In my experience, passing a college course is not easy. it requires hard work (in most cases), organization, and discipline. Studying at the last minute or trying to beg for extra marks or for an extension does not often work! In this post, I will discuss some of the strategies that can help you pass course colleges easily. The grade you get, however, will depend on how much hard work you are willing to put into the course.
Challenges with college courses
- A lot of weekly assignments and projects
- strict deadlines
- A lot of material to cover
- New content
- Ambiguous course requirements and/or calendar
Strategies for success
If you can associate your courses with any of the above challenges, you are not alone. Millions across the world face exactly those same challenges, yet most of them pass their courses and many with As. So how can you overcome these challenges?
- Organize your work and time
- Communicate
- Seek help
Oraganize your work and time
By far, this is the most important factor in college success. I met so many intelligent students who struggled through a course because they did not organize their work well. In this section, I will give you some recommendations to organize your time
First, please please, do NOT leave your assignments to the last minute. At least look at them early on and make sure you are very clear about what you should be doing. leaving things to the last minute may not give you the time to finish them properly, and if you find that the assignment is ambiguous, you have very little time to ask the course teacher, and even if she answers, she will mark you as a last-minute person and this is not a good mark!
Second, use the course calendar. Most learning management systems have built-in course calendars that you can use to know the submission and exam dates. Build a schedule around these dates and this should help.
Taking too many courses is a major issue that I see. I know you are smart, hardworking, and you want to finish ASAP, but please remember you are still human. No, you are a college student. You need to go out and have some fun. So, please make sure you have an appropriate course load and don’t overload yourself. your advisor can be a great resource in this area.
Create a weekly schedule for the work that needs to be completed. I have attached some books and resources that will help you develop a good schedule.
Even with the above advice, some of us procrastinate as a lifestyle. This is not good behavior in college or during your career. if you want to succeed, then you MUST overcome this bad habit. there is no way around that. I compiled a list of useful resources that you can use to overcome this habit. These resources helped me personally to finish my work in time.
Communicate
Communications are important in every aspect of life. So, why should that be any different for college success?! When I talk about communications, I mean all types of communications, with the course instructor, with your colleagues, with your advisor, and your department head. Use the phone, email, and office hours to communicate. This communication will give you several benefits. First, you will get to understand what is required more clearly that includes the course materials and the assignments. your professor will not penalize you for a mistake she made when explaining the assignment to you. Another overlooked benefit of communications is that you will be known as someone who cares. As a professor myself, I remember the names of those who come often to my office. I do my best to help them because they care. Finally, if an internship comes your professor’s way, guess who is more likely to be offered this internship?
One of the important forms of communication is communicating with your peers. Those other students who are taking the same course and who may be facing the same problems. these students can be a valuable resource to you. By communicating with your peers, you will know who to go to in specific situations and who you can work with on projects. Now, this type of communication can be hard especially when everyone has different schedules. ColBuddy groups available through the Colbuddy community are an excellent way to maintain communications even with different schedules. You can create discussions, share files, set up zoom meetings, and so on.
Seek help
Most colleges offer many rich resources that can help you succeed. You need to familiarize yourself with the resources in your college. Ask professors, staff. Ask your advisors. try to find out who can help you and what resources are there. If you fall behind, go to your professor and share that with her. she will help you. if you are overwhelmed with your courses go to your advisor. if you believe you are not being treated fairly go to the chair. I have not seen any professor, advisor, or chair not willing to help a student in need.
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