These sessions with a counselor are ______.

Counsellor: Hello, John, what can I do for you?
John: Well, I heard about these counseling sessions from a friend doing a science course and I was really interested. I think they should be compulsory really.
Counsellor: Well, to be quite honest, John, I think they would be useful for everybody. But well, everybody has their own way of going about things. I prefer people just to drop in when they can.
John: Yes.
Counsellor: I find that talking to students about the requirements of a course helps to clarify what needs to be done. I mean the biggest difference between college and school is that new college students really have to do a lot of work on their own, and it’s sometimes useful to give advice on how to take control of your time and work effectively.
John: Yes. I mean, it seems like a very light workload until assignment time comes and then I seem to be working all night sometimes. I’m not the only one. It’s ridiculous. The resource center is very good but it closes so early. It’s a real problem for me.
Counsellor: Well, you’re certainly not the only person in that position, as I’m not sure you’ve found. It really comes down to using every available hour in a systematic way. If you do this with a plan, then you’ll find that you still have time for yourself and your hobbies as well.
John: Yeah. I’ve heard from Thomas that you made him a sort of plan like this, and he’s going away for the weekend with all his work handed in, whereas I haven’ t even started.
Counsellor: I need to find out a few more things about you first. I’ 11 give you this form to fill in about your lectures and things before you leave.
Counsellor: Now, what are your main problems?
John: Well, what most concerns me is I’m still not doing very well in my assignments.
Counsellor: Well, I know that you plan your writing carefully, but this can come to nothing if the assignment doesn’t answer the question. That really is the key. You must read the question carefully and give it a great deal of thought before you even start planning or writing your first draft. It’s also vital to check your work for errors. Everybody makes them, and they can influence the person marking the work. So, always take time at the end to check what you have written.
John: As far as listening is concerned, I find it hard to keep up sometimes in lectures, especially two-hour ones. I sometimes just seem to go off into a dream.
Counsellor: It’s a good idea to find out from your lecturers if they mind you recording the lectures. You only need one of those small cassette recorders. The quality is pretty good and a second listening can really clarify things. Something else you can do is check your notes with a friend after the lecture.
John: Yes, that’s a good idea. Thanks. It’s hard to do all that all the time though,  especially when there’s so much reading to do.
Counsellor: Yes. It’s important, though, not to confine yourself to reading on your subject. You know, novels, newspapers, that kind of thing, do you have a good dictionary?
John: Not really. I’ve never bothered with one.
Counsellor: Mmmm. It would probably be a good idea to get one. Dictionaries are not expensive and they can help a lot. Also you can underline or highlight new words and...