How To Succeed in a College Class!

So, it turns out that a large part of college is actually taking classes. Who knew? Well, read ahead and learn a few handy tips about how to succeed in a college class!

• Read the Syllabus

• I know it might take a whole ten minutes that you could be Facebook-stalking, but in the long run, being familiar with the timeline and policies (such as attendance and grade breakdown) of the class will be beneficial! Plus, it will save you from asking or emailing questions that have already been answered in the syllabus, which is a pet peeve of many profs.

• Read the textbook regularly

• I’m going to drop a bomb here and let you know that college classes often require quite a bit of reading. It’s far easier to read little by little than trying to cram in sixty-plus pages of microbiology terms in the wee morning hours before the exam! Plus, it will keep you from dreaming terrifying dreams about protozoa.

• Make a schedule

• Be honest, if you rely on doing homework when you “feel like it”, might as well pencil it in on the 12^th of never. Writing down a schedule and blocking out one hour to do homework twice a day will seem much less daunting than anticipating all the work that you have to do on Saturday, when everybody knows that you’ll most likely be surfing Hulu instead.

• Go to class!

• This seems obvious, but it’s surprising how many people pay hundreds of dollars to take a class and then only show up to take the tests. Isn’t the point of class to come and learn from the professor’s lectures? It’s very true that nobody is going to call your mom, but really, if you’re paying, make the most of your investment and show up!

• Make friends

• If you can’t come to class for some reason (like a Bridezillas marathon was on TV last night and you stayed up til 3AM and then slept through your 8 AM economics class), at least you’ll have somebody to get some notes from. But nobody appreciates a leech, be sure to share your notes every now and again too!

• Meet the professor

• They are actual people (not robots- and they don’t even sleep at the school) and teaching your class happens to be their job, so don’t be afraid to talk to them about your struggles and ask questions! If you make the effort to develop rapport with a professor (who won’t approach you because they teach 100+ students) they are more likely to be more understanding of your personal case come the end of the semester when grades go out!

• Take advantage of online resources

• Does the textbook have a companion website with practice quizzes? Does the professor post practice tests or supplemental information on their class website?If you miss class, can you retrieve the powerpoint that they used in class from the class website? Make your best effort to learn the material with any available resources!

• Research tutoring opportunities

• If you have questions to ask outside of class, some schools offer free tutoring for specific classes by experienced grad students or even the professors themselves! There may be other tutoring services in the area if you are struggling with a subject, but don’t fail to research these opportunities!

• Study for tests in a group

• Remember those “friends” that you made in your 8 AM economics class?Get them all together and schedule time to swap notes in preparation for the exam! Two heads are better than one, and although five heads might be more inclined to chat instead of study, if you stay focused, at least for a little while, you’ll be more likely to do well on the test!Also, you might gain new friends for real!