Steve Caggiano
Although I didn't know that LTL could help with personal problems, skills from LTL have also helped me deal with many problems outside the classroom, especially the most disturbing emotional crisis of my life, which I had to face this semester. By generating questions, breaking the problem into parts, setting up and trying certain plans of action, and setting problem-solving goals along the way, I've avoided a lot of potential trauma."
Sandra Frasier
"Learning to Learn has helped round off my life. It helps me not only in school - not only by helping me with my courses - but to do other things. To get things done on time, to think about my future. It makes you think about what you want to do with your life. Those are serious questions.
My life goals are better as a result of LTL. I'm able to direct myself and - because I have direction now - I know how to get there, step by step.
What would I say to another freshman coming into this course? I would strongly recommend this course to anyone - first year or senior year, graduate or undergrad. It would help a great deal in anyone's life. It's positive."
Billy Roach
"I was a B-average student in high school, but when I got to college, I flunked three out of five of my first-semester courses. Then I took the Learning to Learn course. With the LTL methods, and how my school-work improved, my attitude changed drastically.
Now I have a 3.5 and I love school. I love to learn. I love it. And grades don't matter to me the way I used to think they would. Now I love knowledge. I love to learn about everything, to read about everything."
Cheryl Thompson
"I went back to school this year, at the age of 38, a month after my husband and I were separated. I could have just gotten a job, but I have a child to raise. The only way I could see raising my child in the lifestyle we'd been accustomed to was to go back to school and further my education.
I was terrified when my classes started. Not only had I been out of school for 20 years; I'd also been a homemaker, so I really hadn't been out of the house for years.
I took LTL the first semester at college, and it was a lifesaver. In high school, I never had to study, so I didn't know how to do it. With LTL, I learned how to study, and how to fit everything into the available time I had. LTL really paid off. I'm getting all A's, and I really enjoy school.
This summer, I entered a state and national competition in marketing, which is my major. My area was competency-based events. Fifty per cent of the grade was a test; the rest was role-play, where you were given a situation and then had a few minutes to figure out how you'd handle it. I used my LTL skills for both parts. The question-generating and exam strategies were invaluable, and the reasoning strategies helped me zero in on what was important. Since I just started in college this year, there's a lot that I don't know about marketing. But I did so well that I placed second in the state!
How would I have done without LTL? If I hadn't had the LTL skills, I wouldn't have made it through my first year of college, much less gotten A's. Going back to school was a major change in my life. And with LTL, I made it through the hardest part, and I know I'm going to continue to do well."
Marionette Peavy
"Learning to Learn has helped me in many ways, in school and out of school. I'm not only using the techniques in school, but also I'm using them outside to take care of personal business. Using LTL, I understand myself much better and my organization is great.
As far as my future, well, I always had the feeling that I wanted to be a lawyer, but I never liked reading. I hated reading. And to become a lawyer you have to read. So I'd always say, "Okay, I want to be a lawyer, but I can't stand reading, so I'll be something else." But once I got into Roxbury Community College, and took the Learning to Learn program, I feel that I can be a lawyer, a doctor. I can be anything I want. I can read with understanding now. I can understand exactly what's going on, and say, "Okay, I can take care of this. I understand this."
Gregory Herman Computer Programming
I took the Learning to Learn course the first semester of my freshman year at State. I was just beginning a two-year college program, and I had been out of school for 15 years.
Well, Learning to Learn helped me tremen-dously. I came out of school with a 3.81. As a result, I'm in two honor societies, and in the National Dean's Register. It felt great going back go school and doing so well. But I don't think that there was anything special about me. I did well because I was using the LTL methods, and it would definitely work for anyone who really used this system.
Now that I'm out of school, I'm still using LTL methods. I could go on and on. Basically, I'd like to say that the Learning to Learn system has given me a gift that I can carry with me throughout my life."
Debra Clavenger
"Learning to Learn? I love it. I think it's done me a world of good. When I was in high school I could never get over a C in anything. I studied and studied and just couldn't get it. When I started in college this semester, I was scared. I'm taking two hard courses, and I didn't think I could handle it. Well, in the first week of school I went to my teacher - he's teaching both these courses - and told him I wanted to drop one of them. He said I should just try keeping both of them for awhile and see how I did. I was enrolled in LTL, so I decided to give it a chance, and I started putting all the LTL tactics together. I got a 98 on my first test, and I've been averaging A's in both of these classes all semester.
Last week the teacher came to me and asked me to be a tutor. I said yes, and asked if there was anything in particular he wanted me to start with. He was going to give me an outline of the chapter for this girl to use, but I said, "No. I'm going to get her to make her own outline - with questions. I'm going to teach this girl what I'm learning in LTL."
Eddie Cole
"Learning to Learn? I think it's great. I just wanted to play ball and become a pro. I was on probation before LTL. I was kind of down and out. I didn't even want to take LTL. But once I got into it, it really changed things for me. Now I can get A's and B's, even in hard subjects. With all my questions, I know what's going to be on my tests and I don't even have to study too long.
I learned that there's more to life than basketball. I'm a computer science major now, and I'm doing pretty well. When I finish this degree at the community college, I'm going into business management at a four-year college.
What would I tell another student about LTL? It will change their life. "
Christie Nicolaides
With LTL, I understand exactly what everything is, because my work is so well organized, and the questions I generate really help. And I know how to use my time better, so that I'm not wasting it. Also, with the LTL methods, I get a lot more done in less time.
In all, LTL has really helped improve my confidence as a student. Even though the competition is intense in the School of Management, I go into exams and tell myself that there's no reason why I won't do well. And I feel that I have a much better shot at graduate school since I've taken LTL.
Eddie Smith
"Learning to Learn helped me a lot. Because of LTL, my grades are a whole lot higher.
I went to Old Miss just out of high school. I got up there and I partied too much, so I couldn't stay in school. Then I went to East Central Community College. I did the work, but I found out that I didn't know how to study. My GPA was only about 2.3.
I took LTL when I came to Meridian, and it made a big difference. My GPA is a letter grade higher - about 3.5 on a 4-point scale. And it's more than just grades. I notice in class that I'm a better listener now. When the teacher's talking, I'm thinking about what she's saying and asking questions in my head. I'm going to continue using LTL. I'm not going to give up something that most definitely has worked so well for me.
Gyun Kim, Accounting Major
Learning to Learn organized me, helped me concentrate, and made me want to do my course work. Asking questions helped me see the whole global picture, and Question Chart-ing helped me connect it all together. That's really important for accounting courses, because in accounting everything is related, and if I didn't have LTL, I'd be trying to learn everything case by case.
You can't do that and do well in accounting. You have to have a picture of how it all connects. With LTL, I'd go into an exam and just "see" the Question Chart in my head, so I'd know which journal entries I had to use for different cases.