Becoming a Master Student

Rating:
Summary: useless
Review: For me, personally, I love this book. It's very absorbing, and I can lose myself browsing through all the different little articles and stories, nearly all of which are well-written and engaging.

For those who are in patent need of study skills, however, I don't think this will prove a very useful tome: given the simple nature of the lessons it teaches, the book assumes a incongruously high reading level.

Yes, there's a fundamental irony in the premise of Ellis's compilation: anybody who is concerned enough about their study habits to acquire this book (and who is competent enough to read it with the care it requires) is ipso facto already in possession of the very skills the book purports to inculcate.

In other words, the only people who will get anything out of this book are those who aren't in need of what it has to offer!

Fun time-killer for a bored instructor, though.

Rating:
Summary: Everything you need to study that no one taught you!
Review: Have you spent endless hours in class and studying at home with less than desireable effects? Maybe you are a terrific student but would like to know some tips for getting the facts to stick a little better? Perhaps you're lacking a few basic easy skills that will help you master your mind.

"Becoming a Master Student" is a great book for students of all skill levels and ages. The pages are filled with brief 'articles' describing techniques that if applied can help with everything from having your study area designed correctly for you to basics in note takeing and preparing for exams. This can be used in an instrutional setting or as a self-paced learning guide at home.

I first encountered this book in a college prep course in high school. Now working in the 'real world' I've found this book has great practical applications to the working world as well.

Buy this book for yourself and everyone you know. Students can use this to build great skills for the future and those already in the workforce can learn some new tricks to old problems. Check it out!

Rating:
Summary: Its not the book I'm unhappy with.
Review: I used this web page to get my book. I needed the 9th Edition of this book. I was mailed the 8th Edition with the idea that I was getting the 9 Edition.

The problem is, I am behind and now I have to buy another book. I do not think I will use this website again.

I want to add that this does not reflect my idea of the book itself or physical condition of it.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly surprised
Review: I was pleasantly surprised when I started to read this book. I thought it would be a cheesy rehash of study tips. It is more than that. Although it does slide into a touchy-feely "what do you want to do with your life" kind of solitary soul-searching advice, it does have some good tips for studying, time management, and advice especially targeted for specific types of students (like how to study with children running underfoot, returning to school, etc).

Rating:
Summary: Great book if you DO it!
Review: It's one of the BEST book I've ever read or seen.. Pages are all colorful and nice design very attracting the eye so we read more, and interesting story inside and motivational. I totally recommend this book if you are trying to pursue a better learning skills wether you are in school or you just want to learn to LEARNING about everything.. it's useful book for you!

Rating:
Summary: Great book if you DO it!
Review: It's one of the BEST book I've ever read or seen.. Pages are all colorful and nice design very attracting the eye so we read more, and interesting story inside and motivational. I totally recommend this book if you are trying to pursue a better learning skills wether you are in school or you just want to learn to LEARNING about everything.. it's useful book for you!

Rating:
Summary: A trite nearly useless book!
Review: The only credit I can give this book is in its use of discovery/intention statements...Here is what I have discovered about becoming a master student, buy Walter Pauk's book "How To Study In College". Being a master student does not cover the Cornell note taking method clearly enough, which has been scientifically proven to be the best note taking method for students. Becoming a master student is so politically correct the information gets lost within the HE-SHE flip flops throughout the book. Being a master student fails to give the student the one most important question all students MUST ask themselves after a lecture or a reading session, DO I UNDERSTAND. Being a master student fails to get down to the point. The only thing this book is, or that I consider it to be, is a collection of hints and goofy quotes. If you want to understand what you have read buy "How to Read a Book" by Adler and Van Doren. If you want to take good notes follow these directions.

How to listen.
Attitude: Your obligation to yourself is to maintain a positive attitude towards the lecturer. The person speaking has spent hundreds of hours reading, studying, and researching in order to give you the information in your class.

Attention: Pay attention to how much attention you are paying to the lecture. Notice when you start to drift off. Think actively about the information being delivered. Become mentally involved with the lecture and ask clarifying questions. If you are getting confused ask more questions, this helps both you and the instructor. Anticipate what the lecture is going to be about and think ahead. Review the course syllabus before every class meeting. Listen for ideas not just for facts. Avoid distractions, both internal and external.

Adjust: Be flexible with the instructor. If the instructor goes off the topic, don't become upset, just roll with it. Be open to ideas and facts that might conflict with your own.

How to take notes.
1. Create short statements in the main body of your notebook using telegraphic and declarative statements.
2. Use plenty of paper. Each statement gets two to four blank spaces after it.
3. After the class is over fill in any gaps in your notes. Clarify any vague short-hand 'B5=bloody fifth'.
4. Summarize the lecture in complete sentences at the end of your notes. This is done between classes or at home. The sooner the better.
5. When you are home create questions and write them down on the blank side of the previous note-taking page.
6. Review all (entire semesters or quarters worth) of your notes at least once a week.

How to summarize.
Classify the lecture or book according to kind and subject matter.

State what the whole lecture or book is about with the utmost brevity.

List the major parts in their order and relation, and outline these parts as you have outlined the whole lecture or book.

Define the problem or problems the author or speaker has tried to solve.

Come to an understanding with the author or speaker by interpreting the key words that are being used.

Grasp the author or speakers leading propositions by dealing with the most important sentences that have been used.

Know the arguments, by finding them in, or constructing them out of, sequences of sentences.

Determine which problems the author or speaker has solved, and which were not solved; and of the latter, decide which the author or speaker knew that they had failed to solve

State what the entire book or lecture was about.
Break it into its parts.
Explain how the parts relate to the whole.

How to study your notes.
Read your cue questions.
Attempt to answer your cue question.
Don't struggle for the answer. Peek at the answer if you have to, and then move on.
Make over-learning (instant recall) your goal.
Refresh your memory at least three times a week.

If you want to improve your concentration and attention, put a wide rubber-band on your wrist and every time you notice your concentration or attention wonder snap the rubber-band on your wrist. Take my word for it you'll be a major concentration machine in a few weeks.

To answer your question, why did I buy this book? I received a "B" in a Spanish class and dicided that I may need a study skills class, even thogh I had spent two years researching study skills, I thought I might be missing something in my tool chest. Becoming a master student was the required text. In my opinion, Becoming a master student is the perfect book for someone in the 7th through the 10th grades. My niece who happens to be 13 now owns my copy of Becoming a master student.

Rating:
Summary: I'd Like to Give this Book 7 Stars!
Review: This book was required reading for my "Introduction to the Freshman Experience" class and it is a must read for everyone. Ideas and concepts found in "Becoming a Master Student" can be applied to every aspect of life. The techniques found in this book were very helpful to me as a student,an employee and as a person. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful help for a distraught master's student!
Review: This is book goes about the subject of being a successful student the wrong way. If you want to be a master student you should read machiavelli and not waste your time or money with this book or any other silly study guide. Try "A Child's machiavelli"