College Help Blog

Figuring out college stuff can be confusing- I'm here to help. Send any questions about college admissions, the ins and outs of navigating college life, and anything else related to higher education!

[nikukurin]

my life in 6 panels.

[gyakutengagotoku]

If your professor provides the slides as pdfs on their site, bless them.

[avatarwill113]

This is exactly what it is like.

[collegehelpline]

I feel this! But like if you have issues keeping up for whatever reason, your professor should be willing to provide accommodations for you either by posting the PowerPoint onto your class site or by emailing it directly to you! If you have been diagnosed (like I have) with something like adhd or with a learning disability, but your professor still won't provide accommodations for you, go to your campus' disabled student services office and register. Then they will force your professor to accommodate you.

But in my experience, most professors will help you out no questions asked because most of them want you to succeeed.

[collegehelpline]

are college professors tough on the students? My high school teachers tell me they are more strict;;

Well it honestly does depend on the individual professor, but personally, for the most part, professors are a lot less strict than high school teachers are, at least when it comes to deadlines and attending class, especially when you have stuff going on in your life (death in the family, mental illness, breakups, etc).

For example, when I was an undergrad, I had what would probably be considered a nervous breakdown. I won’t go too deeply about what happened, but essentially, it got to a point where I literally couldn’t do any work without falling apart. I talked to one of my very wonderful professors about this, and she told me to turn my final paper in whenever I was ready. I turned it in literally 11 months late and she still went back and gave me an A in the class. She also wrote me a really lovely recommendation letter for my grad program of choice.

So the thing about professors is they’re a lot more likely to see you as an individual adult and human being with a life and problems than high school teachers are, unfortunately. Even professors on the stricter side of things (like many of my graduate professors) are more than happy to accommodate you or give you extra time on assignments if you tell them you have specific needs.

So what I’d recommend is, if you anticipate having issues at all, talk to/email your professor at the beginning of the term telling them a bit of what you’re going through and that you may need some extra accommodations. Then, when you’re in class, do your best! If you show your professors that you care about the course content, they’re a lot more likely to cut you some extra slack.

Good luck!

[collegehelpline]

how do I decide on a school if they don't describe their programs? Some of the schools I'm applying to just name the major and don't provide what the major involves or what to expect

So university websites can be pretty tough to navigate. A lot of universities have separate websites for specific programs, so you might try googling the university’s name along with the program in which you’re interested. If that doesn’t turn anything up, I’d recommend emailing the chair of the department you’re looking into and asking for more information. Not only can this help you get the info you need, but it also helps you establish a rapport with a potential future professor! I know emailing strangers can be intimidating, but it’s something you have to do a lot of in college and you can find some pretty decent templates online to help you write a professional email.

Good luck, and if you have any questions about specific programs or universities, feel free to ask and I’ll try to help you any way I can!

[collegehelpline]

Do you have to raise your hand to use the bathroom in college

dfjhdskjfdklfj KIM

Also, no, no you do not. Some professors might try to discourage you from leaving the class during lecture, but you’re an adult, so do whatever you want!