Life Skills

  • A cairn of gray river stones is stacked against a bamboo forest.
    Being a student can feel really stressful, especially during the pandemic. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ have to balance the challenges of mostly-remote and online learning while sometimes experiencing feelings of isolation and loss.Ìý It’s not easy. However,
  • brain outline with multi-colored paint splotches
    Metacognition* is the ability to think about your own thinking; be consciously aware of yourself as a problem solver; monitor, plan and control your mental processing; and accurately judge your level of learning. Using the following questions as a guide and a metacognitive approach to develop your study skills, identify which study skills have been and are successful for you.
  • Peony
    We asked A&S students to share their advice about the academic skills and resources that helped them the most. Here are their top 5 quick tips for managing stress. Remember that you’re more than just a student. Your grades don’t define you.
  • fork on a mountain road
    You face a lot of uncertainty in your life, be it in your academic path, in your career path, in your major and finding a job after college. We want to help you navigate its disorienting challenges! Alicia Sepulveda, academic coach in CU Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences, offers three tips to navigate uncertainty.
  • Live your dream (written in Scrabble tiles)
    How do you maintain hope and motivation when your circumstances change or something doesn't go as planned? Alicia Sepulveda, academic coach in CU Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences discusses two factors to improve your sense of hope: agency and believing in yourself.
  • teacher and student in a forest
    The following article was first published in Customizing Life: Personal development - One day at a time. Richard Feynman was a world renowned and widely successful theoretical physicist, even managing to win the Nobel Prize in 1965. He was a
  • Person takes notes on a notepad
    SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented/Achievable, Relevant/Realistic, and Time-Oriented. Learn how to apply the exercise and create a thoughtful, achievable action plan.
  • brain vector in a lightbulb
    No matter what kind of uncertainty you experience, working through the unknown requires a growth mindset and self-awareness. This article helps you reflect on your approach to uncertainty and gives you guidance for creating as much certainty for yourself as possible.
  • failure written in chalk
    There is more to your academic performance than Pass/Fail. Productive learning experiences are ultimately beneficial to your long-term learning, not just your short-term performance.Ìý
  • HOPE spelled with Scrabble tiles
    According to Hope Theory, developed by C.R. Snyder, hope is one’s ability to create multiple pathways to goals. Hopeful students have a strong sense of agency—they believe in themselves and in their abilities. They can clearly articulate their action plans. If one pathway doesn’t work, they construct another one and recognize failure as part of growth. Hopeful students focus on connecting their present actions to their ideal futures, which allows them to maintain or increase their engagement as they pursue their goals. They see obstacles as opportunities, and they embrace them as an essential part of their learning and growing process.
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