Striving for

Academic
Excellence
Lawrence H. Wyatt, D.C.,
DACBR
Professor of Chiropractic
Texas Chiropractic College
 Conventional Wisdom
Regarding Physicians
 High UGPA
 White male
 No disabilities
 Young & unencumbered
 BREAK THE MOLD!!!
 What is academic
excellence?
 High grades?
 Not necessarily
 Giving it your best performance each
and every time
 Commitment
 to learning
 to long-term retention

 patient-centered care

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 What is academic
excellence?
 Responsibility
 For your own learning
 For interpreted knowledge
 paraphrasing concepts
 not rote memorization
 For applied knowledge
 understanding relationships
 how does symptom ‘A’ relate to diseases ‘B’,
‘C’, ‘D’.
 For pyramidal learning
 It’s NOT “2.0 and go!”
 It’s NOT “Ds and Cs mean Doctor of
Chiropractic” 2/2
Pyramidal Learning

Apply concepts

Explain concepts

Basic concept memorization

 Why should I strive for
excellence?
 You are going to be a physician
 People’s lives depend on your decision-making
ability
 The public expects physicians to have high
intellect
 Cultural Authority
 Lay public/patients
 Health care providers
 Legislators
 Graduate level program(MD, DO, Ph.D.,
DDS)
 National board examinations

How do I achieve academic
excellence?
 Six ‘Ds’ of Academic Excellence
 Diligence
 Determination
 Desire to learn
 Deal with priorities
 Demand excellence(from yourself and
colleagues)
 Denounce mediocrity
 Be willing to address challenges
 Consider chiropractic education similar to
learning to live in a new country(learn the 1/2
customs, culture, language)
How do I achieve academic
excellence?
 Think, sound, dress and act like a
doctor
 Join a study group
 Attend and participate inclass
 Read the textbooks
 Don’t believe that other students are
better than you

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 Critical Thinking
 Self-honesty
 Intellectual independence
 Base judgments on evidence
 Resist manipulation by salesman
 Overcome confusion
 Ask questions
 Look for connections between
subjects
 Effective Studying
 Study 1-2 hours/credit/week
 Allow sufficient time for sleep, a well-
balanced diet, and leisure activities
 Prioritize assignments
 Prepare for discussion/recitation courses
before class
 Schedule time to go over lecture material
immediately after class
 Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours
without review.
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 Effective Studying
 Schedule 20-30 minute blocks of
study with a 5-minute break
 Choose a place free from distractions
to study
 Plan to use "dead time“
 Schedule as much study time as
possible during daylight hours
 Schedule a weekly review
 Be careful not to become a slave to
your schedule. 2/2
 Learning Types
 Visual learner
 Read notes(preferably before class)
 Read books
 Look for pictures and re-draw them

 Auditory learner
 Listen to lectures
 Tape lectures and re-listen
 Read your notes aloud
 Watch tapes

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 Learning Types
 Tactile learner
 Touch learning aids
 Re-draw pictures

 Best approach is a combination of all

three
 Learning style assessment
 http://
www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

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 Procrastination
How to defeat procrastination
 Define what exactly you have been
putting off
 Define the unsatisfactory habit that is in
the way of completion
 Develop a more compelling alternative

