restate your thesis and thoughts in different sentences.
• Include some explanation and insight into your topic.
• Do not include new ideas in your conclusion that are not part of the body of your paper.

Revising your paper

To make sure that your essay flows the way you want it to, look at your structure, punctuation, grammar, spelling, and so on when you are revising. Below is a list of suggestion to help revise your paper.

• Review the thesis statement to ensure that it is clear, precise, and unified.
• Make sure that you support your thesis throughout the paper.
• Review and revise the content of the paper for organization and clarity. This is a good time to add, cut, reword, or rearrange information.
• Make sure the introduction and conclusion accurately reflect the content of the paper.
• Make sure the body paragraphs have clear topic sentences.
• Check for transitions between ideas and paragraphs.
• Review your words, sentences, and paragraphs to make sure they are clear and read the way you want them to read.
• Check for errors in usage, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar.
• Check to make sure you accurately cited sources to avoid plagiarism.
• Always have someone provide feedback on your paper. You can go to a friend, roommate, or a Learning Center consultant.

Helpful hints for writing papers

• Start writing your paper early! Don’t procrastinate until the night before your paper is due.
• Ask other students about your paper if you don’t understand your assignment. Also, don’t hesitate to consult your professor about it.
• Put your paper aside for a little while if you get frustrated while working on it. Come back to it when you feel ready and prepared.
• Go to the Learning Center to get feedback on your writing, speaking, listening, or any other form of communication. The Learning Center is here to help you at any stage of the writing process, from generating a working thesis to polishing that final draft. Feel free to walk in, or make an appointment.
• Do a peer-review with a classmate or a friend you can trust to proofread your paper.
• Talk to your TA, if your class or instructor has one, to get additional feedback on you paper. S/he also will let the professor know that you have shown an interest in the assignment.
• Turn in a rough draft of your paper to your professor, and be sure to do it early enough that s/he can has time to give you feedback before the final due date.

Most people have the necessary memory skills required for day to day life. Being a student, however, requires that we learn new things every day and retain most of what we learn. This could be memorizing a poem or a formula. Most of us do not have the natural ability to keep all of these things in our memory without help. Fortunately, there are many strategies to develop the memory skills needed to survive in college.

The Key: Intend to Remember

If you do not make a conscious effort to remember new information, you probably will forget it. For example: if you glance at your class list before leaving your dorm room on the first day of class then rush across campus to Draper Hall, it should not surprise you if you cannot remember the room number of the class. When there is no intention to remember, most of us forget. Any time you want to remember something you read or hear, it is best to make a mental note of it, saying to yourself, "I must remember this." If you make the decision to remember that room number, you’re more likely to remember it when you arrive.

Interest and Intent

Interest in a subject is not as important as intending to remember the information. In applying this principle, you have to be selective. As important as interest in the subject is, the key to remembering is intending to remember.

Select Main Ideas and Key Phrases

If you try to remember everything, you will only get bogged down. Evaluate incoming information, then decide what is essential and what is not—what to pay attention to and what to ignore. In your own words, make an outline of the main points in readings or lectures, later, review your outline rather than rereading all of the material.

Multilevel Approach to Remembering

When we try to remember something, we usually rely on one method of recording that information. We use just our ears or just our eyes. We use words but not pictures. We write but don't recite. Students understand and retain new information more effectively if they use more than one, or a multilevel, approach: one that combines words with pictures, and seeing with hearing, and writing with reciting.

For example: if you're reading a detailed description of how an organism looks, functions, or develops, do not rely on words alone. Use your imagination to create a mental picture of the organism described, and visualize it in as much detail as possible. When you're finished creating your mental picture, get a blank sheet of paper and make a drawing based on your visual image.

Don't forget recitation. Students who recite key points to themselves while they read, remember material better than those who don't use recitation. If, like some students, you feel awkward reciting aloud because you don't want to be seen talking to yourself, try to study with a friend. Then, you can take turns reciting to each other or by yourself, in front of a mirror.

Chunking Information

Our short term memories have a limited capacity and we can remember only about nine pieces or chunks of information at a time. For example, if you try to remember the following series of single digits: 3-1-2-4-8-5-6-4-1-4-2-3, you will have problems. That's more than nine separate pieces or units of information. However, try to remember this series: 312-413-514-615. Like most students, you will find it's easier to remember the second set of numbers. That is because the information is organized into a pattern containing only four chunks of information. The material and how familiar you are with it dictates how you chunk; it is a creative skill you can use to improve your memory.

