Franklin & Marshall College

Every semester, Counseling Services offers an outreach program on time management and study skills. Students receive e-mail announcements about these programs or students may contact the office to find out when the next program is scheduled.

Students can also schedule an individual appointment to talk with a counselor about ways to improve their study habits.

Top 10 Tips for Academic Success

1. Use some type of schedule to keep track of your assignments and appointments.
2. Make a “master schedule” for your week. When are you in class, when will you eat, exercise and sleep? Most importantly, when will you study each day? This will help you develop a routine and help structure your free time. Use this schedule sheet to get started. (see right sidebar)
3. Pick a place to work that is free from distractions. For most people this is not their room or apartment.
4. Turn off your cell phone and log off your Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter accounts when studying. Research shows that complete concentration enhances information encoding and retrieval.
5. Establish small, attainable goals and keep working toward them. What do you want to accomplish this semester, this week, today? When you do a good job and achieve a goal, reward yourself. When you don’t reach your goals, figure out why and work to change something.
6. Exercise or get involved in some type of physical activity on a regular basis. Research shows that exercise has wide spread positive effects including better sleep cycle regulation and improved attention/concentration ability.
7. Get enough sleep. For most people that is 7-8 hours/night. Sleep enhances cognitive processing and it’s during sleep that memories and knowledge are solidified and organized. That makes sleep an important ingredient to learning.
8. Take an active role in your education--that's the entire point of a liberal arts college. Engage in your classes, it makes everything more interesting. If you have trouble with an assignment, talk to your professors – they can help.
9. Make responsible choices about your alcohol and other substance use.
10. Use the resources available at the College. There are a number of resources listed below that are available to help students with academic assignments and concerns.

• The Writing Center-- Room 200 Diagnothian Hall, 717-291-3866
• Library Staff--Library Reference Desk, 717-291-4127
• Academic Tutors--check with individual departments
• Your Academic Advisor