They say hindsight is 20/20. They also say it's easy to be a Monday-morning quarterback. But what would you say to yourself if you had to start your education over?
Without freaking out about how exhausting that sounds, some of our students offered a few of their most valuable tips for succeeding in school. Here's what they had to say.
Some of the real advice we've gotten from our students
Develop a system for saving papers and stick to it. All of mine are like 2021 05 04 ClassName PaperName. It keeps them in chronological order, making for easier recall if you need to find something.
- Laura Mae W.
Do something that you enjoy 1-2 days each week. I neglected to do this while I was in Nursing school and never made time for myself. You're important too and it’s good for your mental health.
- Katelyn H.
Write out an outline with the specific items you want to cover. Give detail in your opening and closing paragraphs to bring home your message or opinion.
- Tracy B.
Believe in yourself!!!
- Cathy M.
Do a survey of the literature about your topic first. Many scholarly articles will list areas for further research which could be helpful in approaching the topic in a new way.
- Chris G.
Talk to your professors. Introduce yourself on the first day of class and don't be afraid to go to office hours, ask questions, or email them if you are struggling. They are there to help you learn and succeed and, more often than not, willing to give you a deadline extension or extra help if you need it.
- Aurelia D.
If you run into problems in your classes, ask for help. Do not let yourself get behind just because you are stubborn and do not like to ask. I have been down that road and I would not do it again.
- Jessica R.
Learn how to properly search in ProQuest or whatever database you use! It was taking me hours to comb through lists of scholarly articles my first few weeks. Finding a video that broke down the research process has helped me be able to find a shortlist of appropriate resources in just minutes.
- Jennifer C.
Use the school virtual library and ask the librarians how to use the search tool if you are not familiar with it. Data is a few clicks away when you know how to find it.
- Sara M.
Here’s how to get high-quality sources and avoid .coms when doing a Google search:
Type the topic and then site:.edu or site:.gov in the search box
It will eliminate a large portion of (potentially) questionable resources.
- Andrea G.
Do the best you can, but it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Nancy W.
Don't stress over the A grade. Not many places will ask you what your grades are once you graduate!
- Tara H.
Set a goal to get your paper done by a certain date and have a little reward for sticking to the goal. I used M&Ms as my reward.
- Sherri S.
Exercise! Sleep! Good nutrition! Self-care! Boundaries!
Important when you're not in school, and way more important when you're in school!
- Sara M.
If schoolwork seems overwhelming, take a breath and break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones.
- Catherine K.
Write your bibliography or works cited as you use each source, not when you finish the paper.
- Andrea G.
Eat an elephant one bite at a time...
Break down your paper into sections to be done over the course of a week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc.
- Sarah B.
If it doesn't scare you a little, it isn't worth it.
- Andrea Y.
Don't get married to your writing, just date it.
When you have someone give you feedback on how to improve your writing, don't take it personally. The feedback is not a personal attack on you. Give yourself the freedom to write something that is not perfect so you can make progress then go back later and refine what you have written.
- Krista C.
Start your paper early, then when you are finished, set it aside for 24 hours. Then re-read it with fresh eyes.
- Nancy W.
Don’t get defensive when getting feedback.
- Cathy M.
Don't procrastinate! Waiting until the last minute will not make your paper shine!
- Kathy P.
Experience, savor, and live in the moment. Enjoying every moment counts. You count. You matter.
- Dana L.
Don't worry about asking too many questions even if you're the only one. It's not a waste of class time; you're being thorough. Your classmates will thank you later.
- Jessica M.
One word: PROOFREAD!!!
- Renée T.-J.
Schedule time to prepare for exams or write papers. I thought of it as an appointment I had to go to.
- Elizabeth Y.
Read all of the information you have gathered for your research, then take a day or two to get your thoughts organized around the research before you start to write.
- Sherri S.
Always save your paper as you’re working on it. And have it saved in Dropbox or Drive when you save it.
- Brezel
Write your notes by hand. Don’t type. Writing things down acts as a memory cue. This will reinforce the concept and you will learn much more quickly.
- Charles H.
Research your subject thoroughly. A little research can go a long way.
- Cathy U.
Talk to your faculty member. They want you to succeed, not fail. They want to make sure you do really understand the How & Why.
- Richard T.
I put in placeholders (Intro..., Analysis..., Conclusion...) to build the structure of my paper, with proper headers. It feels like it’s half-written before I even start.
- Heather V.
If there is a rubric for ANYTHING, use it....it is a fool-proof way to succeed.
- Rodney D.
If it gets too overwhelming, it's okay to take a break and walk away from it! Refreshing your mind and clearing the cobwebs really does help to refocus on the task at hand!
- Kathy P.
Be nice to yourself. If you are feeling down or having lots of lows speak to your doctor or nurse practitioner. Get help. You'll be in a club with the rest of us.
- Laura Mae W.
Adulting is tough and sometimes overrated. Get the help you need. Don't be embarrassed if you need to make an appointment to talk to a counselor.
- Tara H.
Use index cards to organize your research
- Jennifer Shirley L.
Make a few friends in your program to bounce ideas and papers/assignments off of. Having someone else proofread papers really helps get the A's!
- Tara H.
Schedule self-care into your schedule; it will be easy to put yourself last, but don’t do it. Put yourself first.
- Tina M.
(We recommend watching this video if this tip helps you)
Balancing work, school, and family life is difficult but it can be done.
- Terrell L.
It's kind of weird because your biggest enemy and your greatest help is actually yourself. Okay, so what do I mean by that? Everything you can ever achieve is all dependent on you and it's kind of tough to say but it's the tough truth. You can say you have your friends to depend on and help you out but at the end of the day, it's just going to be you alone facing that laptop and getting all the knowledge that you need to pass. So I just believe that it is firstly important to have that understanding that the person driving yourself to success or failure is solely on you. Yeah, I know it's scary sometimes, but just breathe and know that you've got this because you are enough to help yourself achieve all that you need to achieve. Oh, and Google of course.
- Ododooluwa E.
PERSIST! This was shared with me by a friend when I was having anxiety attacks during my Ph.D. program (I actually have graduated). Don't give up. Advanced education is as much about staying the course as it is about learning the topic.
- Seja J.
Always do the extra credit.
- Mackenzie E.
If you are scared to write papers, seek out the writing lab on your college or university campus. They can be a great resource of information and help. They were my saving grace while I was working on my dissertation.
- Richard T.
Eat the chicken nuggets. They are optimal brain fuel and will help power you through those papers!
- Gabrielle D.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. Some of the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
- Jen P.
Always skip the intro and move straight to the body. When I've written the body, I go back read it, and clean it up. Then when it's fresh in my mind, I type the intro and conclusion.
- Heather V.
Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. :-)
- Patricia O.