Power of Paraphrasing

If you try to remember information you have difficulty understanding, you may not be able to internalize it—making it part of your existing knowledge base. When you learn to paraphrase an author or speaker's words into your own, you are much more likely to understand the information. Always remember, though, not to alter the original meaning of those words or information. You can add or delete, change the order or length, but you should not change the original meaning or intent!

Connecting the Unfamiliar

We remember more easily when we can take information that is unfamiliar and try to relate it to something that we are familiar with. When we link or personalize new information, it improves our ability to understand and remember that information. When you study, try to create links between what you are learning and what you are already familiar with.

Strategies for Learning and Remembering

• Intend to remember—know the value of remembering information. Remind yourself of this.
• React actively—Remembering is passive, and does not take much effort. Recollecting is active and takes a concerted effort.
• Use mnemonic devices—these can be rhymes or acronyms, i.e., HOMES for the Great Lakes, or I before E except after C.
• Repetition—Read, hear, say, and write. Do this over several days.
• Paraphrase—translate what you are reading or hearing into your own words.
• Visualize—incorporate a mental image for what you read or hear.
• Pictures—draw pictures, charts, diagrams to help you visualize.
• Recitation—after you read a section, see if you can recite the main idea or key points.
• Group Study—have discussions with friends about what you are learning.
• Personalization—find a link with something familiar. Personalize new information by changing the wording into your own personal experience while retaining the meaning.
• Write, Write, Write—writing down information helps to reinforce it.
• Visit the Learning Center for help practicing these strategies.

Test-taking is a fact of college life. Most, if not all, classes will have one (or more) test or exam that counts toward a portion of your final grade. There are several hints and tips to test-taking, though, which can bring greater success and better grades. Taking advantage of these strategies can help the well-prepared student become even more successful.

Before the Test

• Prepare for the test by studying in an atmosphere that is not distracting.
• Eat protein and avoid carbohydrates before studying. Protein provides nutrients to keep you active and alert while carbohydrates can lead you to be more drowsy or uneasy.
• Arrive early for the exam. Arriving 10-15 minutes early will allow you to get your supplies in order. Avoid studying during this time; it can lead you to second guess the information you have already studied.
• Relax. Breathe deeply and keep in mind that most tests do not determine the whole of your grade, only one portion of it.
• Try not to pace or compare your progress to the other students taking the test. Work at your own pace. Trying to keep up with others will lead to anxiety.
• Think positively. You have prepared, so be confident.

How to Take a Test

Multiple Choice

• Be aware of all-inclusive (or exclusive) words such as all, always, none, never, or every.
• These words generally indicate an incorrect option.
• Read each word of the question carefully. Skipping one word can change the appropriate answer.
• When possible, mark out answers that are wrong. This reduces the number of options to choose from.
• Do not change an answer unless you were not sure about it when you originally marked it.
• Put a mark in the margin by any question you are unsure of. This allows you to easily come back to it when you have finished the questions you are sure about.

True/False

• Read each statement carefully, being aware of all modifying words; these words can change a true statement to false or make a false statement true. Examples: all, most, some; always, usually, sometimes, never; more, equal, less; great, much, little, no; positively related, not related, negatively related; good, bad; is, is not.
• Extremely positive or negative statements tend to be false and well-qualified statements tend to be true. For example, “all men have mustaches” would be false, but “the majority of people who enjoy life do not wish to die” would more than likely be true.
• If a statement contains two clauses, one of which is false, the entire statement is false. For example, “Earth is the third planet from the Sun, but Mars is closer to the Sun.”
• Be careful of statements that contain double negatives, making the statement positive. For example, “There has never been a situation where there was no coffee in the office,” means that there has always been coffee in the office.

Essay

• You must understand what the question is asking to correctly answer the question. Circle or underline the key terms in the question to help you decide what the question is asking.
• In answering the question, begin by brainstorming, outlining, or listing parts of the answer to help in organizing and developing your question. This may also help to make sure you do not forget to answer the entire question. Use a separate sheet of paper or the back of the exam to brainstorm and plan.
• A good essay answer should immediately answer the question and give an outline of your points. This sentence is like the thesis statement or main idea of your essay. The paragraphs following this statement should include details and examples that support your points. Your statement should also show how these points are important to the question.

