School Daze
by Michael Rogers
I am aware that "School Daze" is the title of a popular Spike Lee film, but that term best describes the way I felt when I first began attending school at Delgado (not dazed in the negative sense of the word).
After months of preparation (haggling with Financial Aid, numerous appointments with the disability counselor and what seemed like endless red tape) the day I was to start school seemed to have crept up on me. I was so "caught up" in making preparations to start school, I'd lost track of time. The beginning of the semester (January 13th) had sneaked up on me. The fact that I hadn't heard anything from the school for a few weeks prior didn't help any.
It was January 1 and the countdown had begun. By January 9, I still hadn't heard anything from Delgado. My anxiety was rising. I was so nervous because I had to make transportation arrangements with RTA to get there. (You have to make arrangements with them at least two weeks prior to your desired travel date/time.)
I think January 13 fell on a Saturday, then I had the holiday, then I had to jump in head first. Even though I hadn't heard anything from Delgado, I had to make some last minute travel arrangements and GO FOR IT!
Finally my big day had arrived. It was my first day of school. For a minute, I felt like a little 5th grader (minus the new outfit and the new tablets) wondering if people will like me? How are my teachers gonna be? Will my courses be difficult? I was full of questions, but that's a whole different story.
Armed with a class schedule and a few (last minute) school supplies, I plunged headlong into the world of academia. When I arrived there is when the "dazed" feeling set in.
I don't mean dazed as if to say numb or confused, but rather a shocked or surprised feeling. Having to go to class and interact with droves of other students had taken me by surprise. I had become somewhat of a loner, accustomed to watching "Jerry Springer" reruns by my lonesome.
All at once, I was hurled into an environment where I had to deal with what seemed like "a ga-jillion" other people. Not only was being around a lot of other people a shock to the system, but the instructors bombarding me with information and homework also caught me off guard.
Today I am a little past midway through the first semester. (Times flies when you're having fun.) The initial shock of starting school has subsided, however I still feel a little dazed whenever I go on campus and see all those other people. After months of interaction with the masses (a lot of people), I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see all those people. LRS along with the Disability Services has equipped me with some tools to help me succeed in school, and thus far I have had success. I may be a little dazed, but I'm not confused.
Returning To School
by Rob Groce
First and Foremost
I. Know Your Faults.
You need to know what limits your disability has left you with. In order to accomodate a disability, you need to know the limitations of that disability. No accomodations can be made or special methods of compensation used unless you know exactly what needs to be accomodated and compensated.
II. Know Your Strengths.
We need to remember that our disabilities have not left us entirely disabled. We all have strengths, and can use these strengths as a primary focus during our education.
III. Use Your Strengths To Improve Your Faults Whenever Possible.
Scheduling
I. Always Try To Have A Lapse Period Between Classes.
For example, one class at 9:00, next class at 11:00-avoid having two classes one after another whenever possible.
This one hour lapse between classes gives you time to go over your notes from the previous class and time to prepare for the upcoming class. Without the one hour lapse, it can become easy to mix up the information from one class to another. This is especially advantageous around exam time.
II. Know Your Professors.
Different professors respond differently to any special needs. Make sure that the professors of the classes you wish to attend are reputed to respond to such needs accordingly. Check with your counselor and with other students.
III. Keep All Of Your Class Requirements In Mind When Making Your Class Schedule.
While it may seem advantageous to take all easy classes or all freshman level classes all at once, or for one entire semester, you'll regret this in the long run.
Keep in mind that you will have to complete higher level, more difficult classes in your college career. If you take all your freshman level or easy classes early on, you'll have only higher level and more difficult classes to take, and all at once.
IV. Create Your Own Weekly/Daily Schedule To Go Along With Your Class Schedule.
Use a calendar to make note of your class schedule, which can also include your test and study schedule. Having detailed notes of your obligations right nearby gives you a reference to follow and go by to make sure you live up to the needs of your schedule.
In The Classroom
I. Seating Position.
While "up front and center" seems like the best place to sit in order to take in all of a lecture, this may not be the case. For example, this may require your visual attention to vary throughout the lecture, as the professor will usually walk from side to side and use the entire width of the chalkboard. Sitting in the center of the front row can also make it difficult to see everything written on the board.
I personally found sitting off to one side more preferable, because this allowed the entire chalkboard to remain in one constant position and reduced the odds of interruption of attention. If the center is still preferable, try moving back a few rows so that your range of vision is widened, also.
II. Classroon Participation.
Not only is participation in the classroom discussions good for your grade (many professors use your level of participation when deciding on your grade), but it also makes you more recognizable and appreciated by your professor.
III. Recording Lectures.
Many students use tape recorders in the classroom, but not all use it as a study aid. Some use it as an excuse to avoid paying attention in class. Don't let this happen to you!
