How to Be Successful in the Academic Discourse Community of Psychology
Build and display the passion to pursue knowledge outside of class., Set goals for yourself., Maintain a positive attitude., Set forth a hierarchy of priorities., Study with people., Know the importance of metacognition., Be prepared for a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Build and display the passion to pursue knowledge outside of class.
Psychology is an exciting field with a lot of new knowledge coming out every single day.
Therefore, go beyond what you've learned in class, to find more facts about the concepts you are learning.
Keep detailed notes, with the expectation that you will continue to refer back to these notes through the years.
That means labeling them well, keeping them in one place, and highlighting or emphasizing the important points so that you can retrieve them with ease.
A digital log will also be helpful for future retrieval of learned knowledge. -
Step 2: Set goals for yourself.
Writing down what you want to accomplish is great way to get motivated.
Having a set of goals will give you an opportunity to reflect on your progress; this regular reflection lets you know what you need to improve on.
It is only by facing the things you find most challenging that you'll gain more knowledge and improve your chances of academic success.
Get help from a range of sources, from your lecturers and tutors, to books, articles, the internet, and peers. , A good way to approach your objective of academic excellence is through using the mastery-oriented achievement goal approach.
This approach emphasizes the aim to learn the material because you want to.
Ultimately, to go far enough to be a researcher and author in this field requires that you have a sincere passion for it. , Study and learning will only occur through regular commitment to the tasks before you.
Study for the test before you get on Netflix.
Always do one, and then the other task, as multitasking does not work. , You should already be more than aware from your psychology basics that we humans are social animals.
By studying with others, you can share ideas, problem solve together and learn what it's like to interact with others, giving and taking in collaboration.
This is a useful skill for the future.
It's also a skill that will be helpful when tackling the occasional workplace situations where being able to convince others to open up and share their information can be a little trickier.
Learn to form an effective study group.
Share new ideas and go over ideas that are not understood. , You may have heard classmates say, "I studied 10 hours for that test! All I got was a D!".
Well this is because there was poor metacognition on the student's part.
Always make sure you know the material before you stop studying or reviewing.
The rule of thumb here is if you can't teach the concepts to someone else, then you have not mastered the material and should keep studying.
Test yourself as you go.
Do mini quizzes, online quizzes and book quizzes to see if you've understood the concepts, theories and facts well. , Nobody can say that there will not be stress and five cups of coffee involved.
Successful students learn how to deal with the stress so they can get back to work––remind yourself that stress management is a skill, one which you are excellently placed to learn all about.
And when you're really pent up, exercise is the way to go. , Join the local Psy-Chi club at your college or join an online organization with your particular field of study in psychology.
Yes these do exist.
This will help keep connected with people who you will be joining professionally and keep you updated with seminars occurring in your community. , College is not forever––appreciate it while you can.
This is the time to learn about yourself.
Learn about psychology and join the exclusive club of people who had the honor to study psychology. -
Step 3: Maintain a positive attitude.
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Step 4: Set forth a hierarchy of priorities.
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Step 5: Study with people.
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Step 6: Know the importance of metacognition.
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Step 7: Be prepared for a challenge.
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Step 8: Get involved.
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Step 9: Enjoy the little things.
Detailed Guide
Psychology is an exciting field with a lot of new knowledge coming out every single day.
Therefore, go beyond what you've learned in class, to find more facts about the concepts you are learning.
Keep detailed notes, with the expectation that you will continue to refer back to these notes through the years.
That means labeling them well, keeping them in one place, and highlighting or emphasizing the important points so that you can retrieve them with ease.
A digital log will also be helpful for future retrieval of learned knowledge.
Writing down what you want to accomplish is great way to get motivated.
Having a set of goals will give you an opportunity to reflect on your progress; this regular reflection lets you know what you need to improve on.
It is only by facing the things you find most challenging that you'll gain more knowledge and improve your chances of academic success.
Get help from a range of sources, from your lecturers and tutors, to books, articles, the internet, and peers. , A good way to approach your objective of academic excellence is through using the mastery-oriented achievement goal approach.
This approach emphasizes the aim to learn the material because you want to.
Ultimately, to go far enough to be a researcher and author in this field requires that you have a sincere passion for it. , Study and learning will only occur through regular commitment to the tasks before you.
Study for the test before you get on Netflix.
Always do one, and then the other task, as multitasking does not work. , You should already be more than aware from your psychology basics that we humans are social animals.
By studying with others, you can share ideas, problem solve together and learn what it's like to interact with others, giving and taking in collaboration.
This is a useful skill for the future.
It's also a skill that will be helpful when tackling the occasional workplace situations where being able to convince others to open up and share their information can be a little trickier.
Learn to form an effective study group.
Share new ideas and go over ideas that are not understood. , You may have heard classmates say, "I studied 10 hours for that test! All I got was a D!".
Well this is because there was poor metacognition on the student's part.
Always make sure you know the material before you stop studying or reviewing.
The rule of thumb here is if you can't teach the concepts to someone else, then you have not mastered the material and should keep studying.
Test yourself as you go.
Do mini quizzes, online quizzes and book quizzes to see if you've understood the concepts, theories and facts well. , Nobody can say that there will not be stress and five cups of coffee involved.
Successful students learn how to deal with the stress so they can get back to work––remind yourself that stress management is a skill, one which you are excellently placed to learn all about.
And when you're really pent up, exercise is the way to go. , Join the local Psy-Chi club at your college or join an online organization with your particular field of study in psychology.
Yes these do exist.
This will help keep connected with people who you will be joining professionally and keep you updated with seminars occurring in your community. , College is not forever––appreciate it while you can.
This is the time to learn about yourself.
Learn about psychology and join the exclusive club of people who had the honor to study psychology.
About the Author
Scott Gibson
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