Dr. Minto Shares her Tips and Tricks For a Good Semester!

In an exclusive interview, Vice Provost Dr. Jean Minto gave the following excellent advice for incoming and returning students. With 24 years of teaching at Cairn University, Dr. Minto has observed some useful ways to get the semester going well!

1: Don’t Do Late-Night Cramming – “Cramming for a quiz or exam is counter-productive,” states Dr. Minto. “The better approach is to regularly review course notes – this pushes information into long term memory.” If you re-read notes from class, your brain will remember it better from being exposed to it multiple times. “You never studied your ABCs, but somehow you ‘learned’ them,” she points out. The same principle applies for studying for exams. Repetition and re-reading will help the information stick in your brain. “Besides,” Dr. Minto advises, “a decent amount of sleep is necessary, and cramming or pulling late-night study sessions works against achieving good rest.”

2: “Academic Reading is Active Reading – It is not to be breezed through as if reading a vacation novel. Active reading means pre-reading activities such as thumbing through the chapter and checking glossaries or charts that may be included.” She strongly suggests the use of pencils, highlighters, and sticky notes.

3: Keep in Contact with your Parents and Family – Dr. Minto states that “they need to hear from you – and not ju$t when you want $omething.”

4: “Don’t Roll Out of Bed Right Before the First Class – It takes the body at least an hour…to go from fully asleep to fully awake and ready to learn. A student may make it to class on time but is rarely mentally ready to learn if he/she got out of bed less than an hour before class time.”

5: Start Your Assignments Early – “Do NOT wait until just a few days before the paper/project is due. Students tend to not understand the purpose of such assignments and approach them as busy work and something to ‘just get done’. However, the out-of-class papers and projects require a deeper involvement with course-related content than sometimes even exams require and should be understood as significant learning experiences, not just something to ‘get done.’” Dr. Minto carefully points out that there is always a purpose to the projects we are assigned, and in order to get the most out of our learning experience, we should start the projects and papers with plenty of time to spare!

6: “Keep Track of Your Own Attendance in Each Class – While your professor also keeps records, it is your responsibility to know your own track record.”

And finally, the most important tip for a wonderful semester:

7: “Remember the Lord in All That is Done – Give Him your service, your time, your devotion, your cares and concerns.”

Thanks to Dr. Minto, you can get well on your way to a fantastic Fall semester with these excellent tips! Welcome back everyone!