New to campus? No worries! The adjustment to college life can be stressful. With these tips, you can tackle your studies head-on and come out ahead!
Tip 1: Arrive early
Our first tip: try to arrive about 10 minutes early to classes. It is a good idea to get settled and reflect on your notes ahead of time, so that you can mentally prepare yourself for the lecture ahead of you. Also, anything can happen on the way to class, Such as heavy traffic or a surprise train. I like to give myself some buffer room so that I am not rushing to class. You definitely don’t want to be fighting for a parking spot minutes before class starts. Leaving your house earlier than you need to is a great way to ensure you won’t arrive late, and it gives you time to prepare and be more attentive during class!
Tip 2: Don’t Skip Class!
Out of all the tips on this list, this one seems the most obvious. Unfortunately it still needs to be said: show up to class!
I was a pretty good student in high school. Besides being sick a few times, I always came to class. Once in college, I noticed several students that were on the roster never showed up to class. I thought, if they aren’t coming to class, I might as well save some gas and stay home too, right?
Here is our next tip: don’t. You are paying a lot for these classes! Take advantage of the time and experience that you are paying your professor to share with you. Students that come to class regularly WILL understand the course material better, so make an effort to come to class when you can!
Tip 3: Sit At The Front
Whenever you can, sit as close to the professor as possible, especially if you are prone to getting distracted. Seats at the back of the class make it easy to zone out and lose focus. There are lots of heads to get distracted by, and the teacher feels oh-so distant! Sitting at the front guarantees you a better chance of focusing and taking better notes.
Sitting near the front also makes you more memorable to the professor, which can definitely be a good thing when you run into problems. Professors will recognize you and feel more invested in helping you in whatever issue you are having.
Tip 4: Take Good Notes
Make sure to take notes, and make sure they are effective notes! Unless you have an incredible memory, you won’t remember everything the professor talks about during class. Unfortunately, professors usually won’t offer students with study guides. Your preparedness for exams and tests depend on how well written your notes are.
Taking good notes isn’t as simple as showing up to class and jotting down whatever the professor says. If you try to write down everything a professor mentions during class, you will end up burning through a lot of paper, and have no clear vision of what needs to be studied. Study a variety of note taking systems, and use one that makes the most sense to you.
Here is a good video presenting 5 proven note taking methods that are great ways to study smart, not hard:
It is important to come to class mentally prepared and familiar with the topic ahead of time, and pay attention to the cues of the professor to determine what information is especially important. If you have issues studying, consider speaking to the professor or with a counselor for tips. There are also plenty of online resources and programs as well!
Tip 6: Go See Professors During Office Hours
Do this proactively, don’t wait until you have an issue. If you have any questions about the course material, get in touch with the professor to clear it up. With the canvas structure, we often encounter issues that the professor isn’t aware of, and cant even see on their own end, so politely bring these issues to their attention before it becomes a serious problem.
If you don’t have any issues, swing by and say hello to build a relationship at the very least. This can help you a lot down the road. Depending on your field of study, this relationship might help you land job recommendations or other out-of-school experience!
Stay tuned next week for part 2, packed full of a whole new load of tips to ace your first semester of college!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Christodoulou
Student Author - Spring 2021
