It’s officially that time of the year where the leaves are starting to turn colors, the weather is just right, the PSL is back, and, unfortunately, the school course-load is kicking in. Syllabus week is no more and we start to hear the familiar, dreaded words: quizzes and exams. If you’re a first year like me, you’ll notice that unlike in high school, professors actually want you to study. You don’t earn your grades with busy-work; you actually have to read the textbook and study. Needless to say, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to help me balance the new college lifestyle with my schoolwork. And I know I’m probably not alone. So with our first set of midterms soon around the corner, here are six tips on what to do when school gets hard.
1. Go to class.
Okay, so you may say that this is an obvious one, but sometimes we think that skipping a class or two won’t be too bad. “I’ll just read it in the textbook anyways!” This kind of thinking, however, is probably one that’s likely to stick. One skipped lecture turns into five skipped lectures, and next thing you know, you have no idea what’s going on in the course. Even if the professor doesn’t take attendance, going to class and first-hand listening on the lesson is the most effective way to understand the material.
2. Go to office hours.
Now, this is something I’ve been telling myself to do even before I was in college. So many of my high school alums told me that the key to success was to get to know your professors. How do you get to know them? Go to their office hours! Ask the questions on subjects you know you struggle with. I’ve been to a couple of my professors’ office hours and every time, I walk away with more knowledge than I came in with.
3. Teach others the material you are studying.
It might be a little awkward at first, but ask a friend if you could teach them the material you’re reviewing. By explaining out loud and answering some possible questions, you’re going to be teaching not only your friend, but also yourself. I find it fascinating that whenever I try explaining something to my friends, I answer the questions I didn’t know I had answers to. Basically, once you know the material enough to teach your friends, you should have mastered it enough to kill the exam.
4. READ.
Yes, so this is one that everyone struggles with – probably not just the first-years, either. One thing that struck me as the most different between college and high school is that while you won’t be tested on the reading, you’ll have no idea what to contribute to the discussion if you didn’t read. Two of my classes require a lot of reading, and I feel like I gain the most amount of knowledge from those classes. Also, as you’re reading, don’t just highlight the important parts: write down a small note on why you think this sentence is significant. From my experience, I’ll sometimes look back on what I highlighted and have no idea why I did. This could help if you have a paper or exam coming up.
5. Plan study times.
I never did this in high school. I just studied when I was done with my homework. But with the amount of material you’re dealing with in college, it’s essential to be constantly reviewing, reviewing, and (you guessed it!) reviewing the material that you learned. By scheduling in a specific period of time for this review and study session, you’re more compelled to actually do it.
6. Plan breaks.
It’s obviously hard, and impractical, to be studying 24/7. Breaks are a necessary part of the process as well. Tell yourself every half an hour, you can go on Instagram or read a chapter of that book you’ve been wanting to read, or even eating a piece of chocolate and staring off into space. Plan something to do in between your studying so you have something to work toward!
School is tough, but so are you! If you’ve been struggling within the first month of school, you aren’t alone. You don’t need to understand a subject at first glance, and you most certainly aren’t less intelligent because you need to work harder at something than someone else does. There is no shame in getting tutored, there is no shame in failing an exam if you truly tried your best. Pick yourself back up, eat a cookie, write up a Plan B, and try again.
