Okay. Now you are actually in college and at college. You have moved in. Met the roommate. Gone to a couple of parties and met some other students. Awesome, dude. But there is another side to college…it is called learning.
So I have some great tips on how to succeed in your college adventure…academically. I used to teach at the university level, so I do have a wee bit of experience at this.
1. “Get your @$$ to Class”. This was always my first piece of advice to my students. You will not succeed if you depend upon the textbook alone. I taught material OUTSIDE of the textbook, and students were responsible for every bit of information I gave in lecture. If you aren’t there you can’t get the information. Of course you can get notes from someone else, but there is another issue: how can you really learn unless you participate in your own education? Discussion in the classroom is probably 1/3 or even 1/2 of the learning process in college. Professors want your opinions and we want you to share. Discourse is how we learn best. So be there, be ready to learn, be ready to share your knowledge and to add to it.
2. No one is available to bail you out. College is not high school. Mom and dad won’t be there to talk to the teacher for you if you mess up. No one will remind you to do your homework. YOU must be responsible. You always said you couldn’t wait to be an adult with no one to tell you what to do, right? Well, guess what? You are!
Part Two will follow!