Hints for Time Management During Exams

• Quickly look over the exam to note the points per question and to estimate how long the exam will take. Figure out the amount of time that can be spent on each question.
• When easy questions are worth the same amount of points as harder questions, do the easier questions first. If you become stuck on a hard question, mark the question as a reminder to look back at the problem, and then move on to the next question. Sometimes another question will provide information or help you remember what you needed to know to answer the earlier question.
• Try to leave time at the end of the exam to check over your answers. Proofread essays to find and correct any major grammatical problems.

Much of your college experience is dependent upon input from professors, textbooks, class discussions, and performing assigned tasks. There comes a time, however, when you have to "drop the role of passive student and assume the role of self-reliant thinker and researcher" (Flemming 307). Professors often nudge students into this growth process by assigning research papers. These papers can range in size and scope from five pages to twenty pages depending on the professor and the assignment. The mere words "research paper" can strike terror in a student's heart, but there's no need for this to be a terrifying prospect! Facing the fear and its cause is the first step to overcoming it. Many times, simply the fact that a paper is big makes it seem overwhelming. Granted, research papers can be big projects, but learning to divide them into subtasks makes them manageable. Some students just don't know where to begin and don't want to ask for fear of looking stupid. Don't worry; we've all been where you are. Take advantage of the resources that are offered to you and ask questions. You'll find the research process offers so many benefits to you, the student! Writing a research paper provides you with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and an integrated approach to learning. Your research will result in your knowing a subject thoroughly, as well as understanding how others regard it and why. As you study your subject, you will formulate your own opinions and explain them in writing. The key to becoming an independent thinker and learner is to become excited about the questions for which you yourself have to search for the answers.

Once you've become excited and curious about a topic or research question, the next step is to become familiar with the tools necessary for your information search. One of our required texts here at Berea, The New St. Martin's Handbook, is an excellent resource on how to write a research paper. In part four, chapters 14-23 of the fifth edition, St. Martin's devotes 200 pages to the topic of doing research, writing the research paper, and documenting sources in MLA, APA, CBE, and Chicago Styles. It offers sample essays in both MLA and APA. Don't overlook using your St. Martin's; it's a valuable tool. A visit to Hutchins Library can help you determine the potential for a particular subject or topic by giving you a wide range of material to look at. Most professors require at least ten sources for a major research paper. You will be able to determine if your topic is workable by the quantity and quality of sources available. So, once you've arrived at the library, where do you go?

Starting the Research Process

• The reference section should be your first stop in the library. Berea has an excellent reference section. Not only do we have a wide array of materials, but our reference librarians are the best! Be sure and take advantage of the support they offer. Encyclopedias are a great source for general information when you're starting a research project. The articles found in encyclopedias are written by experts recognized in their specific fields of study. They provide reliable facts and insights on just about any issue. These articles have very useful bibliographies, as well. Remember, encyclopedia articles are intentionally broad. They are useful in providing a subject overview. The reference section of the library also includes dictionaries, atlases, bibliographies, indexes, and almanacs that may be useful in your search.
• Current books are an excellent source for research. In order to find books on your intended topic, go to BANC and follow the instructions on the computer screen. (If you have trouble with this process, don't hesitate to ask for help at the circulation desk.) Once you've located your books, scan them by browsing through the introduction and the table of contents or by sampling a few chapters. The book's index can also be useful in determining if it meets your research needs. Keep in mind that your purpose at this time is not to actually read the books, but to get an overview of your research project and determine useful sources.
• The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature catalogs popular magazine articles. You can use these sources to get an overview of a subject and to get ideas about major topics within a subject. The catalog itself is located in the reference section and the articles can be found on microfiche or in the bound periodicals section in the basement of the library.
• Journal articles in specific scholarly disciplines can be found in the reference section of the library on the online databases (which can also be accessed online at the Hutchins Library website under Online Databases). Indexes available online include the Humanities, Social Sciences, General Science, and Ethnic News Watch. Journal articles will be particularly helpful when your research becomes more specific in nature.
• The Internet can be productive in turning up research material. The Metacrawler search engine is a valuable tool because it searches the whole net at once. If, however, your topic has already been narrowed and you want to be more specific, you can use the individual search engines such as Lycos, Magellan, Excite, or Yahoo. Do be careful with Internet material. Anybody can say anything on the Net without providing supporting evidence. Be sure whatever you decide to use from the electronic superhighway has an author's name, a date and an organization name attached to it. Also, be sure to note the date on which you found the material.

