This week’s blog is rather short, but does contain some helpful information regarding improvement of your academic career in college. These years are the starting point of the rest of your life, so be conscience of the choices you. Freshmen year is a kicker for all of us, but these are just some things that I would like to share. This is BY NO MEANS a complete list.
Make use of tutoring resources: Having trouble in a class? Most colleges have after-hour tutoring sessions, occupied by graduate students. If you have questions or just need general help, this would be the perfect place to do that. Tutors assume that you have put much of your own time into trying to resolve the question yourself. If you expect them to re-teach the material to you, you are very much mistaken. To make full use of these services, make sure you know when and where tutoring sessions are held in every one of your classes (even if you think you don’t need help) so you can have some work done before then and be able to ask the questions that will benefit you the most. Also, if you usually have trouble in a subject, most tutors do not mind if you just sit in the room and do homework. That way, if you experience difficulty, you can ask immediately. (As an added bonus, if professors see that you are putting in the extra effort, they are more likely to round-up your final grade)
Visit Your Professor: Professors will declare office hours at the beginning of the semester. They do this for the SOLE PURPOSE of helping students. Be sure to visit them a few times throughout the semester, and be sure to bring questions. The more they recognize your face, the more benefit you will receive from doing so. Be sure to do this for professors that work in the department of your major because they will be the ones you can write you letters of recommendations, and give you first dibs on research opportunities.
”Non-Greek” Greek: These are known as service, academic, and professional greek organizations. Service fraternities give back to their surrounding community and do not select their members based on gender, race, major, or religion. The largest service fraternity is Alpha Phi Omega, which based their values from the Boy Scouts of America. Academic/Honor fraternities are very selective on their members. They choose their members based on superior academic standing. Some groups extend their membership to all majors, but most are major-restricted. Lastly, Professional Greek organizations promote a particular field of study. Although entrance is exclusive, you gain the opportunity to obtain important and crucial connections that will help you when you graduate, possibly even procure an internship or two in the process. These options are all provide excellent opportunities. Also, this is true for all three, their pledging processes are not nearly as demanding as a social greek club. Many social greeks require you give a lot of your personal time to pledging and to the organization in general, cutting into your precious studying time. You are in college to learn, let’s keep it like that.
Make use of your school library: Most freshmen do not realize they have a library in their colligate arsenal. The university I attended for my first two years of college (Auburn University) had one of the largest in the nation, so I was more or less forced to recognize its existence. After a few months, I began to realize more and more its value to me. One such thing I realized was that it made for a great place to study. You would often find people in your very class studying the same material. Another valuable tip (and one I learned a little too late) is if you do not understand the way your textbook presents an idea, go find another! Different authors often portray concepts in different ways.
Buy Your Books At The Last Minute: This seems like a contradiction to everything I just said. “How am I supposed to study without a book?!”, you say? Professors often suggest unnecessary items that often never get used, which cost you precious money. Of course, if you think you will need a book to study for the class then go ahead and buy it. Even if your physics class does not use the book, it may be a good idea to go ahead and buy it. Which brings me to my next point (and one I’m sorry to say, didn’t learn soon enough).
BUY YOUR BOOKS ONLINE!!!: Compare prices for yourself. Check sites such as Amazon, Ebay, and Barnes & Nobel and compare prices against your campus bookstore (be sure to include shipping price). I learned this a lot later than I would have liked to. I bought my books for the semester (3 books, after I found out what I needed) online and saved almost $150. Do I really need to say anymore?
There are PLENTY of lessons to be learned in college: How to make new friends, How to deal with that annoying roommate, etc, etc. These are just a few lessons that could come in handy, which I think would be very helpful. Keep up your good habits, and before you know it, you’ll be walking the aisle with a college degree and a 4.0!
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