Students Fell Behind During the Pandemic

Get Their Skills Back Up to Speed

Get Their Skills Back Up to SpeedGet Their Skills Back Up to SpeedGet Their Skills Back Up to Speed

Practical Advice From

Students & Professors

Attention Parents

Your children's Learning Skills are rusty. The shutdown of schools and the adverse impact of distance learning has caused learning loss across the board. Various studies show grades have fallen. Your children can recover from what they failed to learn. But that will take sharpening their skills. This course shows how to take notes in class, how to read textbooks, how to study, how to prepare for exams and how to overcome the anxiety of taking tests.

This "survival course," developed several years ago, will prepare your students for the next phase of learning in their life whether they're at college, culinary, cosmetology or some other tech or trade school. It was originally prepared for high school seniors and college freshmen who are often woefully unprepared for the academic challenges of college. But learning is learning. And the advice in these videos is useful no matter what educational path your student takes.

If you have a high school senior at home or a high school graduate who is about to go to college or some other type of school, this course is for them...and you. Why you? Because as much as your young student wants his or her independence, you're not about to stop being their parents. This course provides the tools that you and they can use to overcome the bumps they'll encounter on their road to a rewarding learning experience and successful career path.

Trailer Video

High school was easy compared to what comes next — whether it's college or a tech or trade school. You'll do just fine if you follow the tips provided by more than 100 students we interviewed. In order to get their on-the-ground advice, we traveled 10,000 miles for interviews at a dozen college campuses in eight states. Your road to graduation begins here.

Six Part Survival Course

Our College Freshman Survival Guide video series is divided into six parts and 38 video chapters. You'll find the six parts in the header at the top of the website and in the section below. Each video chapter has its own page. In addition, each page has a pdf which summarizes the key messages of the chapter plus a list of "Learning Points."

In all, there is more than 2 hours of video. But don't try to watch it all at once. This is really a course, not a movie. The videos are packed with insights. There's too much to consume in one sitting. Besides, what's the rush? The lessons learned will prove to be enormously beneficial to your student's educational journey. Take the time to properly prepare for it.

My advice to parents and students is this: Watch these videos together. But just one or two parts at a time. Think about it. Talk about it. Thanks and Good Luck.

—John Spiropoulos, author

PS. If you don't get the grades you expect, check out our Troubleshooting Checklist to find out how to get on track to get the grades you want.

Part I Intro

1 The Big Change
2 You're In Charge
3 Time Management
4 Slow Starts/Fast Finishes
5 Non-Traditional Students

Part 2 Class

Part I Intro

6 The Speed of College
7 Go to Class
8 Wiser Than "The Book"
9 Preparing for Class
10 Where to Sit
11 Listening Skills
12 Note-Taking Skills
13 Class Discussion
14 Meet the Professor

Part 3 Study

Part I Intro

Part 3 Study

15 Techniques That Work
16 Review and Review
17 Preview the Reading
18 Drop the Highlighter
19 Flash Cards
20 Break Down Subject

Part 4 Writing

Part 6 Taking Exams

Part 5 Exam Prep

21 "It's A Process"
22 Internet Warning Flags
23 Plagiarism Pitfalls

Part 5 Exam Prep

Part 6 Taking Exams

Part 5 Exam Prep

24 What's the Format?
25 Make a Study Plan
26 Critical Thinking Exams
27 Predicting Questions
28 The "Why" of Math
29 Combine Your Notes
30 Practice Exams
31 Study Groups
32 Are You Ready?

Part 6 Taking Exams

33 Test Anxiety Solutions
34 Exam Day Calming Tips
35 Read the Instructions
36 Outline Your Essay
37 Math & Science Exams
38 Multiple Choice Clues

Used By Five Major Universities

The College Freshman Survival Guide was originally released on DVD. When it was, academics at five major universities reviewed it and purchased a copy for every incoming first year student. Yes, the video series is that good. The five schools are:

Indiana University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Southern Illinois University
Kennesaw State University
Indiana-Purdue University at Ft. Wayne