CHAPTER 1: PREPARING FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE What’s In It for You? • Reasons for Going to College • The Advantages of a College Education • Improved Opportunities for Financial Security • Obtaining the Necessary Skills for Today's Workforce • The College Advantage • The Personal Benefits of Going to College • You're Part of a Diverse College Population • Getting Involved in Your College Community • • • • Getting Socially Involved Tips for Getting Socially Involved Getting Academically Involved Tips for Getting Academically Involved • Finding the Right Balance • Getting Off to a Good Start in Your Classes Benefiting from Resources and Services • • • • • • Using Your College Catalog/Student Handbook Academic Requirements and Procedures Student Services Using Your Placement Office Working with the System Tips for Making the System Work for You Getting There Financing Your Education • Know Where Your Money Goes • Tips for Reducing Expenses • Working Through School • • • • • • Coping with Credit Cards: Going Plastic Tips for Coping with Credit Cards Identity Theft: What You Should Know Tips for Minimizing Your Risk for Identity Theft Financial Aid Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Information on the Web Balancing School, Work, Family, and Friends • • • • • Strategies for Work and School Tips for Managing Work and School Strategies for Family and School Tips for Managing Children and School Child Care • Communicating with Others • Online Social Networking • Security Dangers of Online Social Networking • Personal Risks of Online Social Networking CHAPTER 2: LEARNING TO THINK CRITICALLY What’s In It for You? • What Is Critical Thinking? • The Importance of Critical Thinking to Your Professional and Personal Life • What Qualities Do Critical Thinkers Possess? • The Process and Tools for Critical Thinking • Tools for Critical Thinking • Basic Guidelines for Critical Thinking • Developing Critical Reading Skills • Questioning: The Tool of Critical Reading • Ten Critical Thinking Questions to Probe Your Reading • Critical Thinking: You and the Media • • • • • • • Tips for Thinking Critically About the Media Highlights Discussion Questions Activities Practicing for Academic Success Practicing for Career Success Practicing for Personal Success In Your Own Words CHAPTER 3: PRESENTING YOUR BEST WORK What’s In It for You? • • • • • The basics of effective writing strategies. How to write a well organized research paper. Tips for producing quality memos, letters, and reports for work. Strategies for overcoming the fear of public speaking. Tips for making interesting, well organized oral presentations. The Basic Steps to Effective Writing • Step 1: Choosing a Topic for a Writing Assignment • Step 2: Prewriting • Step 3: Organizing • Step 4: Writing a Rough Draft • Step 5: Revising Practice, Practice, Practice Writing and Computers Tips for Writing with Computers The Research Paper • • • • • • • Know the Ropes Choose a Topic Gather Information Select Information from Your Resources Construct an Outline Write Rough Draft(s) Revise and Polish Writing for Work • • • • Writing Memos Tips for Writing a Better Memo Writing Business Letters Writing Reports Making Presentations • Tips for Preparing a Presentation • Tips for Making Presentations SAMPLE OF A MENU DRIVEN PRESENTATION CHAPTER 4: LEADERSHIP, ETHICS, AND RESPONSIBILITY What's In It for You This chapter explores the important traits of leadership, ethics, and responsibility. College provides a perfect environment for you to work on developing your leadership skills! LEADERSHIP WHAT’S THE ONE THING THAT ALL LEADERS HAVE IN COMMON? FOLLOWERS! Adaptable Approachable Authentic Charismatic Collaborative Committed Compassionate Competent Consistent Decisive Dependable Disciplined Effective Efficient Empathetic Engaged Ethical Family Oriented Firm Flexible Focused Forward Thinker Goal Oriented Honorable Influential Innovative Intelligent Listener Opportunistic Optimistic Organized Outgoing Productive Resilient Resourceful Responsible Role Model Sense of Humor Spiritual Stable Steadfast Straight Forward Tactful Team Player Tolerant Transcendent Visible Visionary Wise THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP • Behavioral – assumes people lead because they care about people, respond to other people’s needs, are genuinely interested in other people, can select the best approach to a problem, and are able to be decisive in crisis situations. • Contingency – suggests that leadership is variable, that it depends on the particular situation, the characteristics of the people involved, the context of the particular group, the style of the leader, and whether the leader is trusted or not. SOURCES OF POWER In most societies, the group selects a leader. What are some other ways people select leaders? TYPES OF LEADERS: BASIC LEADERSHIP TRAITS WHAT IS A SUCCESSFULLY LEADER? TIPS FOR DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS • • • • • • Read Develop your vocabulary Be fair Get involved Brainstorm ideas Treat people with respect ETHICS AND RESPONSIBILITY • Ethics – a set of values. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES • • • • • Respect autonomy (other people’s rights) Do no harm Benefit others Be just Be faithful ETHICAL TERMS • Ethics – a set of values based on moral beliefs and attitudes • Morality – the rules, or mores, which an individual or group has about what is right or wrong, good or evil • Mores – the values and beliefs of a particular culture • Value – that which we choose to be worthwhile or believe to have merit, such as truthfulness, respect for others, confidentiality, etc. • Value system – the way in which we organize, prioritize, and make decisions based on our values • Virtues – values turned into actions What would you do? - Find a wallet… Hit a car and no one sees it… Someone asks you to help them cheat on an exam… Cashier gives you back too much money… CHOICES AND CHALLENGES!!! ACADEMIC INTEGRITY!!! RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES & BILL OF RIGHTS Student Responsibilities You have the responsibility to take control of your own learning process. You have the responsibility to develop skills for learning, test-taking, and problemsolving. You have the responsibility to think and act positively. You have the responsibility to ask questions when you don't understand something You have the responsibility to attend classes. You have the responsibility to participate actively in class. You have the responsibility to complete assignments. You have the responsibility to help others when asked. You have the responsibility not to have a negative impact on other students or the instructor. Student Bill of Rights! You have the right to an education. You have the right to take control of your learning process. You have the right to be treated as an adult. You have the right to define success in your own terms. You have the right to feel good about yourself regardless of your abilities. You have the right to ask questions. You have the right to be treated fairly. You have the right to need extra help. You have the right to say you don't understand. You have the right not to be put down. You have the right to evaluate your instructors. CHAPTER 5: SHARING OUR DIVERSE WORLD WHAT'S IN FOR YOU? • The advantage of our diverse world • Ways to overcome stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination • Tips for understanding and relating to students with diverse backgrounds • The significance of body language • Effective listening skills • How to communicate assertively • Strategies for dealing with sexual harassment • How to protect yourself from crime • Tips to protect yourself from rape and date rape TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR DIVERSE WORLD Are we really GRAMFAM???? We are culturally diverse in that the world is a mixture of people of different colors, backgrounds, abilities and faiths. STEROTYPES, PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMINATION • Stereotyping means attributing the perceived characteristics of a category of people to every individual within that category, leaving no room for the specific qualities within each person. • Prejudice means pre-judging. It’s judging a person on what you think you know about them or the group of people they come from. • Discrimination is a action based on prejudice; it is the unequal treatment of members of a group. Relating to Students with Diverse Backgrounds Tips for Eliminating Prejudice and Discrimination and Improving Relationships • • • • • • • • Learn to recognize prejudicial attitudes in yourself. Look for the best in others Practice inclusion Be the person who asks the new student to be a part of the group Speak up for those who others are putting down Learn more about other people Get involved Be kind! COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVE LISTENING IS PROBABLY THE FOUNDATION FOR GOOD RELATIONSHIPS AND GOOD COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PEOPLE. BECOME MORE AWARE OF WAYS THAT YOU MAY WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS. LISTENING SKILLS ASSESSMENT (CLICK ON THE ICON TO TAKE THE LISTENING SKILLS ASSESSMENT) REFLECTIVE LISTENING • Reflective listening is an active form of listening which communicates that you understand what the speaker has said. • Paraphrasing is repeating what someone has said – to let them know that you’ve been paying attention and know the message he/she is trying to get across (reflecting). ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION • Assertive communication is expressing your point of view by standing up for yourself and being direct – while still respecting others. QUALITIES OF AN ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATOR • When things are clear, assertive communicators will ask questions. • Assertive communicators is able to say, “I was wrong about that” and “I’m beginning to see your point”, and “I never looked at it that way before.” • Assertive communicators know that the point of the conversation is to exchange ideas – not win a debate. QUALITIES OF AN NON-ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATOR • Individuals are usually timid and allow others to violate their rights by failing to express their honest feelings and thoughts. • Non assertive communicators want to please others and avoid conflicts. • Non assertive communicators are afraid to express their view. QUALITIES OF AN AGGRESSIVE COMMUNICATOR • Individuals are usually insecure and they express these feelings by responding in ways that do not show respect for others – they often “put down” others to make their point. • Aggressive communicators tend to shout or speak harshly and get impatient. • Aggressive communicators think of themselves first and, therefore don’t think much about the feelings of others. DEALING WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT Most women experience sexual harassment in the form of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other forms of unwanted verbal and physical conduct of a sexual nature. The conduct can be as blatant as grabbing or touching, or as subtle as hints and suggestions. Pervasive displays of nude or pornographic pictures at the workplace also have been ruled harassment. The harassment can be carried out in forms of demanding sexual favors for grades or promotion, or to maintain employment. The evidence also shows that women are more frequently exposed to sexual harassment than men. Studies have shown that sexual harassment is more about power than sex, and about the harasser's feelings of insecurity. DEALING WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT • If you are harassed sexually at school, report it first to a school counselor. • This person can guide you to your school's procedures for