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Understanding Your College Experience
Third Edition©2020 John N. Gardner; Betsy O. Barefoot; Negar Farakish
Successfully transition to college—and prepare for a career—with the most practical help available.
Understanding Your College Experience empowers you to access the information and resources you’ll need to have a fulfilling and meaningful experience inside and outside the classroom. Get the practical help and necessary strategies you need to make good choices in college and begin your professional journey.
Table of Contents
Part One: WELCOME TO YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
1: The Essentials for College Success
The College Experience
Exploring Purpose and Setting Goals
Self-Exploration and Career Planning
Academic Planning
Making the Transition by Connecting with Others
2: Cultivating Motivation, Resilience, and Emotional Intelligence
The Importance of Motivation, Attitude, and Mindset
Resilience and Grit
Understanding Emotional Intelligence
3: Managing Time, Energy, and Money
Managing Your Time
Managing Your Energy
Managing Your Money
4: Discovering How You Learn
How People Learn
The VARK Inventory
The Myers−Briggs Type Indicator
Multiple Intelligences
When Learning Preferences and Teaching Methods Conflict
Learning with a Learning Disability or Challenge
Part Two: SUCCEEDING IN COLLEGE
5: Getting the Most Out of Class
Become Engaged in Learning
Prepare for Class
Participate in Class
Take Effective Notes
6: Reading to Learn from College Textbooks
A Plan for Active Reading
Strategies for Reading Different Kinds of Textbooks
Improving Your Reading
Midterm Check In
Introduction
Mid-Term Check In Audit
7 : Studying, Understanding, and Remembering
Studying in College: Making Choices and Concentrating
How Memory Works
Improving Your Memory
Studying to Understand and Remember
8: Taking Tests Successfully
Getting Ready . . .
Taking the Test
Types of Tests
Types of Questions
Test Anxiety
Academic Honesty and Misconduct
9: Developing Information Literacy and Communication Skills
Information Literacy
Choosing, Narrowing, and Researching a Topic
Using the Library
Evaluating Sources
Using Your Research in Writing
The Writing Process
Using Your Research in Presentations
Part Three: YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND
10: Thinking in College
College-Level Thinking
Developing Strong Thinking Skills
Applying Your Critical-Thinking Skills
Bloom’s Taxonomy and the First Year of College
11: Maintaining Wellness and Relationships in a Diverse World
Understanding Wellness
Managing Your Relationships
Thriving in Diverse Environments
12: Making the Right Career Choice
Careers and the New Economy
Planning for Your Career
Getting Experience
Job Search Strategies
Skills Employers Seek
Staying on the Path to Success
John N. Gardner
John N. Gardner brings unparalleled experience to students as an author. The recipient of his institution's highest award for teaching excellence, John has over forty years of experience directing and teaching in the most widely emulated first-year seminar in the country, the University 101 course at the University of South Carolina (USC), Columbia. John is universally recognized as one of the country's leading educators for his role in initiating and orchestrating an international reform movement to improve the beginning college experience, a concept he coined as "the first-year experience." He is the founding executive director of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at USC, as well as the Policy Center on the First Year of College and the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education (www.jngi.org), both based in Brevard, N.C.
Betsy O. Barefoot
Betsy O. Barefoot is a writer, researcher, and teacher whose special area of scholarship is the first-year seminar. During her tenure at USC from 1988 to 1999, she served as co-director for research and publications at the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. She also taught University 101 and graduate courses on the first-year experience and the principles of college teaching. She conducts first-year seminar faculty training workshops around the world and is frequently called on to evaluate first-year seminar outcomes. Betsy is co-director and senior scholar in the Policy Center on the First Year of College and Vice President of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education both in Brevard, N.C. In her Policy Center role she led a major national research project to identify institutions of excellence in the first college year. She currently works with both two- and four-year campuses in evaluating all components of the first year.
Negar Farakish
Negar Farakish currently serves as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of American Honors at Union County College in New Jersey and teaches as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has served in various administrative and faculty positions at a number of community colleges and is familiar with the student population at these institutions. She has worked with students from diverse backgrounds and is fully aware of their academic and non-academic needs. Negar possesses a doctorate degree in Higher and Post-secondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
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