Chapter

Resources
Using a College Wisely

O U N T A IN
Co l l eg e

Dear New Student,

We want to welcome you to Mountain College. Transitioning to college whether from high school, the work world, or raising
children can intimidate some people. Everything from finding parking to choosing classes can seem overwhelming, but the
experience doesn’t need to be faced alone. An important factor in a college education is getting help when you need it. This letter
introduces you to some of the resources our college offers. 5

The Counseling Center is likely to be the first place you will visit. The Counseling Center provides an orientation for new students
that covers required courses, majors available, and assessment tests you will need. Assessment tests are usually required for math
and English courses. Their purpose is to put students in the right class. You don’t want to be in a class that is too easy for you, nor
do you want to be stuck in a class that is too difficult for your current skills. The orientation this fall will be Saturday, August 15, at
10 a.m. in the cafeteria. We hope you will be able to join us. The Counseling Center also gives aptitude tests that can show you where 10
your talents lie and help you decide on a major. The Counseling Center will also be the place to return to when you are ready to
declare your major. The counselors will make sure you are taking the right courses and put you on track to graduate in a time frame
appropriate for you.

Other resources the college offers include a Learning Lab, health clinic, and day-care center. The Learning Lab provides tutoring and
computers and offers workshops on subjects such as test-taking strategies. Besides being a place to turn to when you need a 15
Band-Aid or aspirin, the health clinic can help you cope with some of the stressors often associated with college. The clinic offers
workshops on relaxation techniques, counseling on addiction problems, and advice on how to deal with the loneliness that can come
with being away from family and friends. The day-care center provides students with young children a safe place for their kids to
play and learn while Mom and Dad are in class. Please stop by each facility to check on their hours and other services they provide.

Another major resource is the faculty. Your professors are here to help you. Take advantage of their office hours. Your professors will 20
be pleased when you take the time to further discuss information presented in class or ask them to clarify an assignment. When you
are confused about anything in a class, it is important to check with the instructor to make sure you are headed in the right direction.
Making a one-on-one connection with an instructor can lead to your being more involved in the class and its subject matter. Several
professors from each department will be at the orientation to greet new students.

Remember people are here to help you with your education, but you need to take the first step in making these contacts. College can 25
empower a person to achieve great deeds. While you are in college, you have the chance to stretch your mind, explore innovative
topics, and meet new people—take full advantage of this opportunity.

We look forward to meeting you on the 15th.

Sincerely,
The Counseling Department '

14
Predicting
For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to
the reading on page 14, and underline any context clues you find. After you’ve made your predictions, check
your answers against the Word List on page 19. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose
definition you missed. These are the words you’ll want to study closely.

Set One

evaluation talent to frighten a part

a program to help people adapt to a new environment

U 1. intimidate (line 3 )___________________________________________________________

Q 2. factor (line 4 )_________________________________________________________________
G 3. orientation (line 6 )_____________________________________________ _____________
Q 4. assessment (line 7 )___________________________________________________________
Q 5. aptitude (line 10)____________________________________________________________

Set Two

to handle to announce formally teachers to make clear to enable

3 6. declare (line 12)_____________________________________________________________

Q 7. cope (line 16)_____________________________________________________________________
□ 8. faculty (line 20)______________________________________________________________
wl 9. clarify (line 21) ___________________________________________________________________ _
Q 10. empower (line 26)___________________________________________________________

Self-Tests lllliltliil!IM Illl!lllliill(l!iilliil!ll!lillllllll!iilill!lllllill!lil!lll!!lllillllilllillllll!IM i!l!lilllllillt llillllilillillll

1 In each group, circle the word that doesnot have a connection to the other three words.

Ex a mpl e : abilityfacultyQbilplessnes|) power

When you have the faculty to do something, you have the ability or power. Helplessness is
not related to the other words.

1. instructors faculty teachers students

2. handle survive fail cope
3. scare frighten intimidate befriend
4. talent intelligence inability aptitude
5. permit refuse enable empower
6. factor component whole part

CHAPTER 2 Resources 15
 7. announce declare assert suppress
8. explain clarify confuse simplify
9. conclusion introduction program orientation
10. testing plunge assessment evaluation

2 Juanita is participating in Mountain College’s study abroad program in France for a year. Fill in the blanks
of her letter to her parents with the appropriate vocabulary word. Use each word once.

VOCABULARY LIST
cope assessment factor faculty intimidated
orientation declare empowered aptitude clarify

Dear Mom and Dad,

The semester is going well. At first I was 0)______________ by Paris and my new surroundings. It

was also a bit hard to Q ______________ with the differences in cultures, especially hearing French

all day, but now it is not that difficult. We had an excellent ______________ to the program during

the first week. They told us about our classes and took us on a tour of Paris to become familiar with

the city. The ^ ______________ here are great. They are friendly and helpful with the course work

and with understanding a different culture. The ______________ test I took before I came over put

me in the right level of French. I understand most of what the professors say. I only have to ask them
to ^ ______________ an assignment every once in a while. I am taking a cooking class for fun and

have found I have quite the iZ1_______________ for making crepes. I can’t wait to cook for you when I

get home. Thank you for supporting my education. Your help was a major --------------------- in mak-

ing this trip possible. This experience has ^21______________ me to go on to graduate school. I want

to get a Master’s in Business Administration. You might think that is a lot to 11^_____________ after

eight weeks in France, but I know I can do it. I hope all is well at home. I will write more later.
Love,
Juanita

3 Put a T for true or F for false next to each statement.

____ 1. Learning to read will not empower a person to do better in school.

i
____ 2. It can be hard to cope with planning a wedding.
____ 3. A candidate needs to declare that he or she is running for office.
____ 4. The faculty at most colleges usually have no more than a high school education.

