Have we come...too far?
3. Meet with your advisor or mentor and go over the courses available to you. Most universities have a general education curriculum that you must satisfy; liberal arts colleges often have a core set of areas you must take courses in. If the average course load is 5 classes a semester, then take 5 classes not 6 or 7. Some students just love to overburden themselves, but it is not a good idea, especially when you are a first year student! And do not take 5 horribly rigorous courses all at once! Give yourself a break!
4. A major learning curve in college is learning to balance your life. Activities, sports, academics, laundry, sleep, social life….your schedule is up to you. You simply must have a calendar, and electronic is better. Try to plan your time. Put in class times, when homework and papers are due, test dates. Enter it ALL. You can even plan your times to do laundry and to study.
The keyword is BALANCE!
5. Take notes. Take notes. Take notes. If you have a writing disorder such as dysgraphia or Disorder of Written Expression arrange for a note taker. You are entitled to this accommodation! Notes are so important for college academic success. If the professor says it, it should be in your notes. If it is on the board or the overhead, it goes in the notes. Keep your notes organized so when it comes time to study, you know where to find them! You will soon discover that much of the material in your notes will be on the test, midterm or final. I guarantee it!
6. Take studying seriously. For every hour spent in class you should spend two hours in studying or prep work. Yes, I know that sounds like a lot of time. It is. This is college, and this is important. Don’t be the student who pulls an all nighter before the exam because they haven’t even read the text assignments. You will quickly realize that if you want to do better than a C, D or F, cramming like that will not cut it. Oh, and if your friends who make A’s deny that they study this much…they are lying.
