tips for college classes that nobody tells you
1. donât load your hardest classes in one semester. find out which classes within your major are rumored to be tough and divide them out throughout your time in college.
2. donât show up to class earlier than 10 mins early. the class before yours will likely still be in there finishing up, and youâll either walk in in the middle of a lecture or have to stand outside for a long time. just get there 5-10 mins early and youâll be fine!
3. create a group chat for all of your classes. find a few friends from class and make a group chat! this can be either on imessage, groupme, or whatever is most popular to use at your school. this can be your go-to place to ask questions about assignments, due dates, etc. before asking the professor!
4. as for class participation, quality>quantity. in most college classes (with the exception of huge lectures) participation accounts for a chunk of your grade, and some professors take that grade very seriously. however, this doesnât mean you should raise your hand and talk whenever you find the opportunity- your professor (and your classmates, for that matter) will appreciate you much more if your comments and questions are less frequent and have more to add to the class.Â
5. the readings listed under a date in a class are due for that class, they are not homework for the next class. this is one of the biggest issues college freshman have at the beginning of their first semester. unless the professor specifically says otherwise, if the syllabus is set up to list each class individually with the readings underneath/beside the class, they are due for that class, not the next one.
6. make yourself known to your professor! this is especially important for a large lecture, where they wonât get to know you otherwise. stop by their office hours or go up to them after class and introduce yourself- making a connection with your professor can open more doors than you may know!
7. rate my professor is not always accurate. professors can get better or worse, and different people have different experiences. though itâs a great tool and you can still use it to see what people think, if youâre stuck with a professor that is ranked low, it doesnât necessarily mean youâll have a bad time in that class.
8. sometimes itâs okay to just skim your readings. youâll find out soon enough if your professor basically goes over exactly what the reading says every class. if so, you only need to skim it over and take light notes. donât spend hours closely reading a textbook that your professor is just going to go over word for word the next day (unless it helps you- if so, do it!)
9. the guy in class that answers every question isnât smarter than you. thatâs it.
10. if you come from a lower income area or a worse school district than your peers, you may be playing the âcatch up gameâ for a while. itâs okay! i personally go to a college where most students here come from wealthy families across the world and were sent to the best high schools possible. if you, like me, come from a mediocre public school, you may feel like youâre a beat behind your peers when it comes to background knowledge. donât give up. work hard, youâll catch up with them soon. (also- they arenât smarter than you just because they had better opportunities than you did growing up. at the end of the day, you ended up at the same college)
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