General College Success/Responses to Other College Entities
What Would You Say to a High School Student Who Feels Lost and Controlled by Family?
(I’m covering a number of write-in questions, so stay tuned! I bet many of us can relate to this one! Can we provide some support to this student who feels uncertainty and family pressure? Let’s take a look…) “I’m in high school and I don’t have long until I graduate. I am very unsure of what to do when I get out. I planned to go to community college and then attend a university. My family doesn’t agree with that decision (to attend a community college). In my family, the elders decide what career path provides a good income. Now I am confused. I feel like I’ve drifted along with what I have to do but I’ve never...
Read MoreFlo-Rida Gets Millions for Doing This. You’ll Get F’s (Or Worse)
(I’m back already! I guess I was more on the ball than I thought. Don’t you love it when that happens? Ready to talk about the subject all faculty looooove? Flo-Rida, of course! Let’s do it…) My fabulous readers, I can’t wait to see students again, but there is one part of my job that feels a little daunting when I think about coming back to it (And, no, it isn’t the fact that my building only has one single toilet for a whole bunch of women, though that does get a little dicey sometimes): Speech outlines will come in for grading. One or two, maybe three, will sound just a little too good. The body won’t match the introduction in...
Read MoreMore On How To Use Facebook To Talk About (And Remember!) What You’re Studying
(As I prepare to return to my full-time teaching post next week after a year away, my blogging may be a little choppy over the next month. My treasured audience, please know that I am dedicated to you and to this blog. Please be patient with me as I find my new normal–yet again! Quick reminder that if you are in the Seattle area, come on down and visit with me at the UW Bookstore on September 18, 7 p.m. Now, on to some more Facebook study tips!) Back in April, I blogged about how to use Facebook with your #1 study tool: Your mouth. In that post, I discussed that the more you can talk about what you are working on, the better the chances you will retain and...
Read MoreStudents, Before You Hide in Your Large Lecture Course, Read This
(I’m back a little late! My daughter started her first day of 4th grade, so my blog is a bit delayed. Quick news! If you are in the Seattle area: I will be making my first author appearance!!!! University of Washington Bookstore!!!!!! September 18th 7 p.m. Come visit! Yay!!!!!!! Okay, enough exclamation points. Let’s talk large lecture classes because I do not want you to disappear! Grab some tips!) Day #1 of my Intro to Comm class (Okay, and my Interpersonal Comm and my Public Speaking class): Pipe cleaner interviews. (Thank you, Kim Nehls from UNLV… Yes, I still do this activity 14+ years later!) Day #2, peanut butter and jelly activity...
Read MoreFreshmen: Wondering About Textbooks & What To Call Your Prof? Just Ask!
I think I’m going to pop an artery by the time I go back to school in late September. I already wrote about five college success tips that you don’t have to take. This was in response to college success advice that concerned me… remember? Now I’m seeing article after article of even more success tips for freshmen (and students in general) that I find incredibly overcomplicated. Why? Because the advice tells students what they should do six ways from Sunday… research this, look up that. The advice so rarely tells students to simply talk to people… to just ask questions! Should I be surprised? This piece in USA Today College about “what makes...
Read MoreBuy the Book!
In Say This, NOT That to Your Professor: 36 Talking Tips for College Success, an award-winning, tenured communication professor takes you “inside the faculty mind...Click here to Buy on Amazon
A tenured professor of Communication Studies helps students correctly--not cluelessly--speak/deal with those who teach them.
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