Now arrange the sources you've found into a working bibliography. This bibliography can help you determine your topic's feasibility. If you turned up too many sources on your initial search, you'll have to consider narrowing your topic. For instance, fifteen books and 25 magazine articles on your exact topic are probably more than you want to deal with. Conversely, finding only one encyclopedia article on your topic indicates a need to broaden your focus or select a new approach. Once you've thoroughly investigated a topic and made sure that it meets your research assignment, it's time to formulate a research question. Even the most well-defined research topic presents too broad an area to research and write about by itself. For instance, a topic like television and race needs a more specific focus for the research to give more than an accumulation of facts (Dees 49).

The freedom to do what you want with your time is an intoxicating thing! As a college student, you are not forced by anyone to go to class, study, or do your homework; you can go out and do pretty much what you want when you want (within reason!). However, the effects of making poor choices in time management will soon catch up with you (as a student, this could be in the form of poor grades). Just as surely as we reap the rewards of poor time management in the form of failure, the reverse is true. Effective use of time brings success, not only academically but in all areas of life.

Using time effectively is a matter of putting first things first according to Stephen Covey, the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (148). Even the most responsible Berea students find themselves with some disposable time after classes and work. We make conscious and unconscious choices about how to use this time. For example: Will I go to Crossroads Cafe and hang out with my friends, or study for my French test? Or, do I go to that club meeting, or finish my paper that's due tomorrow? You get the idea. Students who are successful are usually making wise time choices based on the principle of putting first things first.

How can you practice better time management?

• Begin by thinking about how you spend your time. Do you have habits that are time consumers? For example, the computer can be a good thing in moderation, but it's probably not a good thing if you're spending hours at a time chatting online or writing bulletin board messages. If anything, such as the computer, TV, telephone, friends, or extracurricular activities consistently interferes with your studies, consider setting limits on those problem areas. If you are still having time difficulties, you may want to keep a journal for a few days documenting where your time goes. Making good decisions about using time depends on your knowledge of where you spend your time well and where you don't. Thinking about your use of time and acting accordingly will help you put first things first.
• Make a daily or weekly schedule, planning time for class, work, study times/study breaks, extracurricular activities, meals, exercise, personal time and sleep. Scheduling personal time is essential. Most students are not going to study all the time, nor should they. Relaxation and fun are important elements of your college experience and of life, as well! Planning and recognizing the need for personal time eliminates guilt. The illustration below is a sample of how a weekly schedule might work. The Learning Center has blank grids like this one on the handout rack. Pick one up and make copies for your notebook or planner.
• Make a long-term schedule in order to keep you working towards large projects or end-of-term assignments. Use the divide and conquer process. Break large projects or papers into manageable subtasks and assign the smaller, more manageable tasks to yourself over a period of weeks in the form of deadlines. The fear of tackling big projects may cause procrastination, so divide and conquer! (See chapter on research for an example of breaking down tasks and making a schedule.)
• Use a daily "to do" list. As the school year progresses and you become more practiced at becoming a good time manager, you may not need an hourly schedule to keep you on track. A daily To Do list may be just the ticket for you. Each night think through your classes and study plans, and list what needs to be done. Put stars by high priority items. Some people like to clear the easy things first, while others enjoy the satisfaction of tackling the most difficult jobs first. Review the list at the end of the day, crossing completed tasks off and moving uncompleted items to the next day.