 Define resources you need

 Motivate yourself

 Make the old habit more trouble than

it’s worth
 Stress Management
 Laugh…Laughter is contagious.
 Do the things you love to do, even if they appear
absurd to others.
 Be aware of incongruities and absurdities in
situations, and laugh at them.
 Adopt an attitude of playfulness so your mind is
open to silly or outrageous thoughts.
 Take your responsibilities seriously, but don't take
yourself so seriously; you don't have to be serious
to be responsible.
 Practice laughing at yourself…make fun of your
own mistakes.
 A sense of humor sees the fun in everyday
experiences.
 Recognize what makes you laugh and put more of
it in your life.
Effective Listening/Note-
taking
 BEFORE CLASS
 Develop a mind-set geared toward listening.
 Test yourself over the previous lecture while
waiting for the next one to begin.
 Skim relevant reading assignments to acquaint
yourself with main ideas, new technical terms,
etc.
 Do what you can to improve physical and
mental
 Choose notebooks that will enhance your
systematic note-taking:
 A separate notebook with full-sized pages is
recommended for each course.
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Effective Listening/Note-
taking
 DURING CLASS
 Listen for the structure and information in the lecture.
 Resist distractions, emotional reactions, or boredom.
 Learn to use abbreviations
 Pay attention to speaker for verbal, postural, and visual
clues to what's important.
 Label important points and organizational clues: main
points, examples.
 When possible translate the lecture into your own words,
but, if you can't, don't let it worry you into inattention!
 If you feel you don't take enough notes, divide your
page into 5 sections and try to fill each part every 10
minutes (or work out your own formula).
 Ask questions if you don't understand.
2/4
Effective Listening/Note-
taking
 AFTER CLASS
 Clear up any questions raised by the lecture by
asking either the professor or classmates.
 Fill in missing points or misunderstood terms
from the text or other sources.
 Edit your notes, labeling main points, adding
recall clues and questions to be answered.
 Key points in the notes can be highlighted with
different colors of ink.
 Make note of your ideas and reflections,
keeping them separate from those of the
speaker.
3/4
Effective Listening/Note-
taking
 PERIODICALLY
 Review your notes
 Glance at your recall clues and see how
much you can remember before
rereading the notes.
 Look for the emergence of themes, main
concepts, methods of presentation over
the course of several lectures.
 Make up and answer possible test
questions. 4/4
 Test Taking Tips
 Come prepared; arrive early
 Stay relaxed and confident
 Be comfortable but alert
 Preview the test, if possible
 Know when to guess
 Reserve 10% of your time for test
review
 Analyze your test results
 Dealing with Test
Anxiety
 Pre-test
 Be prepared! 
 Learn your material thoroughly
 Approach the exam with confidence
 View the exam as an opportunity to show how
much you've studied and to receive a reward
for the studying you've done
 Get a good night's sleep the night before the
exam 
 Allow yourself plenty of time, especially to do
things you need to do before the test and still
get there a little early 1/3
 Dealing with Test
Anxiety
 Relax just before the exam(deep
breathing)
 Don't try to do a last minute review

 Don't go to the exam with an empty

stomach
 Take a piece of candy, or some other
nourishment to help take your mind off
of your anxiety

2/3
 Dealing with Test
Anxiety
 During the test
 Read the directions carefully
 Budget your test taking time
 Change positions to help you relax
 If you go blank, skip the question and go
on
 If you're taking an essay test and you go
blank on the whole test, pick a question
and start writing. It may trigger the
answer in your mind
 Don't panic when students start handing
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in their papers. There's no reward for

 What resources are
available?
 Textbooks
 Read a section first, then mark and underline it
selectively
 Circle and/or box special vocabulary and
transitions
 Number important or sequential ideas in the
margins
 Underline critical information
 Underline all definitions of terminology
 Mark/label examples that represent main ideas
 Jot down paraphrases, questions, and
summaries in available space within the text
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 What resources are
available?
 Library
 Books
 Audiotapes
 Videotapes
 Internet
 www.emedicine.com
 www.medicalstudent.com
 Blackboard
 Group studying
 Flash cards
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 Ethics of Academic
Excellence
 Academic honesty
 No cheating
 Report cheaters

 Ingenuousness
 Take responsibility
 Honor code
 SUCCESS!!!
 Take responsibility for yourself
 Don’t blame others for your
performance
 Don’t rely on others for your
performance
 Center yourself around values and
principles that promote excellence
 Don’t let peers dictate what is important
 Be an independent critical thinker
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 SUCCESS!!!
 Put first things first
 Set goals
 Don’t be distracted from your goals

 Look for innovative solutions to

academic challenges
 Don’t simply re-read poorly understood
material; get help
 Tutors, classmates, professors

 Continually challenge yourself

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Be the physician
that you would
trust your
mother’s life to!