Showing Yourself: A Welcome to Stanford

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Kyle Abraham

For the last 17+ years you have been showing the world your best self. Your A+ transcripts are only the beginning of the list. Shall we discuss your leadership on the field, in the classroom, onstage, or in your community? That would just be overkill.We have seen the intelligent and infallible you since you were born. We all know your vocabulary as a child consisted of 6 syllable scientific terms. And yes, you did know Atomic Numbers by the time you were 2.
You’ve shown your family, friends, classmates, teammates, teachers, advisors, counsellors, mentors, competitors, and frenemies your best self. Heck, the entire Stanford Office of Admissions has seen your best self too. The world has been privy to a particular kind of you for a very long time.

When you get tot Stanford, take the opportunity to breathe and be YOU. Instead of always showing up with your best self, show us your true self. Friendships will be easier to make and confidence better to find. The performances are only there when you encourage their existence. There doesn’t have to be a show. You, in your truest form, is enough to keep us captivated.

So this year:

Try different things because you want to, not because you feel the need to impress or answer to anyone.

Open yourself up to be vulnerable with others; share yourself and your story with people around you.

Be unafraid of expressing your opinion, instead of simply admiring the other person who does.

Embrace all of you (and yes, that includes your imperfections too).

Have a wonderful year, being yourself.

Learning How I Learn

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Kyle Abraham

The summer is winding down, and you’re probably bidding your semester school friends farewell. Stanford is only a month away.

As school begins to take up more and more space in your brain, it may be a bit of a mixed bag. It’s exciting to think about connecting with people, reveling in the thrill of independence. But what about the “school” part?

For new Stanford students, you may have reservations about how your academic experience will unfold at Stanford, but I am here to tell you that there will be as many things you already know how to do as there will be things to learn anew.

You’ve already got lots of skills (you wouldn’t be coming to Stanford if you didn’t) and you’re also going to learn some new ones. Much of the knowledge, and many of the beliefs, attitudes, and habits you’ve gained in your K-12 education and daily life will provide a strong foundation for building your new educational experience at Stanford.

One of the MOST important learning skills is meta-cognition. Which means thinking about learning. Which means “how do I know what I think that I know” and “how well are my efforts to learn really helping me learn?”

So what are you trying to say?

Try taking a moment this week to think about how you learn? Is it the reps that get you? Or the conversation with a friend that makes you sure you “get it?” Is it having a routine for your week, or is it blocking out the entire quarter at once and letting your calendar be your brain? Think about what you do and what works.

Um, you want me to think about learning without actually learning?

Yes, I want you to think about learning. And believe it or not, reflecting about your learning can make you more conscious about the ways in which can be a successful learner. You may also discover ways in which you are not as effective in studying and learning. More on that throughout the year. (Follow us @duckstop to get tips throughout the week and hear when we’ve posted something new and amazing.)

And what do you want me to do?

Set aside some time, maybe bust out a pen and paper or fire up the laptop to compose your thoughts, and make a list of what it is that you do to study and to learn.
After that, go through your list and rate how effective you think each strategy works for you. Perhaps you can use a simple 5-point Likert scale (1 – not super effective to 5 – totally effective).
Make a note if any thoughts come to mind.

Congratulations! You’ve conducted your own mini self-assessment on your own learning and have made explicit to yourself what works for you! Yay, metacognition and learning! You might want to check out our self-assessment too.

Knowing these things about yourself can help you figure out how your study and learning skills will translate to your new educational experience when you get to Stanford. We will talk about translating these skills in coming posts, and when you come to Stanford, try coming in for an Academic Skills Coaching Session! Now go enjoy the rest of your summer!

Myths About What Faculty Are Thinking…

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Kyle Abraham

When class is over, the teaching is complete.
Actually, faculty at Stanford like teaching here because the classroom is only one place where learning occurs. We are not here simply to convey information, we are here to engage in meaningful conversations with you about our shared academic interests. Office hours can be lonely without visitors, so come by!
We’ve seen and heard every idea already.
We count on students to bring your unique viewpoints and ideas into the academic dialogue. Discussion around these ideas yields tomorrow’s new sociological applications, scientific discoveries, political solutions, etc. As we’re sure you’ve heard before, teachers often learn more than their students when leading a class.
When a student asks a question, we know it means they haven’t been listening to our lectures.
Au contraire! Student questions mean you’re thinking beyond the lecture. We like that. And it means you’re awake.
After class, all we want to do is get back to our research.
Nothing makes us feel better than an enthusiastic student who is inspired to seek us out after a lecture to clarify something, try out an idea, or just pay a compliment about the great class we just had together (and how it forever altered your life).
My friendly demeanor grants you permission to put your feet on my desk without asking.
We deserve and expect your respect. Sign up for appointments ahead of time if possible. Come with specific questions and be thinking about what you want to talk about. If you’re just coming to make contact, think about what it is you want to get from our time together. We’re here to help you succeed through learning, but not just as stepping stones.

Talking in class

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Adina Glickman

Prof sits on table, students in seminar around tables

Was your high school full of talkers?

Mine was. It was a small school, and we were on a first name basis with our teachers. We were used to asking questions, sharing opinions, questioning what we were learning, etc. When I got to college, it was no big deal to be part of a discussion. It wasn’t until I met a thousand other college students who hadn’t gone to my high school that I learned that most people would rather die than speak in public. Even though this fear usually refers to getting up and making a speech or delivering a presentation, it turns out lots of students don’t like to speak up in class, ask a question, whatever, for fear of looking or sounding stupid. (Lots of students are guided by fear of perhaps appearing stupid – FOPAS aka Faux Pas – but that’s a blog for another day.)

First of all, so what?

If the worst thing that happens to you in college is that you feel or appear to be stupid, consider yourself fortunate. Considering all the other options, such as not having gotten into college at all, sitting in a room with a bunch of students and a teacher feeling stupid isn’t all that bad. At least you’re there, which means someone in the admissions office thought you could handle it. So go on the faith that you’ve got at least a tiny bit of what it takes, and speak up.

Second of all, here are some strategies for becoming a participator

Make an appointment to talk with whomever is teaching the class. Get used to hearing your voice in the presence of others. If you’re really gutsy, ask for advice about how to join the conversation in class.
Talk to the one person who makes you feel the most welcomed. When you’re back in class, don’t talk to the whole class, just talk to the teacher and block everyone else out of your consciousness. It’s OK to start small.
Raise your hand. Remember: if you don’t understand something, it’s likely at least one other person (or possibly 15 other people) don’t understand the same thing. They will be so relieved when you raise your hand and say, “You know, this is all really fascinating, but I’m not totally getting it.” And believe it or not, in the eyes of your teacher, you will be a shining beacon of hope that not everyone in the class is hell-bent on parading their superior intellect around ad nauseum.
Write down your thought as a sentence and read it. It’s ok to be transparent. Say out loud to the class, “Here, this was important so I wrote it down.” And then proceed to read your sentence.

Third of all, it’s going to be just fine, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now.

The Duck Stops Here

Academic Coaching Skills for Stanford Students

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