These steps take some effort initially, but they will help you build the good habits necessary to effectively manage your time. Did you know it takes only three weeks to form a new habit? Practice your new time management habits for six weeks, and they will become a part of your life. People who have difficulty with time management may also have a long history of being procrastinators. There are many reasons for procrastination: the task at hand may seem too difficult or demanding, the job may seem so overwhelming that we don't know where to start, or fear of failure and/or being judged by others may hold us back. One thing is sure, because of the sneaky way procrastination creeps up on us, it is one of the biggest enemies of good time management and student success. The book Becoming a Successful Student by Laraine Flemming and Judith Leet gives the following tips on dealing with procrastination:

Breaking the Procrastination Habit

• Know what you want to accomplish. Target one specific project that you want to accomplish within a specific period of time. The project does not have to apply to a course assignment.
• Let several people know what your project is and when you plan to finish it. Try to find the kind of people who will ask how your work is coming along. Don't pick other procrastinators like yourself. They will avoid asking you about your progress because they don't want you asking about theirs.
• Divide and conquer. As mentioned earlier, divide your project into a series of subtasks and give yourself deadlines for every one. Make sure that the first task on your list takes no more than 15 minutes to accomplish. Complete that task within 24 hours of making your list. After completing that first brief task, cross it off your list and congratulate yourself. Make it a point to tell somebody about your success.
• Maintain your momentum. Go on to the next task immediately after completing the first one. Each time you complete a task by its deadline, congratulate yourself or give yourself a reward. When you do not finish a task by its deadline, penalize yourself, not by feeling guilty, but by doing something you hate like cleaning your room or doing laundry. Procrastinators need fixed schedules and they need to reward themselves for sticking to them.
• Analyze the causes for postponing your work. If you find yourself slacking off and falling into your old predictable ways, you need to discover why this is happening. You may have taken on a task that is too difficult to accomplish during the time you allotted. If so, rework your schedule to make it more realistic and doable. Perhaps you fear the assignment will be hard or dull. If it looks hard, try and figure it out; take it as a personal challenge. If it looks dull, give it a chance. It might be better than you think. Even if it isn't, remind yourself of how good you'll feel having it finished. If you can't figure out why you're postponing your work, try writing in a journal. Ask questions like these: Fear of failure may lie at the heart of procrastination, but what is so terrible about failing? When I fail, does that I mean I can't do better the next time? Do I really believe failure is forever?
• Do not be discouraged by relapses into old habits. It is quite natural to fall back into your old habits when you are trying to create new ones. Don't be surprised or angry if you can't stop procrastinating overnight. No one can. However, when you find yourself starting to procrastinate, sit down and list for yourself some of the consequences of this seemingly harmless habit: a constant sense of guilt, a mediocre career, unfulfilled potential, and a life of indecision. Is it really worth it? (42-44)

Take it from me, a recovering procrastinator, college success is difficult and taxing when procrastination is a way of life. Changing a habit like procrastination can be a big undertaking, but by analyzing the problem and breaking it down into manageable steps like the ones above, you can do it!

Let's face it: none of us want to fail, especially academically. We worry about grades on papers, in classes, and about the all important GPA. With such pressure to succeed there may be a temptation to cheat on a written assignment. I know I have been here. It was 2 a.m., and my brilliant term paper, consisting of three sentences, was due at 8 a.m., naturally. The gallons of coffee I tossed back were causing my hands to twitch, and after my frequent trips to the bathroom I was running out of graffiti to read on the walls. I was also beginning to wonder if the plant really was talking to me.

It would have certainly been much quicker to check out an online paper mill or to start copying passages from my sources, but I didn't. Okay, so maybe you haven't been this desperate, but we all know why we might be tempted to cheat.

So why shouldn't we? Well, first of all, it is dishonest. Plagiarism is the theft of someone's thoughts or ideas, since they are not acknowledged for their contributions. Think about how disappointed you were the last time when someone else got credit for your good idea. We need new thoughts to expand our education and every advance in thought comes on the foundation of its predecessors. "All knowledge builds on the contributions of others" ("Plagiarism: What it is…"). We constantly encounter the thoughts of others in lectures, the media, literature, and academics. We have to credit others' thoughts responsibly so we can get credit for the thoughts that are truly ours.

Another reason for not stealing ideas or words is that plagiarism falls under Berea College's definition of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty can be grounds for expulsion. It is simply not worth risking being kicked out of school for a higher grade on one paper.

That being said, how does one avoid plagiarism? You must give credit to anyone's theories or thoughts, to any factual information that is not common knowledge, to pictures from your sources, to direct quotes, and to paraphrases ("Plagiarism"). Following are some examples of citing facts, paraphrasing, and quoting.

