The competitive edge… the upper hand…
Whatever it is, you need it – because success at college is all about outpacing your peers while learning as much as you can. To impress instructors and outshine classmates, it helps to be info smart – that is, to know when and how to draw upon others’ ideas to support your own written arguments. Even just a few basic research skills and awareness of sources like INSPIRE can help an info smart student turn a ho-hum idea into an awesome paper.
For example, info smart students, who “start broad and narrow as they go,” actually move faster through the research process than their unskilled peers. They take time upfront to familiarize themselves with a topic’s concepts, language, and issues; only then do they narrow their focus. They strategize their search and evaluate each source before using it. And they give credit where credit’s due.
But why settle for “basic” when “advanced” info skills will take you over the top?! Curve-setting students cleverly search through a variety of sources – even for everyday writing assignments! Doing so helps spark new ideas, put “times and situations” in context, and draw non-obvious connections.
While the happy owl can’t possibly reveal everything she knows in a six-part blog series, she is dedicated to helping college (and college-bound) kids excel. So if you want in on a few secrets, watch this space over the next several weeks! If you just can’t wait that long, contact us anytime!