complying with sexual harassment laws. • Your local Office for Civil Rights and the equal Employment Opportunity Commission also can guide you in the proper procedures for taking action against sexual harassment. • Sexual harassment is unacceptable conduct and should not be tolerated. • It builds barriers between men and women. • Both sexes need to be more aware of sexual harassment. • Both sexes need to assert themselves when they are offended by inappropriate conduct at school, at work, and in other areas of life. • Both men and women need to expect respect from each other and to speak up when they see sexual harassment occurring. UNDERSTANDING RAPE AND DATE RAPE • Rape is a crime of violence, not sex. • It is emotionally devastating not only to the victim but to the victim's family and close friends, as well as to society in general. • Rape is forced sexual intercourse where physical force, threats, and fear are used to overpower and control the victim. • If it is against your will, it is against the law. • Rape is a felony. • Date rape in particular has received a lot of media attention in recent years. • A victim sometimes is thought to have been "asking for it" because she dressed or behaved in a provocative way. The fact is, rape is a crime of violence, not sex. Rapists are not attracted to their victims in a sexual sense; they are attracted to them as people who seem weak and can be dominated by force. Victims feel the effect of the attack for a long time. Not only is the memory of the attack painful, as well as any physical injuries, but victims also have to deal with family, friends, and acquaintances who may not know how to respond. UNDERSTANDING RAPE AND DATE RAPE • If You're a Victim of Rape • If you are a victim of rape or know someone close to you who was a victim of rape, report the crime at once. • Call the police or the emergency number "911." • Alternatively, call your community rape hotline; hotline numbers usually are located in the front of your telephone book under Community Service Numbers. Members of the hotline will inform you of your options, explain legal processes, and provide counseling and assistance through the medical exam to court proceedings, and after. • Remember that the person who is raped is not at fault—the perpetrator is. The person who was raped did not "ask for it"; the person who was raped was the victim of a crime, not the guilty party. • There are complicated, painful feelings involved following rape; get the assistance of a rape crisis center or another counselor to help get you through the experience. Help is out there. CHAPTER 6: MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • What’s In It for You? Managing Stress Kinds of Stress Stress Management Strategies Tips for Coping with Stress Healthy Eating Tips for Balanced Eating The USDA Dietary Guidelines Managing Your Weight Tips for Controlling Your Weight Eating Disorders The Benefits of Exercise Developing a Personal Exercise Program Tips for Strength Building Tips for Sticking to Your Exercise Program There were many moments when the young artist doubted his ability for the task. In January 1509, he wrote his father, “My work does not seem to go ahead in a way to merit anything. This is due to the difficulty of the work and also because it is not my profession. In consequence, I lose my time fruitlessly.” But he persisted, and the result was a work that set new standards and has stood the test of time. Michelangelo, as he writes about his work on the Sistine Chapel in Rome CHAPTER 6: MAKING HEALTHY CHOICES (CONTINUED) • • • • • • • • • • Considering the Risks and Options of Sex Sexual Relationships Birth Control Preventing Sexually Transmitted Diseases Understanding Substance Abuse Alcohol Tips for Responsible Drinking Smoking Tips for Quitting Smoking—Kick It Before It Kicks You Other Drugs Highlights CHAPTER 7: PLANNING FOR YOUR CAREER • • • • • • • • • What’s In It for You? Know Yourself Assessing Your Workplace Values Assessing Your Interests Assessing Your Occupational Personality Type Assessing Your Skills Investigating Career Options Informational Interviews Tips for Conducting Informational Interviews Job Search Strategies • Job Searching via the Web • Using Your College Career Services Office • Networking as Part of Your Job Search CHAPTER 7: PLANNING FOR YOUR CAREER (CONTINUED) • • • • • • • • • • • • Tips for Successful Networking via Social Media Tips for Successful Job Search Networking—In Person Using Your Portfolio to Market Yourself for the Job Your Resume Tips for Writing an Effective Resume Thinking Outside the Box Marketing Major Components of a Resume How to Create a Scannable Resume Cover Letters Tips for Writing Effective Cover Letters Job Applications Tips for Completing Job Applications Job Interviews At the Interview Common Interview Questions CHAPTER 7: PLANNING FOR YOUR CAREER (CONTINUED) • • • • • • • • • Tips on Preparing for a Job Interview Interview Follow Up—Thank You Highlights Discussion Questions Activities Practicing for Academic Success Practicing for Career Success Practicing for Personal Success In Your Own Words CHAPTER 8: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY • • • • • • • • • • • • • What’s In It for You? Information Boom to Information Overload Should I Buy a New Computer or Upgrade? Tips for Upgrading or Purchasing a New Computer Internet Basics The Way of the Web Searching and Researching via the Web Web Directories Search Engines Metasearch Engines Tips for Searching the Web Using the Web for Class Research Tips for Evaluating Information on the Web Style for Citing Online Information Email Practices and Etiquette for College, Career, and Life CHAPTER 8: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (CONTINUED) • Tips for Email Etiquette and Other Considerations • Keeping Up with Technology to Keep Up with the Changing Workplace • Safety and Security Tips for You and Your Computer