Strategies for Success
Dave Mackay, MSW, RSW
University of Waterloo
April, 2014
Components of Academic Success
 Learning Styles
 Reading Skills
 Time management
 Test performance
 Memory and recall
 Persistence
 Note-taking
 Accessing Resources
 Concentration
Learning Styles
Visual Learners
Auditory Learners
Kinesthetic Learners
Time Management
Organization
Efficiency
Scheduling
Study habits
Setting priorities
Lifestyle
Procrastination
Procrastination
Organization
 Write down all of your assignment and test dates on a
full term or school-year calendar
 Move from longer-term to shorter-term (monthly, to
weekly, to daily) scheduling of tasks
 Try tracking your use of time for a week
Setting Priorities
Essential Not
Essential
Urgent
Not
Urgent
Setting Priorities
Essential Not
Essential
Urgent
1
Not
Urgent
Setting Priorities
Essential Not
Essential
Urgent
1
Not
Urgent
2
Setting Priorities
Essential Not
Essential
Urgent
1
Not
Urgent
2
3
Setting Priorities
Essential Not
Essential
Urgent
Not
Urgent
1
3
2
4
Understanding Procrastination
 Fear of failure
 Fear of success
 Perfectionism
 Rebellion
 Overwhelmed
 Lack of interest
 An established pattern
Overcoming Procrastination
 Plan a clear, realistic schedule in advance
 “First-minute” motivation
 Smallest achievable chunks
 Rewards
Maximizing Recall
 The 50 - 10 Rule
 Review according to the
“curve of forgetting”
Curve of Forgetting
10
minutes
100%
Day1
Day 2
5
minutes
Day 7
2-4
minutes
Day 30
Recall cont’d…
 Take advantage of your learning style preferences
 Don’t just review, practice too!
 Sleep for better grades!
Adult’s Sleep Histogram
R.E.M.
Awake
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Hours of Consecutive Sleep
Note-taking
 Read ahead whenever possible
 Review your notes according to the curve of forgetting
 Set up your notes with a mind for studying from them
CLASS
DATE
PAGE #
Notes from what teacher is saying or showing during
class go here on right side of page
(leave lots of space on the left side of the page)
** Leave space at bottom of page for “summary statements”
CLASS
After class, make
up questions or
key words to cue
your recall of the
notes you took
during class and
write them here.
DATE
PAGE #
Notes from what teacher is saying or showing
during class go here.
e.g.
What is it?
Where do I find
it?
How do I use it?
What is its
importance?
Summary statements….
Concentration & Distraction
 Examine your place of study, then make changes you
can or consider moving
 Eat well. Sleep well. Be physically active.
 Multi tasking?
 Write down your distracting thoughts
 Take advantage of high energy times
Circadian Rhythms
8am - 12pm High
12pm - 4pm Med
4pm - 6pm Low
6pm - 10pm Med
After 10pm Rest
Reading Skills
 Start with an overview (introduction, summary, titles,
subtitles, tables, charts, graphs, bold print)
 Always read with a specific purpose or a question in
mind
 Don’t get too comfortable
Preparing for & Writing Exams
Worry
Being Prepared
 Put in the hours (without cramming)
 Be physically & mentally healthy
 Study by doing (active study)
 Practice getting unstuck
Do I know my stuff?
 Can I say it in my own words?
 Can I give an example?
 Can I explain it to someone who doesn’t understand it?
Writing the Exam
 Have a plan… and a back-up plan …. (not this)
 Essay Exams
 Problem Solving Exams
 Multiple Choice Exams
After the exam
 Make note of what seemed to work or not work as you
studied
 Make note of what seemed to work or not work as you
wrote the test
 After the test is returned, look for patterns in your
errors
Correlates of University Persistence
 Longitudinal study, University of Calgary (M. Drysdale)

Who continues after the first year?
 Variables:
 Age
 Gender
 High school grades
 Intended major/area of study
 University grades (1st semester, 1st year)
 Learning style (dominant and weakest)
Significant Outcomes
 Interaction between :
 First term grades
 First year grades
 Declared major area of study
 Dominant learning style (used Gregorc Learning Styles)
University GPA
 First term GPA:
 GPA < 2.00 (‘C’) 34% of those who did not continue
 GPA > 2.00
6% of those who did not continue
 First year GPA:
 GPA < 2.00 (‘C’) 40% of those who did not continue
 GPA > 2.00
6% of those who did not continue
Intended Major
 30% of those who had not declared a major were
required to withdraw or dropped out vs 8% of those
who had declared a major
 Younger students had more problems deciding on
career
Recommendations
 Know and work with your Learning Style
 Put some energy into Career exploration (ongoing)
 Learn and apply effective Study Skills (ongoing)
 Ask for help! Access resources!!!
Study Skills Resources
 uwaterloo.ca/student-success/resources/online-
resources
 Teachers, Family, Teaching Assistants, Classmates
 Find alternate textbooks for difficult courses
 Find old tests/exams and work through them
 Study skills books and tips on-line and at bookstores
 Private tutors, counsellors, and education agencies