Dr. Robin Yap provides five tips for a successful college experience. The first tip is to learn how you learn best - whether you prefer quiet or noise, mornings or nights, etc. and structure your study time accordingly. The second tip is to not try to read every word in textbooks, but instead do multiple passes with different goals at each pass. The third tip is to focus on learning, not grades, and develop critical thinking and research skills. The fourth tip is to treat every day as an interview by networking with classmates and professors. The fifth tip is to get a mentor and coach to help with long-term development and day-to-day performance.

1. Five tips to a
successful college
school experience
Dr. Robin Yap
Professor, George Brown College, Toronto, Canada
@robinyap Insta/Twitter/YouTube

2. Dr. Robin Yap ©2020xDr. Robin Yap ©2020x
Learn how you learn
College can be a lot of work and you will be juggling
work, school, and life. To keep your priorities in check,
know how you learn. Do you learn when you’re in a
noisy room? Or it’s really quiet? Do you learn at night?
Or first thing in the morning? When are you most
productive and leverage that time. Personally I still
follow the 1990’s-developed Pomodoro model. I divide
my learning time in chunks of 20-minute increments. I
was able to complete five degrees using this model.
Dr. Robin Yap ©2020x

3. Dr. Robin Yap ©2020xDr. Robin Yap ©2020x
Don’t read every word on the page of your text
book
I know, I know. I write textbooks and my title above may
be counter to this but Tara Kuther suggested six tips on
reading for college that are helpful:
1. Scholarly reading requires a different approach than
leisure reading
2. Read in multiple passes
3. Start small, with the abstract
4. Read in more depth
5. Remember that you don’t have to finish
6. Adopt a problem-solving mindset

4. Dr. Robin Yap ©2020xDr. Robin Yap ©2020x
Are you focusing on the right thing?
Learning not grades!
You’ve made it. You got up to this level of education. This is
not the time to be worrying about grades but about learning
more thoroughly about your chosen field of study. You are
going to use what you learn here in your careers so pay
attention in class.
College is more than just completing that paper or ensuring
you ace that exam. You already have that skill, this is why you
are here in the first place. This is the time to hone your critical
thinking skills, your ability to research correctly, to learn about
human behaviours in the world of technology, and enhance
your competency in evidence-based decision making.

5. Dr. Robin Yap ©2020xDr. Robin Yap ©2020x
IMPORTANT: Everyday is an interview day
Connecting with your Classmates: This is the time to connect
with classmates who will be your colleagues in the field. Don’t just
work with one team, get to know your whole class. You never know
who will be on the other side of the interview table when it’s time to
look for a job. And it doesn’t have to be this immediate job, it can
be the next one or the next one after that.
Knowing your Professors: Each of your professors have a wide
professional network in the industry you are trying to get into. Your
professors can provide good or even great references but it is all up
to you to show them, every time you’re in class, that you will be a
great asset to the organizations you are going to apply to after
school.
“Treat every time you’re at school as if it’s an interview and you will
be successful.”

6. Dr. Robin Yap ©2020xDr. Robin Yap ©2020x
Get a mentor and a coach
An academic coach will assist you in adopting approaches by
employing a set of activities to increase your performance or
strengthen your capability from a specific set of behaviours and
attitudes.
A mentor has a more long-term focus and will not get into the
minutiae of the day-to-day. Your mentor will assist in widening your
views on your decision-making thinking and how your decisions
impact others and yourself.
Both are incredibly valuable for one’s professional development and
work best in tandem. There are academic coaches and mentors
provided by schools and also available as an external party. Just
make sure they have the right credentials and training before
embarking on a professional relationship with them.

7. Additional References
Too smart to fail
Guide to understanding the role of a mentor
Student success: Focus on learning not grades
Students need to focus on learning, not grades
Difference between academic coaching and tutoring
How coaching can impact teachers, principals and schools
4 Tips for Post-College Graduation Success
Road to post-grad success