Tips for College Classes (Sciences)
1. If you know what you want to pursue, don’t take too many classes you don't need. Not only does it add to your debt but some states (such as Florida) have an excess hours law, which doubles your tuition if you pass a certain number of hours.
2. Your advisors may think its good to take ‘fun’ classes with your hard ones, but in my experience fun classes only tack on more work and projects to my already busy schedule. If you have to take something fun make sure its an easy pass class you’ll truly enjoy without too much out of class work.
3. Research ahead of time what prerequisites are needed to take each class. Your major might not necessarily require something but a particular class will (which is stupid, but it happens).
4. Take Chemistry I and Biology I together. I learned the hard way that a lot of concepts in Bio I reinforce concepts in Chem I and vice versa.
5. Don’t take more than 4 classes per semester. I made this mistake by taking five science/math classes all at once since I was used to having 5-6 classes in high school. It’s incredibly difficult to make time for them and the concurrent labs. For example, any given semester I may take Physics II+Lab, Bio II+Lab, Social Psychology, and first aid. I try not to take more than 3 hard classes at once.
6. Don’t skip class! It’s easy to do so since most professors don’t make you go, however, a lot of what’s on the tests is usually from the lecture! Also, if there are points given for participation (aka going to class) DO NOT take them lightly! 50-100 points may not seem a lot but it can make the difference between an A and a B.
Side note: depending on your college going to class really isn’t that bad! Most lecture halls are huge so if you’re really not feeling it you could sit in the back and snack, or watch netflix, or even leave if you’re really not feeling it. So just go because (usually) no one is making you stay!
7. If you’re not a morning person DO NOT take morning classes unless you have to. Trust me, it’s easy to think ‘this time I’ll be different, I can change!’ but no, chances are you won’t so don’t put yourself in a situation that makes it harder on you to go to class.
8. READ THE SYLLABUS! Sometimes teachers write things like “Do the end of chapter questions, they’re similar to the test questions” or “Tests will be lecture based”. This will allow you to study more efficiently.
9. Along with number 8, figure out your teachers style early on. Are their exams lecture based? Text book based? Are exam questions identical to the homework or end of chapter questions? This prevents you from studying unnecessary things and overall, saving a lot of time!
9. The syllabus usually has the due date of every project, homework, and test for the entire semester. Take time during the first week to put everything on your calendar or whatever you use to stay organized, that way you never miss anything. There’s nothing worse than losing easy points because you forgot a homework assignment was due.
10. Read the textbook chapters and look over the notes if your professor posts them online, so you can answer your professors questions during class and make a good impression for recommendations later on.
11. Keep up with the work so you can frequent your professors office hours to ask relevant questions. This is another way to get to know your professors so you can hit them up for recommendations later on.
12. Check your email every morning and every night! Actually, just quickly check it all the time. Sometimes I would get an email ten minutes before class started that class was cancelled.
13. Try to evenly space your classes together if you live off campus. One thing I noticed was that I had the urge to just leave and go home if I had to wait an hour or more for my next class. I ended up missing those classes completely.
14. Bring healthy (or unhealthy, to each his own) snacks with you and water! There’s nothing worse than feeling dehydrated or hungry during class. It makes it so much harder to concentrate.
15. Try to score as high as you can on everything that’s not an exam (homework, online quizzes, projects etc.), those are usually incredibly easy points that can save your grade. Also, do the extra credit assignments! You never know if an exam in the future will be exceedingly difficult and drop your grade.
16. If your university has free tutoring, use it! I know it seems like an extra thing to tack onto your schedule but in the long run it’ll save you more time. You can get a good grade the first time and not have to retake the class another semester!
17. For note taking, I usually print out the lecture slides if the professor puts them online and take notes on them. Then, I’ll go home and rewrite everything onto a separate piece of paper to have uniform, pretty notes.
18. Actively engage with your notes. Read them in your head or out loud as you write them. Really think about what you’re writing and make sure you understand the first time.This is an effective form of studying. Don’t put your mind on autopilot, otherwise you’ll have to go back and reread what you already wrote and that’s a waste of time!
Everyone is different. Depending on what school you go to or your major, these tips may not be relevant. But they’re things I learned throughout my college experience that were super helpful for me. Hopefully, they’ll help you!
