Research Guides: First Generation Student Resources: Home

Helpful Articles

A First-Generation Student’s Survival Strategy: Work More, Sleep Less
A first-generation college student discusses his experiences working and attending college.
Stories of first-generation students
Read experiences from first-generation college graduates.
The Struggle to Be First: First-Gen Students May Be Torn Between College and Home
Article written from the perspective of a first-generation college student detailing their struggles.
What All First-Generation College Students Must Know
Experience of a first-generation college student

Print Smart

150 free pages of B&W printing!
Additional pages costs 5 cents/page

Money can be added online or in-person, see your local librarian for details!

More Print Smart information

College Reading and Study Skills by Kathleen T. McWhorter; Brette M. Sember College Reading and Study Skills teaches reading, critical thinking and study skills for today's diverse students, encouraging them to apply these integrated skill sets to their coursework and future academic success. Kathleen McWhorter wrote College Reading and Study Skills, primarily, for courses that are half reading, half study skills. Emphasizing comprehension and metacognition, College Reading and Study Skills approaches reading and study skills as essential skills necessary for college success. The text focuses on reading and learning as a cognitive process, encouraging students to approach reading as an active mental process of selecting, processing, and organizing information to be learned.
ISBN: 9780205213023
Publication Date: 2012-01-05
College Stress Solutions by Kelci Lynn Lucier The tools you need to overcome everyday stress! Between trying to make the grade and finding a job in a market that continues to stagnate, there's more pressure than ever before to succeed. But the stress that comes from this pressure can also keep you from achieving your goals. College Stress Solutions teaches you how to use simple exercises to overcome your anxiety and find success while at school. From completing assignments on a tight deadline to dealing with classmates to thinking about your future, this book gives you the tools and advice you need to feel more calm, relaxed, and motivated each and every day. With these easy yet effective solutions, you'll conquer any social or academic demand that comes your way as you work toward your degree. Whether you're cramming for an exam or fighting with your roommate, you'll be able to move past your worries--and score the grades to prove it!
ISBN: 9781440570827
Publication Date: 2014-04-18
First in the Family by Kathleen Cushman If we can do it, so can you! That's the message sent to students in this advice book, written with college students who were the first in their families to go past high school. It's tough to aim for college if other family members have not--so this book offers the kind of encouraging, practical guidance that an older sibling would give. Inspiring stories of the diverse student contributors--who end up at institutions from community colleges to elite universities--combined with warm and well-organized counsel and checklists.
ISBN: 9780976270638
Publication Date: 2005-11-01
U Thrive by Dan Lerner; Alan Daniel Schlechter, From the professors who teach NYU's most popular elective class, "Science of Happiness," a fun, comprehensive guide to surviving and thriving in college and beyond. Every year, almost 4,000,000 students begin their freshman year at colleges and universities nationwide. Most of them will sleep less and stress out a whole lot more. By the end of the year, 30% of those freshmen will have dropped out. For many, the unforeseen demands of college life are so overwhelming that "the best four years of your life" can start to feel like the worst. Enter Daniel Lerner and Dr. Alan Schlechter, ready to teach students how to not only survive college, but flourish in it. Filled with fascinating science, real-life stories, and tips for building positive lifelong habits, U Thrive addresses the opportunities and challenges every undergrad will face -- from finding a passion to dealing with nightmarish roommates and surviving finals week. Engaging and hilarious, U Thrive will help students grow into the happy, successful alums they all deserve to be.
ISBN: 9780316311618
Publication Date: 2017-04-18
Your Complete Guide to College Success by Donald J. Foss College and real life aren't the distinct worlds they're often made out to be. With the proper skills, knowledge, and attitudes you can tackle college work and cope effectively with issues you'll encounter for the rest of your adult life, such as: Learning in the most effective and efficient way Figuring out the social scene Defining your goals and accomplishing them Creatively adapting to the changing world Your Complete Guide to College Success is an up-to-date, evidence-based book that provides a roadmap for how to be successful in college -- and afterwards. It covers a comprehensive set of academic and personal topics, and distils research results and advice into a student-friendly, readable package. In this book, you'll get insider advice on how to get free tutoring on any topic, how to look for help with your courses before it's too late -- and what to do if it is. You'll also get concrete recommendations for everything from selecting a major and an appropriate career to dealing with roommate problems and how to cope when personal matters go wrong. This book incorporates interviews with students and key staff members at numerous colleges and universities, as well as the author's 25 years' experience as an academic leader. It will show you the best, most practical ways to achieve college success while also giving you more time for fun.
ISBN: 9781433812965
Publication Date: 2013-01-01

Madison College Libraries

Book a study room, check out a book, reserve textbook, Chromebook, and more!

Tips for Online Learning

Technology Tips and Support for Remote Learning

Get set up

If you don't have your own laptop or need a hotspot request a loan from the College as soon as possible.
Look at our Minimum and Recommended Technical Standards to make sure you have the equipment and software you need
- Learn about options to obtain equipment from the College if you do not have what you need
- Learn about free or discounted software you can get by being a student at Madison College
Get connected to a virtual desktop
Make sure you have a reliable Internet connection.

Get connected

Madison College is now part of Eduroam which expands internet access from multiple locations to our students.

Get started

Familiarize yourself with Blackboard, where you may find your course materials (assignments, quizzes, etc.).
Take some time to learn about WebEx, a video conferencing tool that may be used in your online courses.

Set up a schedule

Get in the habit of regularly checking your student email and logging in to Blackboard to make sure you are up to date on assignments
Print or save a copy of your course syllabus to regularly refer to

Stay active and productive

Check your student email often. This is the official means of communication for getting in touch with your instructor.
Save your work early and often. You have a variety of options for where to save your work.

Ask for help

Your instructor is a great first point of contact if you have questions, especially about particular assignments.
Get in touch with us at Student Technology Help if you have technology questions.
If you are struggling with a class, Book A Tutor, to help keep you on track.

Important Contacts at Madison College

Madison College Employee Directory
Bookstores
Phone: 608.246.6016
Computer Help
608.243.4444
866.277.4445 (toll free)
Enrollment & Admissions
Phone: 608.246.6210
Financial Aid
608.246.6170
Liberal Arts Transfer
608.246.6246
Truax Student Achievement Center
Phone: 608.246.6125
Writing Center
Phone: 608.243.4289 option 2
Browse the Libraries' Reference Rolodex

TRiO Program

TRIO STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
TRiO/Student Support Services is a federally-funded, comprehensive support program created to increase student retention and graduation rates and to facilitate student transfer from Madison College to a four-year college or university.