Tips Archives
Click on the topic to view the answers below. If you have a question not covered on this page, please email parents@spu.edu.Six Secrets for Academic Success
- Use a calendar or planner. Note paper due dates and tests, and use it to plan specific mini-deadlines for research, drafts, and review.
- Engage. Sit close to the front in class, ask questions, and be sure to talk to faculty members during their office hours.
- Identify a study buddy. Exchange phone numbers and email addresses with someone in each class to catch up on missed notes or to clarify information.
- Pause. After class, take a few minutes to review notes. Highlight main points from lectures, list questions for faculty, and write quick summaries of each lesson.
- Locate a study space. Find a spot on or off campus that allows for focus. Go there to do homework, review for the day, or study for a test. Then enjoy a “reward”: some guilt-free downtime (“If I do my chem homework, I can watch “The Office”’).
- Know (and use!) student resources. Faculty members, academic advisors, residence life staff, the Center for Learning, the Library, the Career Development Center, the Health Center, the Counseling Center are here to help!
Effective Support
Five ways to help your student start off — and stay — successful in college:
- Encourage your student to stay on campus during weekends. Students who engage in campus life early in the academic year have an easier transition to college life.
- Challenge your student to get involved. Students who participate in on-campus clubs and organizations are more likely to earn a higher grade point average, gain more from their college experience, and succeed.
- Encourage your student to build a strong support network. While college is a time for students to assert their independence, it’s equally important for them to develop a sense of interdependence, even with faculty and staff.
- Remind your student that academics is a full-time job. Surveys show that students who commit to a 35–40 hour academic week receive higher GPAs and tend to succeed more than students who see college as a part-time job.
- Support your student as they take on more responsibilities. The college years are a critical time for students to become increasingly responsible and practice new self-management skills, with minor guidance from parents.
