StudySpot prepares students for university

It is well known that the transition to university can be very challenging for many students. University administrators and professors have frequently commented on high school students’ lack of preparation. As well, students often express concern about their own preparation and are anxious about the expectations awaiting them at this next academic challenge.   Typically, students’ questions are centred around the following:

How can I stay organized and stay on top of my work?
How will I handle the reading demands?
How do I take effective lecture notes?
What are university tests and exams like?

 

University Support is designed to address these and the many other questions and concerns graduating high school students have about university. This is also ideal for university students who currently struggle, and wish to develop their skills to insure greater success.

The University Support is focused on five areas; Organization & Time Management, Reading, Note-taking, Research and Exams.

The goal will be to make students aware of the skills required to become successful university students. The theme that will run throughout these sessions will be the need for students to be active learners, taking responsibility for their own success.

Organization & Time Management

Organized students are better able to control their work level and their ultimately their outcomes. During this session, students will be introduced to various strategies designed to help students organize their lives and manage time more effectively.

Reading for Comprehension

Gaining information independently through reading text books and research is a fundamental university skill that high school students typically lack. Here, students will learn effective methods to harvest information from text, active reading strategies, and the SQ4R approach to managing text book readings.

Note-taking

Taking notes in a lecture environment is a new and often intimidating endeavour. We will discuss strategies for preparing for lectures and effective note-taking during class. Along with reading, note-taking is a key skill that is under-developed in high school. Extracting and organizing key ideas from text, allows students to control and reduce the information they read. In this session, students will learn both visual and non-linear note taking methods and special attention will be paid to the Cornell Note-taking technique.

Research

High school students are often unprepared for University calibre research. Universities want more sophisticated research sources then Wikipedia and other internet-based sources that are typically used by high school students. We will show students how to use the internet effectively, and demonstrate what makes a source reputable. Approaches to research and proper referencing will also be discussed.

Exams

University exams are more difficult and worth more than high school exams. The amount of material covered, and the depth of understanding required pose a daunting challenge for students who do not know how to prepare themselves effectively for exams. In this session we will show students how to set up an exam study schedule, and discuss study strategies for the variety of exam questions they are likely to face.