This document provides information and exercises to help students develop successful behaviors and habits for college. It discusses the importance of behaviors like time management, stress management, nutrition, physical activity, and motivation. Specific tips include getting enough sleep, limiting distractions while studying, maintaining a healthy diet using MyPyramid guidelines, exercising regularly, using relaxation techniques, and establishing positive habits by making small, incremental changes. Overall, the document aims to equip students with strategies to stay motivated, manage stress, and maximize their academic performance in college.

1. Chapter 1: Getting Started

2. What are the behaviors and
attitudes of an “A” student?
1. List three important behaviors that
an “A” student would have.
2. Get in a group of three students
and compare lists
3. Report

3. What Do I Want from College?

4. Exercise:
What Do I Want from
College?
Share your most important
reason with the class.

5. Value of a College Education

6. Lifetime Income
 HIGH SCHOOL $938,850
 SOME COLLEGE $990,270
 ASSOCIATE $1,192,380
 BACHELORS $1,715,430
 MASTERS $2,105,580
 PROFESSIONAL $3,629,340
(Updated 2011)

7. Yearly Income
 HIGH SCHOOL $31,286
 SOME COLLEGE $33,009
 ASSOCIATE $39,746
 BACHELORS $57,181
 MASTERS $70,186
 PROFESSIONAL $120,978

8. What is the Value of a College
Degree?
$1,715,430 College Graduate
$ 938,580 High School Graduate
$776,850 Value of College
Degree

9. College graduates
make
almost twice as much as
high school graduates
over a lifetime.

10. How Much is Each College
Class Worth?

11. $19,421 per 3 unit class
($776,850 divided by 40
classes for a BA or BS)

12. What is one hour of a college
class worth?

13. $405 per hour in class ($1
divided by 48 hours in class)

14. Would you attend class today
and be prepared if I paid you
$405? if I were to pay you
$394?

15. Of course, these payments
are over a working lifetime of
30 years.

16. Increased Need for Education

19. How do you motivate
yourself?
 What if you don’t feel like coming to
class or doing your homework. How do
you motivate yourself to do it anyway?
Think
Discuss with the person next to
you
Share ideas

20. Ways to Improve Your
Concentration

21. There are many ways to be
motivated. Let’s see if any are useful
to you.
 Think positively about the future
 Look for something interesting
 Improve your concentration
 Manage your external environment
 Intrinsic or extrinsic motivation
 Locus of control
 Achievement motivation
 Use a reward

22. Optimism Vs. Pessimism
How does it apply to college?

23. Find something interesting in
your studies.
Exercise: Textbook Skimming

24. Concentration and motivation
are connected
 If you can focus on what you are doing,
you are motivated to continue.

25. Manage Your External Environment

26. Minimize Distractions
 If you study in the kitchen, you will be
distracted by food
 If you study in front of the TV, you will
be tempted to watch it
 If you study in bed, it will be difficult to
say awake

27. Be Here Now
 Choose where you will place your
attention
 When your mind wanders, gently bring it
back. Forcing attention does not work.

28. For example, do not think
about pink elephants!

29. How many of you thought
about pink elephants?

30. When your mind wanders,
gently bring it back to the here
and now.

31. Can you be here now for two
minutes?

32. Focus on this number for 2
minutes:
1

33. Where did your mind go
during these two minutes?

34. The Spider Technique
 Learn to ignore distractions and keep
your attention focused

35. Set up a Worry Time
 Set a time each day
 When worries distract you, remind
yourself of the time set aside to worry
 Be here now
 Keep your worry appointment
 Find solutions

36. Increase Your Activity
 Take a break
 Stretch
 Move
 Read and listen actively

37. The Checkmark Technique
 When you find yourself distracted, place
a checkmark on a piece of paper and
refocus your attention
 With practice you will have fewer
checkmarks and distractions

38. Change Topics
 You may need to study for a short
period of time and change subjects

39. Intrinsic Vs. Extrinsic
Motivation

40. Intrinsic Motivation
 Comes from within yourself

41. Extrinsic Motivation
 Comes from outside yourself

42. Which is the more powerful
motivator?
 Intrinsic or extrinsic motivation?

43. Intrinsic motivation is the most
powerful

44. Locus of Control
 Where you place responsibility for
control over your life
 Internal
 External

45. Internal Locus of Control
 Believe they are in control of their lives
 Self-motivated
 Learn from mistakes
 Think positively

46. External Locus of Control
 Others control their lives
 Life is a result of luck or fate
 Rely on external motivation
 Look for someone to blame
 Think negatively
 Victims of circumstance

47. What is more likely to lead to
achievement in college?
 Internal Locus of Control?
 External Locus of Control?

48. Internal locus of control is
most likely to lead to success
in college.

49. Exercise: Locus of Control
CSI Activity

50. More Types of Motivation

51. Affiliation Motivation

52. How can you use affiliation
motivation to be successful in
college?

53. Affiliation Motivation
 Study Groups
 Friends
 Athletics
 Clubs
 Activities

54. Achievement Motivation

55. Are you motivated by
achievement?
 Competition for grades
 Winning the game
 Earning money
 Recognition for achievement