16 CHAPTER 2 Resources
 ____ 5. A company might hold an orientation for new employees.
____ 6. If you are sure what time the meeting is, you would want to call and clarify the time.
____ 7. If Alicia has an aptitude for singing, she is likely to be a good singer.
____ 8. Spending a day at home relaxing on the back porch would intimidate most people.
____ 9. Knowing how many people are going on the field trip is a factor in deciding how many cars
will be needed.
____ 10. After a hurricane, various government and insurance agencies will make an assessment of
the damages.

4 The following are comments heard around a college campus. Finish each sentence using the vocabulary
words below. Use each word once.

Set One

VOCABUL AR Y LI ST
declare faculty cope orientation aptitude

1. “Thanks to my friend Doug’s help, I was able t o ________________with geometry.”

2. “I have decided to ________________my major as art. I am going to fill out the paperwork to-
morrow.”
3. “I just discovered that I have a(n )________________for tap dancing!”
4. “I appreciate th e ________________on this campus; two of my favorite professors are Remsburg
and Ramsey.”
5. “I learned about tutoring services at th e ________________ meeting I came to the week before
classes began.”

Set Two
VOCABULARY LIST
clarify empower factor assessment intimidate

6. “I will not let algebra____________________ me; I know that there are tutors available if I need
help.”
7. “I have to go to th e _________________office to sign up for a writing test. I want to be placed in
the right level of English next semester.”
8. “I went to the counseling department to ________________what courses I need to take next se-
mester, so I can graduate on time.”
9. “I did n ot________________in the time needed to type my paper, so I had to turn it in three days
late.”
10. “Next week I become editor of the college newspaper, which w ill_______________me to make
the changes the paper needs.”

CHAPTER 2 Resources 17
Interactive Exercise iimmumu
Draw a simple map of your campus. Label the map with at least five vocabulary words showing where you go
to do activities at your college. For example, show where you go for orientation, where faculty offices are
located, and where assessment tests are given. You can be imaginative with some of the labels: where you go if
you have an aptitude for music, where you go to cope with writing problems.

i j i i i iu n i H U i i i H i i i u ii i i n i i ii i i U i i i i i u i i i i i ii i i i ii i i u u u w i i i iu i i i u i i i i i H i ii u i iii ii ii iiu ii iii u i iu i ii iii i iit ii iii ii iii i iii ii iii ii iii i iii ii iii it iiH i u i n n i iii u i iu iii iH u iiu u i iiH ii u u i iH u ii ii iii ii iii i iiu u i iii H iii i iii ii u ii ii iii ii ii u ii iu iU i iiU i iii i iii ii iu i ii iii ii n i it

I HI NT I
| Context Clues |
When you encounter a word whose m eaning you don’t know, keep reading the passage
1 looking for clues to help you decipher the meaning. These clues mightbe in the sam e
sentence as the unknown word or in a sentence that com es before or after the word. Look for
these types of clues in the passage: |
| • Synonyms—words that have a similar m eaning to the unknown word
| • Antonyms—words that m ean the opposite of the unknown word
| • Examples—a list of items that explain the unknown word |
• General m eanin g—the m eaning of the sentence or passage as a whole that could j
| clarify the m eaning of the unknown word |
You will not find a context clue every time you encounter a word you don’t know, but being
aware of context clues will help you determine the m eaning of m any new words and make
1 reading more enjoyable. |
^ i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i t i i i i i i t i i i i i i i n i i i i i i t i i i i i i t i i i M i i i i m i i i i i i i i n t i i H i i i i H i t i H i i ii i i i i t i ii ii ii m i i i i t i i ii i i i i i i ii ii ii i i i i i i ii i i m ii ii ii i i i i t t i i i i m i m ii i i i i i i i m i i i i i i i i i i i i ii i i i i i i i i ii ii i M i i ii i t i i i i i i i i f i i i im i ii ii ii i i i i i M i i i i tt ii ii i i i i i i i i i i i ii i m i ii ii ii i i i i i i i i i i i ii i i i i i i m ir

18 CHAPT ER 2 Resources
 Word List
aptitude n. 1. talent; ability factor n. a part that adds to an
[ap' ta tood'] 2. quickness in learning; [fak'tar] outcome or a situation; a
intelligence cause; a component
assessm ent n. testing; evaluation v. to consider as important when
[a ses' mant] making a decision; a reason
clarify v. to make clear; to explain faculty n. 1. teachers at a school,
[klar'afi'] [fak' al tê] college, or university
2. the ability to do something
cop e v. to survive; to handle
[kop] intim idate v. to scare or frighten; to
[in tim' a dât'] threaten
declare v. to announce formally;
[di klar'] strongly assert orientation n. a program intended to help
[ôr' ë an ta' shan] people adapt to a new
em pow er v. to enable; to authorize; to
environment
[em pou' ar, im-] permit

Words to Watch
Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. W rite
the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice
could be the final touch to learning a word.

Word Definition Your Sentence

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

CHAPTER 2 Resources 19