It’s the first day of classes, and after aimlessly wandering around the building for 20 minutes, you have finally found your classroom. About 15 minutes late, you take your seat in a room that’s still noisy, assuming that the professor has yet to start the lecture. However, one glance up toward the front of the room lets you quickly realize that he has been speaking the entire time – he’s just too soft-spoken to speak over the many talkative students you’re surrounded by. At that point, you realize that it’s going to be a long semester.
It’s a number of factors that can turn the course you thought would be an easy A into a difficult class. Distracting peers, bad professors and, of course, extremely confusing material/content are just a few of the most common examples. In this article, our goal is to give you pointers on combating the obstacles of a difficult class and lead you to success. Consider adding these tips to your arsenal and see how they help!
On the first day of class, you want to make sure you don’t just sit in the first available seat you can find. In college, there’s no assigned seating, but the seat you first choose during the first day will likely be your seat for the rest of the semester.
So with that in mind, you want to choose somewhere that’s A) so far from the front of the classroom that you simply can’t see what’s going on, B) around a bunch of talkative students or your friends that you know will distract you, or C) not around anyone at all, preventing you from making a friend or two that’ll serve as help down the line (we’ll be talking about that in our next point).
Friends, or should we say productive friends will definitely come in clutch in a number of different ways. For one, if you just so happen to miss a class one day, you’re going to want someone who could fill you in on what you missed and keep you up to speed. I mean, it’s already a difficult class, the last thing you want to do is get behind. Secondly, if the material you’re learning calls for group work, you’ll be able to sleep well knowing you have at least one partner who will put forth some effort. Lastly, you’ll have someone to copy off of!
…just kidding.
If a difficult class just seems difficult from the jump, don’t hesitate to reach out to the professor and let them know the situation. Different professors have different styles of teaching and it may not work well if everybody. As a professor, they will understand that. Don’t feel like a bother reaching out for help, or even just letting them know from the get-go that you may need some additional tutoring throughout the semester. Doing so will actually show them your seriousness is wanting to succeed, and most times, they will be proud to help!
Listen, I get it. Taking the time out of your day to attend a tutoring session may seem like a lot. I mean, it isn’t really required, so you could be doing other things with your life during that time, like sleeping. But believe me, these sessions will definitely be worth your time, especially for a difficult class.
These four simple, but key tips will definitely improve your chances of acing a difficult class and/or an easy class with a difficult professor. Get yourself in the habit of implementing these tips for even your easy classes, too! It’ll make your entire college journey a lot easier, trust me.
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