The start of a new semester is upon us, and I am sure many have made the new year's resolutions about studying harder and doing better this semester. As good as our intentions , though, let's be realistic -- studying harder is not usually the problem. It is more of a question of what you study with - class notes. (Don't get me started on the textbook...) A successful semester starts at the beginning with good note taking. I thought it was time to share a little about note taking, then, before it is too late.

Good note taking starts before you ever sit down in your first class. It starts with how you organize your notebooks for your different classes. You don't have to be uptight in your approach to organizing, but you should have a system. Sit down beforehand and label your notebooks (one for each subject) and acquire the appropriate types of paper for the particular subject (i.e., have a supply of graph paper for subjects requiring graphing - pre-calculus, trigonometry, economics, etc.) Make sure you have the appropriate tools for your classes (pencil, ruler, calculator, and others) associated with each notebook. If you can keep them together then you will never be "that guy" always borrowing a pencil or paper in class.

We all have different approaches to note taking due to our differences in how we learn information, but there are some standards that are found throughout all approaches:

1. Date your notes at the top of the page so you can reference back. This will allow you to keep your notes in a chronological timeline and keep you from confusing the order of some information.
2. Give all your notes a heading related to the topic of discussion for the day. This will allow you to quickly find specific topics while studying, saving you from wasting time.
3. Be consistent in how you take notes. Use the same abbreviations throughout and highlighting techniques like underlining vocabulary or definitions. If you are taking math notes make sure you copy down the steps in order. Be consistent.
4. Write down all date changes for assignments in a separate class scheduler or calendar.
5. Always re-type your notes at the end of the day before you take time off for your social life. Re-typing your notes helps to re-inforce the ideas in your brain, as well as keeping them legible for later in the semester. (It always amazed me how I couldn't read my own handwriting or follow my own thoughts just two weeks later.) This will also cut down on the amount of time you will need to review your notes later when preparing for a test.

Make a habit of reviewing your notes before class each week and not waiting until the night before the test. It will allow you to participate more in class, and provide for a better understanding of the course work. I learned later in my college life that if I took good notes and followed the above suggestions that I really didn't need to study as much or as hard.

Many of you are thanking the "test gods" because you just found out that your final exam is a multiple choice with some true and false, but others are down in the dumps because they are having an essay exam. Don't fret -- Professor Cram is here to help you out.

Most people fear the essay exam because they are required to write about things they may not know, but actually the opposite is true. Essays are an opportunity to speak about what you do know. Most essay exams will have several questions to choose from and if you have been attending and participating in class then there ought to be something in the exam questions that you know a little about. Before we start on writing the essay, though, let's back up a bit and look at how best to prepare for an essay exam.

To properly prepare for a killer essay exam, first review your materials (class notes, textbook, assigned reading) and pick out key ideas, such as areas to compare and contrast or significant events. Take these key ideas and develop outlines for each one, consisting of a thesis statement and at least three to four logical statements that support your thesis statement. Back up each of these statements with supporting evidence. (This may sound like a lot of work but, after all, proper studying is work.) Print these out and use them as a study sheet to review before your test.

Remember, the goal of an essay exam is to find out how well you can communicate your understanding of a particular subject. Many exams are "compare and contrast" varieties, or demand descriptions of certain significant events, but they all want you to take a position and defend it. Success or failure on the test, in turn, depends on how well you defend your statements with supporting evidence.

When the essay questions are passed out during exam time, take time to read through each question and mark the ones you are interested in answering. For each one, write out a quick outline including a thesis statement.

Your whole essay depends on your thesis statement and it should come directly from the question your instructor presented. The opening paragraph should include your thesis, your position, and how you are going to defend your position. It should be a concise version of your outline. Once you have written the first paragraph it is time for the rest to follow.

Take a deep breath and then begin to write your essay according to your outline. It is important to stay focused on defending your thesis statement. Instructors can see right through rambling gibberish. Most instructors already have certain points they will be looking for in your essay, but don't worry -- stick with what you know and can defend.

