Academic Success at Horry Georgetown Technical College

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Academic Success at Horry Georgetown Technical College

Navigating academic and social life in college can be challenging, whether you are a first-year student transitioning from high school, or a transfer student. On top of adjusting to a new schedule, new people, and different responsibilities, you have to adjust to more rigorous courses and likely a deceptively heavy workload. It can be a lot. Fortunately, you are not alone, and there are many resources available at HGTC to help you achieve academic success. There isn鈥檛 necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution, nor is the following intended to be an exhaustive list, but as a starting point we have put together five key tips with practical steps and resources to help you thrive while you鈥檙e here.

1. Establish a time management system.

Any student鈥檚 academic success is built on a foundation of time management. It鈥檚 nearly impossible to do well in classes without a routine, a way to balance priorities, and a system for planning ahead. Here are a few key tips to get your time management under control:

Use a weekly schedule, planner, or calendar to plan your time each week and each day. It鈥檚 common for students to want to have lots of unstructured free time, but students often tell us that unstructured time leads to procrastination鈥攎eaning they end up neither doing what they should be doing (studying) nor what they want to be doing (fun stuff). By using a planner, you can find room for both academic and social time. Factor in everything you do in a day, including things like meals, working out, social events, clubs and organizations, class, work, studying, and even free time. Use this to plan strategic study times for each class. You can use any type of planner (digital or hard copy).  Try your best to stick to your schedule as much as possible.  Your brain will thank you 馃槈

Chunk your time. Research has shown that it鈥檚 much more effective to space out your studies over a longer period of time (distributed practice) instead of doing all your work at once or cramming last-minute (massed practice). Additionally, studying for smaller periods of time (no more than an hour) and then taking a break improves learning. Try using the Pomodoro technique to help you study in chunks.

Plan ahead and think big picture. Use a calendar to figure out when your busy weeks are鈥攂efore they catch you off guard! This big picture tool can help you plan ahead so you don鈥檛 end up cramming last minute or getting overwhelmed during the busy weeks.

Use academic coaching. Academic coaching can help you better understand your habits and your goals, and it can also give you new ideas for what might work best for you. Importantly, academic coaching includes a focus on accountability, which is integral to forming new time management habits.  Schedule your Academic Coaching session using Penji today.

2. Use effective study strategies.

Let鈥檚 be honest: if you鈥檙e not studying effectively, you鈥檙e wasting your time. Many students start college using the same strategies they used in high school because those techniques worked well in high school; however, as you may have already figured out, college is different. Classes are structured differently and require more independent study, and your professors may be less accessible than you鈥檙e used to; these differences may require new study habits that you didn鈥檛 need to develop in high school. The good news is that there is plenty of research and plenty of resources out there for how to study effectively in college. Below, we give brief descriptions of a few effective study strategies and connect you to resources to continue exploring.

Test yourself. Rather than simply re-reading your textbook and notes, create flashcards or create a study guide from memory to test yourself on the information. If you鈥檙e using flashcards, don鈥檛 look at the answers or flip the flashcard until you have tried to answer the question yourself. If you鈥檙e creating a study guide, write down as much as you can from memory, leaving gaps when you know you need to fill in information or details later. These practices will tell you exactly what you do and do not know and will actively engage your brain in retrieval鈥攁n essential part of good learning.

Become a teacher. Instead of rereading information, close your book and notes and explain the information in your own words out loud to a friend鈥攐r even to yourself. In doing so, you鈥檒l quickly get a better feel for what you know and don鈥檛 know well.

Use active reading strategies. Using effective active reading strategies can transform your reading time from frustrating, time-consuming, and confusing to meaningful, purpose-driven, and successful.

Use metacognition to your advantage. Research has shown that students who engage in metacognition (reflective thinking about what they know and don鈥檛 know and about how they learn) are much more effective learners.

Study with a partner or group. Attend review sessions or group study sessions for your class or join a study group.  Tutors at the Student Success and Tutoring Center (SSTC) can reserve a study room in the tutoring center with up to 8 students participating in a group learning session.

Attend any available workshops or coaching session. Take one hour to come to a workshop about effective study strategies in a group setting from one of our academic coaches. You鈥檒l also receive handouts and resources and get time to apply what you鈥檝e learned. You can also meet one-on-one with a coach to help you better understand and implement active learning strategies.

3. Understand your professors鈥� expectations for each course.

Read your course information sheets/Syllabus. Get to know your syllabus for each course, and refer to it often. It鈥檚 your roadmap for the class and provides important dates, links to resources, and timelines of topics. Don鈥檛 just take a narrow view, looking one day at a time at what you need to get done鈥攕tudents often miss the important information they can learn from looking at the big picture and how things connect. By scanning previous weeks of the syllabus before you read a new assignment, you鈥檙e likely to understand more of your reading because you can better situate your new knowledge within what you鈥檝e already learned.

Take advantage of office hours. Don鈥檛 be afraid to make an appointment with your professor to discuss anything you may be confused about or any questions you have about your course or assignments.

4. Create your team at HGTC.

HGTC offers resources and support across campus in many different areas. Consider your needs and check out these great resources to become more connected during your time here.

