Tip of the Week

I have received some great feedback from the Tips for the Journey Ahead post. As a result, I will be implementing the Tip of Week post - a tip for every week of the semester. I hope the tips will beneficial to your study experiences - or at least prepare you to be successful in all of your academic endeavors. So this week's Tip of the Week is....

*Participate in class discussions. Now, I know for some people, this might more difficult than for others. I understand because I used to be the student who preferred to observe rather than involve myself in discussions. I felt I could do just fine taking notes and watching. However, the summer I studied at Oxford University changed my participation level in the class because half (yes, 50%) of my grade was dependent upon class discussion. I had to learn right away that I better have something to contribute (and that it better be good too...no pressure, it's just Oxford). As a result of my learning to actively participate in class discussions and then implementing that back into my last undergradate year at ORU, I discovered I enjoyed the classes more.

Now in my 6th semester of graduate courses, I find that this is still a very helpful and beneficial tool to learning. You don't have to offer up opinions or thoughts every single class period, but you should be constantly thinking of what you could bring to the class. By staying involved in the class, you will be able to take in more of what is being taught as well as being able to learn better.. If you are normally the person to sit back and "relax" during class discussions, try next time to branch out and say something. You may be surprised at how much you really can contribute.