After you have completed the first draft of your essay, stop and re-read it. Look for fragmented sentences and misspellings, and make your corrections. Add in a few words or statements if you think of more, but remember that a concise well written essay is always better than a lot of ramblings and no support.

The key to writing essay for exams is preparation and a calm attitude. Instructors are not necessarily looking for you to be an expert on the issue but they do want you to present a precise logical answer.

It would be outstanding if you could mix a few chemicals and make a potion that would get you better grades. Unfortunately, those of us not named Harry Potter can't rely on magic -- we need to work at it.

Fortunately, there are some best practices that will help you do better next semester. Make these seven keys your New Year's resolution and you'll have a better report card come springtime.

• Show up -- You'd be amazed at how much credit you can get just for showing up to each class, and how much you can lose for skipping. (I had an 8am class in my freshman year; I lost a full letter grade just because I skipped a few classes and showed up late for the rest.) Showing up tells your instructor that you're at least willing to make some effort in the class, and that counts.
• Listen -- This is 'Part B' of the first key. While you're in the class every day, listen to what's going on. Again, when taking a test, you'd be surprised what you'll recall from some lecture.
• Participate -- Say you have five friends and only two doughnuts left. Assuming you've had your fill, you'll typically give doughnuts to the two friends that you like best, right? Well, it's sort of the same thing with teachers. They generally want to give out good grades and are often willing to give you a break, and letting them know who you are makes that easier. Ask questions in class, volunteer answers, and offer comments. If the teacher knows who you are, chances are you'll get a break when you need one. (Just don't set anything on fire...)
• Pace yourself -- Spend a little time after each class organizing your notes, reading the materials, or otherwise reviewing what was covered in class. (Cramlets™ can definitely help here!) Jot down in the back of your notebook anything covered that you think might make a good essay question. Spend a little time during the semester so you won't need to spend a lot of time at the end.
• Leave some breathing room -- When putting together your course schedule, keep from getting swamped by limiting yourself to only one or two tough courses per semester. Better yet, if you have any that you expect to be killer (like pre-calculus was for me) try to take it by itself during the summer. Face it, you only have so many hours in the day -- you don't want to plan on overloading yourself before you've even attended the first class.
• Be the Boss -- Attending school is like running your own business, so treat it as such. There's always room for socializing and making life-long friends, but once in a while you need to roll up your sleeves a get to work. How well your business performs will be dictated by how seriously you take your courses, so it's your choice -- do you want to be an Apple or an Enron?
• Have Fun -- Two great 1980's teen movies sum this up quite nicely. As Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves too fast. If you don't slow down you might miss it." On the flip side, don't end up like Anthony Michael Hall's character on the Breakfast Club. He contemplated suicide because his 'perfect' grades were threatened by shop class. The bottom line is, work hard but remember to have fun. Your college years may seem tough, but they can be the most enjoyable experience of your lives.

By itself, no trick or technique is going to be a magic bullet. Still, following these seven keys will get you better grades next semester or my name isn't Professor Cram!

I was reading through the daily news relating to education, specifically concerning Algebra. It seems Algebra has become a major hurdle to college students even though it is considered to be developmental math. Students are struggling to understand the basic concepts and arithmetic necessary for the mastery of Algebra.

I am in no way a math major. I struggled some with math in college, mainly with Pre-Calculus. Honestly the first time I took the course I made a "D" by the skin of my teeth. I immediately re-took the course during summer school. It was a five-credit course that met during both summer terms. It was all I did that summer -- I slept, ate, and lived math. I worked problems late into the night, woke up, and went to the study lab and continued to work problems until class started. By the end of the summer I had earned an "A" in the class. The other students thought I was some kind of math genius, but I wasn't. I just worked hard and practiced, and spent the time I knew it needed.

