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Whether we like it or not, doing research and composing research papers is a huge component within college. Even if you are a business major or chemical engineer, you will be required to take an English course that will have you complete a research paper. You may even have to do some research on a topic in your economic class for studying purposes! The one thing about searching the web is that all the information provided is not credible. I would like to give you some tips on how to conduct proper research, which will hopefully allow the students reading this to fear the idea of research a little bit less!

For starters, when searching for academic articles, use Google Scholar! I know Google search is my favorite tool, but it can be a little hard to find credible academic information under this basic search engine which is why Google Scholar was invented. Google Scholar makes it easier to access peer reviewed articles, academic text, and other extremely credible work  for academic purposes. In the event that you do use Google search, try to use the advanced search option to place limits on the search in order to narrow it to more specific results. Also play close attention to the url link because it can be used to identify if a cite is credible more easier. For example, if the url says “blog” in it… you probably should avoid it. But, if the url says “article”, then it might be something worth looking into!

Lastly, don’t forget to utilize your university’s library resources! If your school is anything like mine (Yay Ohio State), our library has a lot of access to online databases to search for academic works. Ask your professors what they use for their research! They will most definitely point you in the right direction! Good luck!

One important skill for all college students is knowing how to take good notes during lectures. Many times students, myself included, get caught up in the idea of just going to class but that does nothing if you don’t take good notes and practice active listening skills. During the module of the week, I learned some very fundamental skills for becoming a better note taker and active listener in class. For starters, it is essential for all students come prepared for class. Find out if lecture or outline notes are available prior to class. If so, utilize these tools for guidance in class by writing additional points that the lecturer made that you feel are important. One tactic that I often use is summarizing in my own words. This allows me to know whether I fully comprehend the material that is being relayed to me.

Another important tip is to not be afraid to ask questions when you don’t understand…. even if that means jotting your questions down in order to ask after class. If you don’t understand the information, the notes that you are taking are useless later when studying later. Which brings me to my final point, make sure your notes are organized in a way that makes it easy for you to review later. Take down all the main points but don’t try to write them down verbatim. Abbreviating is ok! Just be sure that its written in a way that you can understand when reviewing later. There are tons of other tips that can help guide you to becoming a great note taker, but these tips should get you started. I found the web address below to be very helpful! If you want to learn more about note taking and how to practice active listening … be sure to check out the link! (There are also great examples at the end of how to organize your notes efficiently!) I hope all this information helped… Good Luck!!

http://learninghub.une.edu.au/tlc/aso/aso-online/learning-strategies/listening-notetaking.php

During the month of May I traveled to Bahia, Brazil for a study abroad program. Although it was only a 2 week stay in the country, I have become more intrigued in learning a second language and diving more into the cultures of the world. One of my current goals is to continue building on my ability to speak Portuguese. While browsing the web, I found a pod cast video that breaks down the fundamentals to learning Brazilian Portuguese. In this video, you will learn how to say greetings and terms that should be changed based on whom you are speaking with. The video also discusses basic gestures that should be expected when meeting a native Brazilian. For those who are interested in learning more about the language and culture of Brazil, watch this video below to get started!

This video has enhanced my language skills because it is always better to hear it audibly then just reading it. As a native English speaker I often find that I try to read the Portuguese words with an English accent and by watching this video I can have a visual and audio simultaneously. I also found it helpful that Paloma said the sentences at a fast pace and a slower pace. This helps to break down the words for further understanding. Lastly, I enjoyed learning the different ways that the phrase could be communicated depending on the audience. Overall, I believe the video helped enhance my understanding of basic greetings and gave further comprehension on what a proper greeting should entail.

Comprehension is key when reading or studying for a course. Many students fail to realize the importance of retaining the information that they go over each day. As an experienced college student, I can truly say that active reading can save you much time and effort in the long run, especially when it comes to reviewing for midterms and exams. I know this may sound self explanatory, but these simple tips can go a long way! What has helped me comprehend information the most is recapping it in my own words. Following reading a paragraph or two, take the time to summarize the important facts of what you just read. If you set this standard, it will also force you to point out key words, terms, and phrases throughout the reading. Begin asking yourself why the document was important or identifying the main purpose of the reading. Highlighting and note taking are other useful tools that many people take for granted. Although it seems simple, it will help when you need to review the chapter at a later date and instead of rereading all of it, you will already know what points are most important. Now that you will have all of the major information from the reading to study, think of creative ways to review the information. There are many virtual tools such as timelines, web charts, mind maps, flash cards, animations, and much more that will allow you to come up with fun ways to learn the information. There are many tools at your disposal, its just up to you to take advantage of them!

Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. I hope you find that my posts are meaningful and helpful to you navigating the waters as a undergraduate student. First, I would like to give you some background on who I am. My name is Chyna Mitchell and I am a fourth year student at the Ohio State University studying Human Development and Family Science, Leadership Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Many of my posts will be in reference to my experience at OSU, but I believe that these tips can help any college student of our generation.

Now onto the good stuff! Over this summer semester I am enrolled in an online learning course that is built to teach us about the fundamentals of being a great student, especially in online courses. As we all know, technology continues to evolve causing an increase in the number of online course available to students. Many of us will immediately think “YES!! An online course! I don’t have to wake up in the morning!!” but before you click that enroll button, there are a number of things you should consider. Taking an online course and completing it successfully means that you will need good time management skills, a certain level of self control and priorities, and most importantly…. netiquette!

Netiquette is defined as internet etiquette. This can range from learning how to construct an email to your professor to how to communicate with your fellow classmates. The one thing that I wanted to highlight about netiquette is proper grammar. I know its extremely tempting to send emails with text lingo but it is essential that you learn to separate the two. Emails should be used professionally regardless of the recipient. This includes adding a subject and a signature. Many of my professors have emphasized the importance of sending emails properly. My advice to each of you is to take the first step: create a signature! This should be the stamp for all of your emails that states your current position, major, and (if you want to get fancy) a favorite quote. After you have completed this, you will now have motivation to developing professional emails!

This tip helped me so I hope it helps you too! Good luck!