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Ask a Study Skills Question

I heard I could sign up for a one-on-one appointment with a Learning Skills advisor. What is that?

When it comes to study skills, one size does not always fit all. Sometimes, it may be helpful for you to sign up for an appointment with the Learning Skills Coordinator or a Learning Skills advisor (appointment book is located in 208 D. D. Dougherty). (These appointments are free to all Appalachian students). You can meet one time with the advisor or schedule follow-up appointments if you wish. In this session, you can discuss what kind of problems you have been having with specific academic tasks or issues (such as time management, note-taking, study skills, test-taking, etc…. if you know that these are issues, or you may find that this session helps you identify what steps you are missing). The advisor will ask you questions, may ask to look at your notes or textbook or syllabus, may ask you to fill out a weekly schedule to analyze how you are using your time now, etc. in order to identify what strategies might be useful to you. Together, you and the advisor may set some goals for activities for you to try to see if they might help you be more successful in your classes. In a follow-up session, the advisor may ask you to report on how it went, what worked, what didn't, and together you may analyze new goals or reflect on what obstacles still stand in your way. Typically, the advisor just provides some ideas or strategies, but it is up to you to decide what works for you.

I will comment that some students who have met with me just love some of the strategies and tell me that they made all the difference. Or that in talking to me, they started to see how much more they could be doing to be successful. But I have had others who don't seem thrilled with any of my strategies, but found that talking to me helped them reflect on what they wanted to do on their own terms. More power to them! We are just here to help, sometimes just as a sounding board if nothing more.

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