Editorial page editor Donald Meyers is on vacation. The Herald will occasionally publish opinions from other newspapers until he returns Aug. 14.

In the next few weeks, about 8,000 recent high school graduates from Utah Valley will start college. More than half will have their first college experience at Utah Valley State College.

Unlike the previous 12 years of schooling, college offers significant freedom to tailor learning to individual abilities and interests. But with this lurch into freedom comes a precarious lack of structure that causes some freshmen to drop out. The Daily Herald reported (Aug. 7) that only 21 percent of Utahns finish college today.

If you are a freshman, your persistence to graduation is one of the most important commitments you will make in your life.

For me, learning is a sacred activity that feeds the soul and raises the human character. It has both spiritual and practical dimensions. Unfortunately, the practical dimensions derail some students and keep them trapped below their potential.

As a parent and a professor, I have eight important lessons to help students starting (or continuing) college in the coming weeks.

LESSON 1 -- Know your learning style. Parents know that each brain is programmed differently. Students should know what kind of learning environment favors their success. Some are language/logic learners, privileged by lecture and text. Others are visual learners and could do better in a computer mediated environment. If you don't know how you learn, take the assessment instruments that most college advisement centers make available online. UVSC offers this service online, www.uvsc.edu/careeracad/career/testing.html.

Most teachers teach well to their own learning style. But students need to select a learning environment where they are most likely to succeed. It may take some personal networks and phone calls to professors, but find out how they present material. Most professors welcome your questions. Open houses and college activities, such as the UV experience -- www.uvsc.edu/orientation/uvexperience.html -- are very helpful, but I really admire a student who drops by my office before the class begins and asks, "What can I be reading to get ready for the first day of classfi"

LESSON 2 -- Take a college success course. Most colleges and universities offer one. This is a class about learning how to learn. It will help you with time management, course management, technical and study skills, and it will be fun. Marni Sanft, UVSC Assistant Professor of College Success, says, "The first and most important thing that a college success class teaches is self awareness. You can only build a foundation for success if you can first learn how you learn."

LESSON 3 -- Learn to manage time. Because freshmen are now in a less structured learning environment, they often don't realize that they will still be very busy. For every hour spent in class, a student is expected to spend two to four hours studying. For some, it takes even more time to digest difficult subjects. For me, digesting college algebra was a bit like a boa constructor eating an elephant.

LESSON 4 -- Take the professor, not just the subject. Find a master teacher who inspires you. Teachers are like shoes. Some fit one person and some fit another. If you find one that fits you, stay with them. Most professors want to do more than talk at you and grade your papers. In a recent study, UVSC over 90 percent of UVSC faculty members, said being a role model is important or very important.

LESSON 5 -- Find a mentor. Connect with master teachers who are interested in the same things you are interested in. Well over half of the UVSC faculty said they have worked with students on a research project in the last two years. Faculty led research is not just an advantage for graduate school bound students, it benefits anyone who wants to have complex problem solving skills. Scott Wakefield, a UVSC student who presented research in North Carolina and China, said, "My experience with undergraduate research has given me greater confidence in my ability to perform academically."

LESSON 6 -- Seek feedback, not just grades. Real learning comes when you want to know how you can be better, even if you got and "A." One of my best learning experiences came when a beloved professor sat down

with me and went over a paper. He said, "As in all papers, there's some 'A' work, some 'B' work, and some 'C' work on these pages. Let me show you how to tell the difference."

LESSON 7 -- Become a scholar not just a student. In college, you are responsible for your own learning and your own life. Outside of Utah County, a leading reason for dropping out of college is related to alcohol abuse. In Utah County many college students drop out for financial reasons or because of stress. Finding a positive social environment that supports your goal to persist in your education leads to a positive, higher level of joy. Clubs related to your major or interests provide a new set of peers. Faith-based organizations can also provide positive social support.

LESSON 8 -- Have a degree goal in mind. While determining your major may seem like the most important thing, determining to stay in school is more important. While some majors, like nursing or aviation, lead to specific careers, for most it is persistence to graduation that leads to later and greater life opportunities.

My final lesson is this: College is a place. Learning is a verb. Education is an abstract noun. A degree is an opportunity. Stay in college until your efforts pay you back with opportunity.

Scott C. Hammond, Ph.D is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Utah Valley State College. He can be reached via e-mail at hammoncs@uvsc.edu.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A5.