FACTS

Facts that do not have to be cited

• Common knowledge (occurs in most sources on a topic; generally known): Thomas Jefferson was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Facts that do have to be cited

• Information that is not generally known: Each of the United States had not received a authenticated copy of the Declaration of Independence until after January 18, 1777, which was almost six months after the original signing (Boorstin 84).
• Any assumption or inference (even of a general fact) that an author makes: According to scholar Christine Hult, there is an imaginative breakthrough as a researcher finds her hypothesis (3).

PARAPHRASE and QUOTATION

Paraphrasing is the most popular tool for getting source material into research papers, so it is important to do it properly. In proper paraphrase, you express the idea from the source in your own words and word order. If you use a phrase of more than three words directly from the source, you must use quotation marks.

Original Source Passage:

While in Chicago she [Dorothy Day] had written an autobiographical novel, The Eleventh Virgin. Years later she would regret ever having published it and wished that every extant copy could through some magic be destroyed. In New Orleans she learned that Hollywood had brought the book for $5,000, a substantial sum at the time (Coles 6).

Improper Paraphrase example:

The Eleventh Virgin was written while Day was in Chicago. She would regret ever having published the autobiographical novel and wished it would be destroyed by some magic. While in New Orleans, she discovered that Hollywood had purchased the novel for $5,000, a good sum at the time (Coles 6).

Why improper?

• The researcher merely changes the order of the phrases from Coles.
• In the last sentence, the writer only substitutes synonyms for some of the words.
• She "would regret ever having published" is a direct quote from the source that is not acknowledged with quotation marks.

Proper example:

Dorothy Day regretted writing The Eleventh Virgin, an autobiographical novel, which was subsequently purchased by Hollywood (Coles 6).

Why Proper?

• The writer has rephrased the important facts from the original in his own words.
• The writer has created a different sentence structure from the original.
• Even though nothing is directly quoted, the source of the information is acknowledged.

Proper Example With Direct Quote:

The Eleventh Virgin was bought by Hollywood for "$5,000, a substantial sum at the time" (Coles 6).

For more information on avoiding plagiarism and using source materials effectively, see The St. Martin's Handbook and various tipsheets from the Learning Center.

Every student at Berea College has an adviser. Your adviser is here to help with important academic decisions for the current term or future terms. Your adviser will monitor your decisions through each term and help you decide how to reach graduation in the best way possible. As an incoming student, you are assigned to an adviser. You will keep that first-year adviser until you declare a major at the end of your sophomore year. At that time, you will have an adviser assigned within your major. If you wish to change advisers before the end of your sophomore year, you would need to talk to the Associate Dean for Student Academic Services. Once your major is declared, you and your adviser will work closely together on a curriculum plan that will apply to the remainder of your time at Berea College. Your adviser can help you organize your classes to fulfill your personal interests and your career aspirations. For these reasons, it's important to establish a good working relationship with your adviser. While your adviser's role is to help you become a successful college student, you must keep your end of the deal! How can you make the most of your adviser-advisee relationship?

As an advisee, you should:

• Know your adviser's office hours.
• Keep your adviser's phone number handy.
• Make appointments ahead of time when possible.
• Be respectful of your adviser's time by keeping appointments and being on time.
• Make a list of questions for each meeting. If you forget what you wanted to ask, you'll have it right in front of you!
• Take all necessary materials with you to meetings, such as course catalogs, etc.
• Read carefully the Advising section in the Student Survival Guide published by Academic Services.

How your adviser helps with short-term goals:

• Decision-making assistance
• Class schedule approval
• Helping you to assure that all required classes are fulfilled
• Academic counseling services

Your adviser helps with long-term goals through:

• Progress monitoring, including reviewing accomplishments
• Developing a curriculum plan after your major has been declared
• Helping to plan for future terms

Remember, your adviser is a person, too. Believe it or not, your adviser at one time stood in your shoes, lived in a dorm not unlike yours, ate something comparable to food service, scrounged for all the silver change he or she could find to get a can of Pepsi, and had the same anxieties about planning the future. As an incoming student, it's easy to become intimidated or to feel awkward discussing your personal or academic goals/worries with an unfamiliar face. A word of advice, be honest and be yourself from the first meeting. This will help you and your adviser develop a productive relationship that may just last well beyond your college years.