Also, I know that in many cases, these tapes are only distracting to some people - this pertains to your attention level and ease of distraction. If you tape your lectures, make sure you have your class notes and chapter outlines with you when you listen to the tape in order to keep it organized and follow the proper flow of the lecture.
Regular Daily Studying During The School Week
I. Read The Material For Class Discussion Before Class And Prepare An Outline Or Take Notes.
Use your syllabus to determine the subjects to be gone over in the upcoming classes. You should be familiar with the material to be discussed before the date of that class.
You can highlight the outstanding points in the textbook, take preliminary notes or make an outline. This way, you will have some familiarity with the subjects before the lecture. These subjects can become more defined in your memory as they are brought to class.
II. Go Over Your Notes Right Before Class.
This will help you familiarize yourself with the subjects to be discussed right before the lecture. Also, this will bring to mind any questions you may have regarding the materials, which will make it easier to remember to ask the question right before class.
III. After Class, Compare The Outline You Made Before Class To Your Class Notes.
Comparing your new notes to your old notes is a way to "turn a new memory into an old memory." This helps utilize written memory. By directly comparing the notes you took by yourself before class to the notes you took about the same information in a more indepth way during class, you can re-familiarize yourself with the same information, only with more detail. Doing this immediately after class is best.
IV. Rewrite Your Notes.
Your new class notes can bring more depth and detail to your original outline. Also, many class notes are written hurriedly. You need to go over them and rewrite them as soon as possible so you'll remember the right details/correct spellings. Wait too long and you could forget the exact structure of lecture events.
Studying for Tests and Exams
I. Study Location.
Find the right area, where you feel comfortabe and won't have interruptions.
II. Study Hours.
Do not cram the night before a test. This will deprive you of sleep. You need to be well rested in order to have your memory completely at hand. If you must "cram," do it a few nights before the test so that you'll be well rested at test time. Second of all, studies need to be taken step-by-step, not in one big leap. By taking these studies step-by-step, through gradual repetition of an increasing depth, they are more likely to commit to memory.
III. Study Tricks.
A. Acronyms
Example, "Roy G. Biv" "HOMES"
B. Mental Picture
Try placing sequential things or events in pictures through a familiar environment. Example, create visual picture of events and place them in sequence through the rooms of your house. Such as, first President Washington is in my den, second President Adams is my dining room, third President Jefferson is in my kitchen, etc.
C. Frequency of Repetition
When trying to commit material to memory, don't try to study an entire chapter at once or learn a large number of definitions at once. Instead, take it in small doses, with the rest in between. It is easier to place things in memory in smaller amounts.
For example, if you had to study and learn 20 definitions, try just a few (between 4 and 8) at a time. It's easier to learn 5, learn 5, learn 5, and then learn 5 than it is to learn 20 all at once. Everyone's memory is incapable of trying to commit high volumes all at once.
Taking Tests
I. Keep Track of Time.
Even in extended time periods, you are still operating in a restricted time limit to complete the test. As a result, you must keep track of the time spent while taking the test.
II. Easy First, Hard Later.
One way to keep track of time and to make sure you're spending your concentration correctly is to answer the easy questions first. Don't spend all your time answering a difficult question early on, because that might take up so much time that you won't have enough time left to answer the remaining easy ones. Answer the easy ones first to make sure you get them all, then go back to answer the hard ones.
III. Multiple Choice Tests.
Multiple choice tests that use standard scan sheets for placing answers can be difficult to use. For example, you may be entering the right answer, but to the wrong question number.
A solution to this is to keep a blank sheet of paper at hand. Use that sheet of paper to cover up portions of the answer sheet. For example, if you are answering question 5, make sure the blank sheet covers up all of the answering sheet below the answering space for that question. This helps you answer the appropiately numbered question.
IV. Multiple Choice Test Tricks!
A. Process of Elimination
There can be situations when you don't know which answer is right, but you can see which one of the answers is wrong. By eliminating those wrong answers, you improve your chances of getting the right answer.
For example, most multiple choice tests provide four possible answers (A, B, C, D). If you were to blindly choose one of those four, the odds would be one in four that your answer is correct (25 percent). However, if you can eliminate some of the answer choices that are obviously wrong, you can improve the odds in your favor. If you knew that two of the four were obviously wrong, then you would be left with only two possible answers, and your odds of answering correctly would improve to one in two (50 percent).
B. Completion in the Last Minute
If you are running out of time and still have questions to answer, try to fill in an answer for all of the questions, but make sure it's the same letter choice answer. For example, if you knew there was only one minute left, but you still had four questions to answer, you could simply fill in the "A" answer for all four. Since there are usually four possible choices per question (A, B, C, D), then the odds are one of every four can be answered by one of those letters. So by answering all four with the same letter, you are using those odds to make sure you get one of the answers correct.