The main cause for failing Algebra is not allotting the appropriate time to digest and understand the concepts. This time requirement varies from student to student; only experience can tell you what your personal requirement is. Compound this with the busy lifestyles students live, and no wonder most students have a problem. Your time can be fragmented with extracurricular activities or even work, leaving little time to practice and understand the concepts. Again, I am not a math guru but I did learn one thing that summer: math requires practice, just like anything else.

So what can you, the struggling student, do to improve your Algebra experience? First, realize that understanding the concepts may take you longer than someone else, and that's OK. Take control by scheduling time to work on your problems -- on your own, with your instructor, and with your friends as needed. Make sure your work is neat and organized; the more you work at becoming consistent in your approach the easier it will become. Don't rush it and, above all, don't panic!

It's this struggle students have that motivated us at College-Cram.com to focus initially on College Algebra. We honestly want to help students to become successful in their academic endeavors. You will find that our Algebra library boasts more than 100 Tab Tutors , Formula Solvers, and other Cramlets that provide complete step-by-step solutions to the problems and also allow you to enter your own numbers. (Hint: this allows you to check your homework.)

I have found that if you communicate with your instructors and show them that your are putting in the effort, they will sometimes give you the benefit of the doubt. Keep a smile on your face and remember you don't have to be a math major to make an "A" in Algebra.

Some people just intuitively 'get' accounting and finance, while the rest of us have to struggle along with it. (Or, in the case of my roommate, struggle against it.) It took a few semesters, but it finally dawned on me what the key is to putting accounting and finance in their place.

The main difference between accounting and finance is a matter of perspective. Finance looks ahead, while accounting tells us where we have been. (Of course, then there's managerial accounting which looks forward -- I never could tell it apart from finance.) Since I never could steer a car by watching the rearview mirror, I took all the finance and managerial accounting that my business school had and only the financial accounting that they absolutely required.

Perspective also filters down to many of the individual concepts with accounting and finance. Consider, for example, the concept of time value of money. Say you have a loan with a principal amount, interest rate, and number of maturity periods. If you're standing where (when) it's issued, then compound interest tells you what the value will be at maturity. If on the other hand you're sitting at the maturity date, then present value tells you what the original face value of the instrument was when it was issued. (For those of you conversant in algebra, this reflects an inverse relationship between the two.)

You can review the concepts in the study Cramlets(TM) and practice endlessly going backwards and forwards using the bottomless worksheets.

By the way, this insight can also help those of you considering accounting and finance as a major. Are you most comfortable looking forward and figuring out your next moves, or have visions of leading your own company some day? If so, finance shares your forward-thinking approach. If you're more of a 'where have we been' sort of person, on the other hand, maybe accounting will prove more to your liking. (Choosing a major is never easy, either way... but that's a topic for another day.)

In most college curricula, you'll need two semesters of science and the corresponding lab courses to satisfy the science requirement. Unless you decide to pursue a science major, that means you'll need to pick an introductory course from the choices your school offers. So how does one go about doing this?

The easiest way to choose is having an interest in one of the choices. For example, I took Biology, Chemistry, and Physics in high school and got decent grades. When I got into college, I picked Physics because it seemed most interesting. College work is much more rigorous than high school, though, and I barely passed both semesters.

If you have no real interest one way or another and you aren't planning to be a scientist, the next best approach is to examine your strengths and weaknesses in other areas. Are you a math genius? Biology, Astronomy, and Geology don't require much math; Physics can be pretty math-intensive, with Chemistry somewhere in the middle. Like animals or gardening? Biology is filled with living things, but you may want to ask if you're squeamish about dissections.

(My friend was going to take Biology until she found out they were dissecting a cat. She switched to Geology, where dissections are done with a hammer.)

Whatever you pick, it's best to stick with a single subject for both semesters. It's kind of like a freezing cold pool -- once you're in up to your waist, you might as well dunk your head.

Hopefully this helps you make your course selection a bit more scientifically.