College life has many adjustments and possible pitfalls, not the least of which is learning to understand your professors. Contrary to what many fresh-out-of-high school students believe, college professors are almost like your high school teachers. College professors are people with individual human characteristics just like your high school teachers.

They are educated and trained to teach effectively; they just have more education in order to deal with college level course work. One difference, however, that sets the two groups apart is college professors try to treat you like an adult. They leave the responsibility of your education up to you. For instance, say you have an assignment due on Friday and some situation hinders you from doing it. In some cases, the high school teacher will ask you the day the assignment is due why you didn't turn it in and possibly give you another chance to do so.

Most college professors will not ask you why you didn't turn your work in. If you go to them and explain the situation, however, they may be sympathetic to your plight and allow you to turn your work in late.

As a teaching assistant, I'm often approached by students with questions because they feel uncomfortable speaking with their professors. Once, a first-year student came to me from another professor's course to seek advice. The student expressed concern about her performance in class and asked me to speak with the professor. I did just that. I let the professor know what was going on with this particular student and he agreed to contact her. I felt this would allow the student to feel more comfortable about talking to the professor. I never heard from her again throughout the semester, so I presumed her situation had been resolved. Later, I found out she had flunked that particular course. She had never once gone to speak to the professor after he had contacted her. Help was waiting for this student in the form of a willing professor, but she didn't reach out and take it.

The greatest advice regarding college professors is to take advantage of their office hours and to get to know them. They have specific times set aside for the students in each of their classes. Some professors require that you make an appointment because they want to make sure you get enough time to speak with them without interruptions. Others do not require an appointment because it may seem too formal and uninviting to the students. Professors are people too, just like you and me; most of them genuinely desire feedback from you, the student. So take advantage of those office hours!

Why should I visit my professors?

• Clarify course guidelines or syllabus.
• Clarify a specific assignment.
• Obtain explanation of professor's comments on papers or assignments.
• Ask for suggestions on improving grades.
• Ask for clarification of lecture or class discussion.
• Communicate about absences or illnesses.
• Ask for advice on graduate study or future plans.
• Talk about suggestions for self-improvement, books to read, etc.

These are just a few of many excellent reasons for visiting your professors. Often times, though, freshmen go through their entire first semester of college without having any kind of relationship with their professors. The most successful students are the ones who seek their professors' help. If your professors see that you have a genuine interest in their course and your well being in their classes, they will help you study, as well as tell you what you need to do to be successful in their classes.

Settling Into Your Residence Hall

Life in the residence halls is an experience unique to college life. Residence hall life offers you the chance to meet new friends and to participate in intramural sports such as flag football, basketball, etc. It also provides you with many other opportunities to study with your fellow residents, and maybe even go on trips together. There is no rule that states that you have to engage in any of these activities, but you may find lifelong friends by doing so. Although there are many advantages to living in a residence hall, there may also be times when you find it to be challenging. For example, if you are used to having a room to yourself, dealing with a roommate that you do not know may be a totally new experience for you. There may be times when you and your roommate do not get along. The best thing to do is try to sit down with him/her and talk about the problem. If you find that talking is not working, the next step would be to go to the Resident Assistant (RA) on your floor. The RA can act as a mediator between the two of you and help you sort out your problems. (RAs are also invaluable when you lock yourself out of your room and your roommate is nowhere to be found.)

Home Sweet Home

If you are a nontraditional student (married, have children, or over the age of 23), your concerns may be much different from those of a student who will be living on campus. There are a limited number of housing units owned by the college, inlcuding the new Eco-Village that may be available (contact the Student Life/Collegium office for information about the Family Student Housing--you must get on the waiting list for this housing as early as you possibly can). You must find an apartment, child care, turn on utilities, and also locate financial assistance. While this search may not be as easy as you would like, Berea College is here to help you. The college can equip you with a list of sources for financial assistance, as well as provide you with a list of local apartments. The college also operates a wonderful child care center, known as the Berea College Child Development Lab. There is also a waiting list for this! Call 986-9430 to get your child's name on the list. It is never too early to do this (even if your child hasn't been born yet). The Student Life/Collegium office is an excellent resource for any of this information.

