- Go to every class and always be a few minutes early.
- As soon as you get a syllabus read the entire thing—then put down every due assignment, exam, and project on a calendar you will look at at the beginning and end of every day.
- Stay 1 week (at least 1 day) ahead of the syllabus. Always read all readings prior to going to class so you are prepared. It is a professor’s job to discuss and expand on the class assignments—not to teach what you should learn from reading the readings.
- Go to class prepared to participate—sit at the front—engage the professor both by sustaining eye contact and verbal interaction(usually best about the subject matter).
- Take notes (it not only makes you appear that you are interested in the class, it also helps you stay awake).
- Review what you’ve done in class each day so that when it is time for a test, Your Time is mostly spent reviewing material rather than trying to learn new stuff and cramming.
- In the first 2 weeks of a semester identify and introduce yourself to at least 2 people in each class you perceive to be the smartest. Engage these in a weekly (at least) study group. This is perhaps the best advice I can give you. This will help you master material in the most efficient manner there is. Rules for such a study group or pairing should include: always come prepared and keep working till you understand the material at hand well enough so you could teach it to an 8th grader ( if you’re studying alone this should also be your goal)
- Always remember, this is your education—your career-don’t let a bad professor (which you will surely have a few of) or other students have a negative influence on you. Strive to be the best student in the class——A’s are for the taking– if you do these things. If you put yourself at the top you never have to worry.
Dad’s Rules for Success in College
August 10, 2012 By
