Learning Resource Center Study Skills Handout - #10

Qualities of a Master Student
As students, you are constantly striving for excellence. You work hard, study hard and seldom have time for yourself. As a result, you find yourself warned out or burnt out before finals, and in some instances, you are so over-saturated and overwhelmed that you are unable to study effectively, let alone retain the information you have studied. To combat your continuous struggle to become a master student: a student of excellence, you are constantly looking for ways to improve your already good study habits and attitudes toward learning. To this avail, there are techniques to unmask poor study habits and replace them with a master approach: an approach that you possess but seldom use. The following is a list of criteria for becoming a Master Student. 1. Inquisitive. Master students are curious about everything, and ask questions that generate clarification which can lead to a better understanding of the material. 2. Able to focus attention. Master students become absorbed in the process or activity and keep their attention absolutely focused in the here and now. 3. Able to organize and sort. Master students can take a large body of information and sift through it to discover relationships between them. They can play with information; organize pieces of data by size, color, order, weight, and other categories. 4. Competent. Master students are masters of skills. When they learn formulas, they learn them so well, it becomes second nature. 5. Self-questioning. Master students are willing to evaluate themselves and their behavior. They regularly examine their lives. 6. Intuitive. Master students have a sense that is beyond logic. They have learned to trust their feelings, and work to develop that sense. 7. Creative. Master students are creative in every aspect of their lives. They can