Getting Involved

As a Berea College student, you have many opportunities to get involved in activities on and off campus. Clubs and sports are a good way to meet other people who share your interests. There are many different clubs and organizations here at Berea that cover a wide variety of interests. From basketball, to the debate team, to Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, to The Pinnacle (the school newspaper), to Black Music Ensemble, there is something for everyone at Berea. For those of you who enjoy volunteering, there are many organizations that you can get involved with, such as People Who Care, Habitat for Humanity, Students for Appalachia (SFA), Berea Buddies, etc. This list covers only a few opportunities that are available to you. For information about various clubs and service opportunities you may contact Holly Hudson at Student Life and/or campus ministries.

Food Service

It's not French Cuisine and it's not Mama's cooking. Heck, sometimes we wonder if it's Chef Boyardi. But it is a fact: you'll eat at food service many times in your college career. However, not all hope is lost. Food Service provides a variety of foods for everyone. With a little creativity and ingenuity, you will be able to eat well during your time at Berea. Here is what you have to work with.

• The Marketplace: this line serves more traditional, cafeteria type food: casseroles, poultry and ham, vegetables, rice and potatoes. Variety changes from day to day.
• The Firehouse Grill: hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, tatertots, you name it. This line also features chicken patties and nuggets, sloppy joes and fish sandwiches on a regular basis.
• Veggie Styles: offers an alternative meal to vegetarians and to those who are trying to make healthier food choices. These choices are likely to include vegetables, veggie burgers, and meatless casseroles. Many of the entrees use tofu as a protein supplement, and some use cheese and egg to flavor and give texture. So if you are a vegan (i.e., a vegetarian who does not eat egg and cheese), you may want to be aware of what you are actually eating. They always try to keep beans and rice in the veggie line as an additional source of protein. Soy milk is available upon request.
• Wild Pizza: pretty self-explanatory. Two pizzas are out at a time, one veggie and one meat-lovers.
• The Salad Bar: concoct your own creation! Food Service provides the fixins' and a variety of dressings.
• The Deli: do it yourself sandwiches! Choose from a variety of breads, cold cuts, and meat salads. Top it off with fixings and condiments for a sandwich your way, right away.
• Theme Cuisine: this line features hot meals of a different kind every week. Examples are Sizzlin' Caesar Salads, Fajita Bar, Thai Fry and Pasta Pronto. You choose the meat and vegetables that go in your meal.
• Miscellaneous: the soups, breads, and desserts don't have particular sections but you'll find them easily enough. A variety of cereals and milk are always available, as well.
• Comment Cards: are located in the cafeteria near the exit doors. The purpose of these cards is to help Food Service supervisors know what the students want. Food Service is always willing to please the students whenever they can, so don't get mad when the selection of vegetables is getting boring or when there is no variety in your meals--do something about it.

If none of these are to your liking, get creative! One of our favorite meals is to combine the deli and salad bar for a turkey club salad. Or the Firehouse Grill/Marketplace mix of broccoli and cheese is another great alternative. One thing is for sure: you won't starve. Best of luck in finding the foods that work best for you!

BANC

Basic Math

BCNow.net

Center for Learning, Teaching, Communication, and Research (the Learning Center)

Closed door visitation

Chaplain

Chimes

Convo

CPO

Defensive Driving

Deferrable

EDGE

E-mail

Extension

Formatting a disk

GSTR classes

Head Resident

Internet aka The Net

Labor Day

Mountain Day

Mountaineer Card

Non Trad

Overload

The Pinnacle

Public Safety

The Quad

Quiet hours

Reading period

Reserves

Resident assistants (R.A.s)

Student Parking

Syllabus

Underload (a.k.a. part time student)

Vegan

Zephyr

For more information, consult the Student Handbook (published annually by Campus Activities). In it, you will find a wealth of information about the college (its policies and other particulars), a nifty calendar/datebook as well as a campus map.

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Boorstin, Daniel, ed. An American Primer. Canada: Meridian, 1985.

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Copp, Glenn. Basic Oral Communication. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990.

Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.

Dees, Robert. Writing the Modern Research Paper. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1997.

Elbow, Peter. Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process. New York: Oxford UP, 1981.

Flemming, Laraine E., and Judith Leet. Becoming a Successful Student. Boston: Scott, Foresman, 1989.

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Schmidt, Phil, Connie Gardner, and Ginger Pfeifer. "Your Adviser and You." A Student's Guide to Academic Survival at College. Berea: Berea College, 1997.