The Adult Student's Guide to Survival & Success

171 Pages·2008·0.77 MB·English

by  Al Siebert

also by Al Siebert:
The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure
and Bounce Back From Setbacks
The Survivor Personality: Why Some People Are Stronger, Smarter,
and More Skillful at Handling Life’s Diffi culties . . . and How You
Can Be, Too
also by Al Siebert and Mary Karr:
Teaching College Success & Internet Skills to Adult Learners.
An instructor’s manual to accompany The Adult Student’s
Guide to Survival and Success, (6th ed.)
Practical Psychology Press is
proud to announce that author
Al Siebert received the
2006 Independent Publishers
“Best Self-Help Book” Award for his book
The Resiliency Advantage.
Sixth Edition
(cid:129) Practical Psychology Press, Inc., Portland, Oregon (cid:129)
© 2008, 2003, 2000, 1996, 1992, 1989 by Practical Psychology Press,
Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechani-
cal, including photocopying, recording or by an information stor-
age and retrieval system, without the written permission of the
publisher, except where permitted by law.
Practical Psychology Press
P.O. Box 535
Portland, Oregon 97207-0535
www.PracticalPsychologyPress.com
Electronic version available. (ISBN-13: 978-0-944227-40-4)
Book/cover design/prepress by Kristin Pintarich, kpservices.us
Printed with soy-based ink on recycled-content stock by
Thomson-Shore, Inc.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Siebert, Al.
The adult student’s guide to survival & success / Al Siebert,
Mary Karr.-- 6th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-944227-38-1 (alk. paper)
1. College student orientation--United States. 2. Adult college
students--United States. 3. Study skills--United States. 4. Adult
learning--United States. I. Karr, Mary, 1938- II. Title.
LB2343.32.S556 2008
378.1’98--dc22
2008007194
Contents
1 Lots of Help is Available .......................................................1
2 Fears and Concerns: How to Confront
and Overcome Them ..........................................................9
3 How to Choose Your Program,
Get Financial Help, and Become Oriented .....................19
4 Actions That Lead to Success in College ...........................33
5 Online Learning ..................................................................41
6 The Best Way to Study .........................................................48
7 How to Get High Grades on Tests .......................................65
8 How to Write Excellent Papers ..........................................81
9 Learning Styles and Teaching Styles:
How to Infl uence Instructors .............................................91
10 How to Gain Support and Encouragement
from Your Family ............................................................103
11 How to Balance Going to College with Working ..............113
12 How to Handle Pressure Well ............................................119
13 Resiliency in a World of Non-Stop Change .......................128
Resources and Selected Reading ......................................144
Online Resources ...............................................................149
Index ...................................................................................154
To all students
with the courage and commitment
to pursue their dreams
and improve their lives.
Foreword
If you feel nervous and have doubts about your ability to succeed
in college, guess what. We felt the same way when we fi rst started!
Al attended college as an army veteran. Mary started college
when the youngest of her four children entered high school. After
we each graduated, we decided to write a book about what we
wish we‘d had available when we fi rst started. Our personal expe-
riences shaped what we put into this book.
Since the fi rst version of this book was published, thousands
of adult students have found it extremely helpful. Many say they
couldn’t have made it through college without The Adult Student’s
Guide.
This revised sixth edition is loaded with practical information
that will give you an advantage. It shows how to study effectively,
pass tests, write excellent papers, and get high grades. It will help
you deal with your concerns and more. It has many suggestions for
handing the challenges that can block your progress. This new edi-
tion emphasizes how the skills you need for succeeding in college
are the same skills most employers want today.
Mainly, we want to say that if you believe in yourself and take
things one day at a time, you can get the education you want and
fi nd the fi nancing you need. You have faced tough challenges be-
fore. You can survive the paper writing, test taking, and late night
studying. With good effort and self monitoring you can succeed in
college. We did, and we believe you can too!
Al Siebert, PhD
Mary Karr, MS March, 2008