56. Learning and Motivation
 Psychologists believe that much of our
behavior is learned

57. Find a reward to increase
desirable behavior.

58. Good rewards:
1. Do not involve alcohol or
drugs

59. Good rewards:
1. Do not involve alcohol or
drugs
2. Do not have too many
calories

60. Good rewards:
1. Do not involve alcohol or
drugs
2. Do not have too many
calories
3. Do not cost too much
money

61. What are some good rewards
for studying?

62. Get Started, Get Healthy

63. Get Enough Sleep
 It is important for learning and brain
function
 It is important for good health

64. Lack of Sleep Causes
 Difficulties with memory and learning
 Increased irritability
 Accidents
 Illness
 Lack of energy
 Stress

65. So, Stay Up Late And

66. Be Tired

67. Sick
The immune system does not work
as well.

68. Depressed and Irritable

69. Risk an Accident

70. Lack of sleep causes
 Weight gain
 Rapid aging

71. Lack of sleep causes
hallucinations. During
the Gulf War, soldiers
put coins in tree branches
thinking they were soda machines or
phone booths.
After 24 hours of simulated combat,
artillery teams lost track of where they
were and what they were firing at.

72. During the Gulf War, sleep deprived
soldiers fired on their own buddy's
tanks.
Mental performance degrades by
25% in every 24-hour sleepless period.

73. Staying up late and cramming
for a test is probably not a
good idea!

74. Be Physically Active
Each Day

75. Adults Need 30-60 Minutes of
Moderate Activity Each Day
 Moderate activity is one that requires as
much energy as walking 2 miles in 30
minutes

76. Newer recommendations are
for an hour of exercise each
day!

77. Nutrition: You Are What You Eat

78. Aim for a Healthy Weight

79. What is the best way to
maintain a healthy weight?

80. Maintain a healthy weight
through:
 Healthy eating
 Exercise

81. Calculate Your Body Mass
Index (BMI)
 A common method of evaluating your
weight
 BMI= 705 X Body Weight Divided By
(Height X Height)

82. BMI
 Less than 18.5
 18.5-24.9
 25-29.9
 30 and above
 Under weight
 Normal weight
 Overweight
 Obese

83. Nutrition Test

84. What would you feed
a 6 year old for
breakfast before
you send him or
her to school?
Write your answer on a separate
sheet of paper.

85. Let’s hear some examples

86. Nutrition Test, Part II
What did you have for breakfast
this morning? Write this on a sheet
of paper.

87. Nutrition Test: Part III
How many teaspoons of sugar
are in a can of soda?

88. There are 9 teaspoons of
sugar in a can of soda!

89. Use MyPyramid Plan to
Guide Your Choices

90. Food amounts based on:
 Age
 Gender
 Level of physical activity

91. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta
 3 or more ounces. An ounce is:
 1 slice of bread
 1 cup of cereal
 One half cup of cooked rice, cereal or
pasta

92. Vegetables
 One to 2 and a half cups. A cup is
equal to:
 2 cups of raw leafy vegetables
 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables
 1 large ear of corn
 1 medium potato

93. Fruits
 One to two cups recommended. A cup
is equal to:
 1 small apple
 1 large banana
 1 large orange
 1 cup of 100% juice

94. Milk, Yogurt and Cheese
 2-3 cups recommended. One cup is
equal to:
 1 and one half ounces of cheddar
cheese
 2 cups cottage cheese
 1 8 oz. container of yogurt

95. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry
Beans, Eggs, Nuts
 2-6 ounces recommended
 One quarter cup of cooked dry beans
 One egg
 1 tablespoons peanut butter
 One half ounce of nuts

96. Oils
 3-7 teaspoons recommended
 Cooking oil
 Salad dressing
 Margarine
 Mayonnaise

97. Discretionary Calories
 Range from 100-300 calories for most
people
 Eat more of essential foods
 Eat foods with higher fat or sugar
content

98. Suggestions for Healthy Food
Choices
 Two thirds of the dinner plate should be
covered with fruits, vegetables, whole
grains and beans
 Eat a variety of grains daily, especially
whole grains
 Limit solid fats such as butter,
margarine and lard

99. Suggestions for Healthy Food
Choices
 Moderate your intake of sugar
 Choose and prepare foods with less salt

100. Learn to Relax

101. Is the removal of all stress
helpful?

102. Stress can be motivation

103. Two Kinds of Stress
 Distress
 Eustress
BY DR. HANS SELYE

104. Distress

105. What are some examples of
distress?

106. Rate the Stress
 Low
 Medium
 High
 Tests
 Money and bills
 Children
 Work
 Traffic
 Telephone

107. What is stress for one person
is not necessarily stress for
another

108. Where is the stress?

109. Could it be in your head? It is
how we look at the situation.

110. If you think your life is disconnected,
Your thinking may be misdirected
For living, you see,
Is as it should be
It’s just not what you expected.
BY OLIVER, A RATIONAL
PSYCHIATRIST

111. The Physiology of Stress

112. What are the symptoms of
stress?

113. Stress Symptoms
 Insomnia
 Muscle tension
 Digestive problems
 Raised blood pressure
 Cold hands
 Health problems

114. The Story of the Cave Man
and the Saber-toothed Tiger

115. Picture this scene a million
years ago. You come out of
of your cave. The sun is up
and the birds are chirping.
Your heart rate is normal.

