Secrets of Academic Success
Secrets of Academic Success is the title of a book that I have been writing since 2007. It is a soup to nuts exposition of how to learn effectively and succeed in your studies. The book espouses lifelong learning and is suitable for anyone wishing to excel academically, regardless of age, clime, and time.
Background
I very much wanted to share the fruits of my learning experience in a single volume—as a go-to resource for matters academic—so that students everywhere might be helped. Secrets of Academic Success is that book.
Accordingly, the book is very long. It is not meant to be read in one go from cover to cover, but rather consulted as and when the need arises, or absorbed one topic at a time, so that gradual mastery is accomplished.
Ten parts
The book is divided into ten parts, each of which addresses one aspect of learning. These are briefly described below:
You: Your motivation, habits, etc., are vital ingredients for your success. So, we begin at the beginning, with you.
Mind: You use your mind to learn. Listening, seeing, thinking, memory, concentration, relaxation, moods, and related subjects are considered here.
Resources: Learning never happens in isolation. How you can learn and benefit from people, libraries, technology, the Web, and such are covered in this part.
Study Techniques: Time management, how to benefit from classes and lectures, group study, individual learning, methods of revision, and many other topics are discussed here.
Reading: The first of the three Rs’s—Reading—is dealt with in detail, including how to read efficiently and with comprehension.
Writing: This is perhaps the most important part of the book. Techniques for writing well, including building an extensive vocabulary, and expressing yourself efficiently and fluently, are addressed here.
Vocabulary: A good vocabulary is indispensable to academic success. Words, their origins, their spellings and pronunciations, their changing usage, common mistakes in expression, how to augment one’s vocabulary, etc., are covered in this part.
Mathematics: Possibly the most dreaded of the three R’s is Arithmetic or its mature cousin, Mathematics. Pertinent issues—from overcoming a dread of the subject, through enjoying popular mathematics books, to avoiding common mistakes when solving problems—are covered here.
Examinations: Even if not ideal, the ultimate test of your learning is your performance in examinations. Helpful hints on how to prepare for them, how to answer examination questions, etc., are the subject of this part. Example questions are discussed and answered, with commentaries highlighting techniques to follow and pitfalls to avoid.
University Studies: Learning at university requires a higher level of self-discipline than at school. Reading papers, doing research, what to look out for if you decide on a PhD, and how to write academic papers and theses are all covered in this part.
Working Life: Some day, you must leave the halls of learning to earn a living. This part helps you make this transition, while exhorting you to make lifelong learning a personal habit.
Honour copyright and download
I am making this book freely available as a no-charge, soft copy download, in the PDF electronic format, so that it may benefit the largest number of sincere students worldwide.
This book is protected by copyright as shown below. Please honour it. The book and its PDF file may not be redistributed or altered. To refer others to it, please send them the link to this page. Any commercial use is strictly prohibited.
Copyright © 2007–2022 R (Chandra) Chandrasekhar.
All rights reserved.Work-in-progress
The book is a work-in-progress. Not all parts and chapters are ready yet. The material that is ready is included in the download. But even that material is updated as and when necessary. So, always make sure that you have the most recent version of the draft manuscript available from the link below.
Secrets of Academic Success may be downloaded from here.
Please email me your corrections and other feedback.
Read! Apply! Benefit! Succeed!