• Student Success and Tutoring Center (SSTC): Offers academic coaching, workshops, peer tutoring in many subjects, and a plethora of online resources about many academic skills and issues.  The SSTC also provides writing coaching appointments, workshops, and many online resources for writing.
• Academic Advising:  Students who meet with an academic advisor will:
  • Create an academic plan.
  • Be able to identify where to find their program requirements and admission and registration policies and procedures.
  • Be able to use Degree Works and myHGTC to select and register for appropriate classes.
  • Be knowledgeable about where and how to access appropriate support services to accommodate their unique needs.
  • Learn the importance of maintaining regular communication with their faculty advisor to monitor and evaluate educational progress.
  • Be guided towards a career
• Counseling Services: Counseling services at HGTC are offered to all registered students. Staff are available to every student for assistance and guidance on career exploration, academics, and other areas of concern. Community resources are available for students needing additional support which may include housing, mental health and substance abuse, and emergency and disaster assistance. To obtain community resources or learn more about available support, please contact counseling@hgtc.edu.
• Accessibility & Disability Services: A student with a disability has the right to participate in and benefit from programs offered at the college. The Office of Accessibility and Disability Services provides students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs and services offered at HGTC. We are dedicated to providing appropriate services and reasonable accommodations through an interactive process with students with documented disabilities, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other applicable regulations.
• Financial Aid: The Financial Aid Office at HGTC seeks to provide assistance to anyone who demonstrates financial need and has a desire to go to college.  The responsibility for meeting college costs lies primarily with the student and the student鈥檚 family; however, financial aid can help bridge the gap between the cost of your education and what you can afford to pay.  To access services and accommodations, students must first self-identify, obtain and submit documentation of the disability, and then reach out to Accessibility and Disability Services to begin the interactive process of determining and implementing reasonable accommodations. Accessibility and Disability Services can be reached at disabilityservices@hgtc.edu or call/text (843)796-8818.
• Tech Central: Interested and current students as well as community members are always welcome to contact the Student Information Center also known as TECH Central. TECH Central will support the mission of the College by providing quality enrollment, collegiate guidance, and technology support services to allow users to experience a positive, streamlined college enrollment process and to increase technology and life-long learning skills.

5. Practice self-care.

Since college can be challenging and time-consuming, it鈥檚 important to take care of yourself along the way. Many students find themselves neglecting sleep, healthy eating, and enjoyment for the sake of academic success. However, part of being academically successful is living a healthy, balanced life and taking care of yourself. You can鈥檛 perform at your best if you aren鈥檛 taking care of yourself mentally and physically. Many of the resources we鈥檝e shared in this handout can help you establish a good routine that will allow you to do well and eliminate some of the stress that college brings. These self-care strategies seem simple, but they are as easy to neglect as they are important to remember.

Sleep matters. Sleep promotes cognition and memory, facilitates learning, recharges your mental and physical batteries, and generally helps you make the most out of your days. With enough sleep, you improve your mental and physical health, withstand stress, and maintain the consistency that is critical to healthy daily functioning.

Make healthy choices. What you put into your body affects the way you feel, perform, and learn. Things like drinking enough water, eating healthy foods, and getting exercise improves your brain, body, and your chance at academic success.

Set goals and develop solid habits. Create some short-term and long-term goals, then take steps towards pursuing them.

Find things you enjoy. It can be tempting to study or work all the time, but it鈥檚 important to strike a healthy balance and make sure you do things you enjoy sometimes. Incorporate relaxing activities into your day, like yoga or a walk. Give yourself study breaks. Plan to spend time with friends. Take up a hobby or get involved in a student organization.  Make sure to plan ahead, and schedule your time so that you are able to get your work done, but don鈥檛 feel bad about scheduling in some fun time as well. And don鈥檛 forget that quality 鈥渄own time鈥� isn鈥檛 just for fun鈥攎ental breaks also help you study more effectively.

Bonus: Academic Coaching

It takes time and effort to establish a time management system, use effective study strategies, understand your professors鈥� expectations, create your team, and practice self-care, but you don鈥檛 have to do it alone. Our academic coaches at HGTC can help you talk through these things, create a plan, and start to implement them. You can meet with an academic coach regularly for accountability and help in sticking with your plans.

Academic Coaching services are available through the SSTC for HGTC students that are facing extensive academic challenges. Academic Coaches work one-on-one with students to provide resources and assist students with essential skills, such as time management, study techniques, and goal setting, to help students succeed within and beyond the classroom. SSTC Academic Coaches tailor each session to the unique needs of the student. Areas of focus for an appointment with an academic coach include:

• Academic Planning & Success Strategies
• Increasing Confidence and Self-Efficacy
• Managing Academic Anxiety
• Connecting to Campus Resources
• Self-Advocacy

Student Responsibilities

• Maintain an open mind and willingness to try new things.
• Adopt a 鈥渃an do鈥� attitude and make a commitment to yourself and your education.
• Follow through on the goals and tasks you set with your coach during meetings.
• Communicate clearly with your coach: in person, via email, or through the Penji app.
• Arrive on time. Cancel appointments 24 hours in advance if you cannot attend.

Academic Coach Responsibilities

• Practice active listening and serve as your advocate.
• Communicate clearly and honestly with you.
• Encourage you to learn from the past to improve future performance.
• Help you determine skills, strategies, and behaviors you would like to enhance.
• Model the values of the Student Success and Tutoring Center
• Refer you to appropriate campus or community resources as needed.