116. All of a sudden you hear a
twig snap. Off to your right
you see a large saber-toothed
tiger. You have two options.
What are they?

117. Fight

118. Or flight

119. To fight that tiger or run away
fast, the body prepares by
releasing stress hormones
 Cortisol increases blood sugar and
speeds metabolism
 Epinephrine supplies extra glucose
 Norepinephrine speeds up your heart
rate and raises your blood pressure

120. Why is stress a problem?

121. There is no longer a tiger to
kill or run away from!

122. And we are left with all the
stress hormones

123. Fight or flight is not an
appropriate response to
today’s problems

124. Stress interferes with learning
and study

125. Ways to Deal with Stress
 Exercise uses up the stress hormones
 Physical relaxation

126. Exercise

127. Remember what the cave
man did when threatened?

128. He or she MOVED!

129. Moving burns the stress
hormones

130. Make exercise such as a brisk
walk for 30 minutes, a part of
your daily routine.

131. Find some activity that you
like.

132. Elements of Physical Relaxation
 Breathing
 Tensing and Relaxing Muscles
 Visual Imagery
 Positive Suggestions
 Music

133. Breathing
 Take a few deep breaths
 Focus on your breathing

134. Tensing and Relaxing
Muscles
 Let’s try it

135. Use Visual Imagery
 Imagine your favorite place
Beach
Mountains
Lake
Desert

136. IMAGINE YOURSELF AT
THE BEACH

137. OR IN THE MOUNTAINS

138. OR YOUR FAVORITE PLACE

139. Use Positive Suggestions

140. Music
 Use a beat slower than your heart rate

141. Relaxation Exercise

142. Let’s Review.
Do these things at home on
your own:
 Music
 Breathing
 Tensing and relaxing muscles
 Imagery
 Positive suggestion

143. Make it a Habit
 Exercise
 Stress reducing thoughts
 Physical relaxation

144. Stress Management Checklist
 Manage your time and organize your
things
 Don’t spread yourself too thin
 Learn to say “no”
 Cultivate friends
 Participate in an extracurricular activity
 Do something fun every day

145. Stress Management Checklist
 Exercise regularly
 Eat sensibly
 Get enough sleep
 Learn to relax

146. Take Action to Reduce Stress
 Concentrate your efforts on doing
something about the problem.
 Seek information on how to solve your
problem.
 Make a plan of action.
 Make it a priority to solve the problem.
 Do what needs to be done, one step at
a time.

147. Write 3 intention statements
about relaxation:
I Intend to . . . .
1.
2.
3.
Complete: What is Your Stress Index?

148. Success is a Habit
 We establish habits by taking small
actions each day
 You can establish habits for success

149. Exercise:
I am successful when I:

150. Exercise:
I am successful when I:
Behaviors which interfere with
my success:

151. Exercise:
I am successful when I:
Behaviors which interfere with
my success:
I would like to:

152. A PRACTICAL
EXAMPLE

153. Step 1.
State the problem.
I have a chocolate chip
cookie eating habit

155. Step 2
Choose one small
behavior at a time
Make it small

156. Changing one small behavior
is like making a ripple on a
lake.

157. Change one small behavior
and you can change your life.

158. I will eat a healthy snack.
NOT
I will lose weight
or
I will never eat cookies

159. Step 3:
State in a positive way the
behavior you wish to
accomplish

160. EXAMPLE
I will eat a healthy snack.
instead of eating cookies.

161. Write an intention statement
I intend to eat a healthy
snack.

162. Step 4
Count the behavior
How many cookies do I
Eat each day?

164. Step 5:
Picture in your mind the
actions you will take.
Visualize your success.

165. Step 6
Practice
10 days
Keep a Log

166. Step 7
Find a reward for
your behavior

167. Step 6: What reward will you
use?

168. 10 Habits of Successful College Students
 Attend class.
 Read the textbook.
 Have an educational plan.
 Use college services.
 Get to know the faculty.

169. 10 Habits of Successful College Students
 Limit outside employment to 20 hours a
week for a full time student.
 Take one step at a time.
 Have a goal for the future.
 Visualize your success.
 Ask questions.

170. Assignment
How to Change a Habit
Keep a log for 10 days

171. Keys to Success: Persistence

172. Persistence Will Get You
Almost Anything Eventually
 When is this true?
 When is it not true?

173. 90% of success is showing
up!

174. Make a commitment
to reach your dreams

175. Getting a college degree can
be like climbing Mt. Everest

176. How to Climb Mt. Everest
 A small step at a time

177. Succeed college one step at a
time
 Get started.
 Attend the first class.
 Read the first chapter.
 Start a new study habit.