One half of all students who begin college fail to complete their degrees, resulting in wasted talents, time, and resources. Through use of mixed methods, but primarily qualitative, comparative case studies, this research reveals ways a 3-week course in study strategies improved the performance of students placed on academic probation. The participating students, from a large, public university, reported benefits from the study skills course and studied for twice as many hours after participating in the intervention. A case study of 1 participant illustrates the ways students learned to use varied and effective study strategies. The findings provide empirical support for the use of diverse advising strategies, including direct, specific study-skills instruction for students struggling academically upon matriculation.