| Some things that have helped with our son his first year:
Use of technology:
Google calendar to put in syllabus due dates for the semester, his class schedule including the room number (helps the first few weeks).
Google documents for his todo list
Web page with the course links, course description and links to things to help with the course, links to school administration functions and his department
Previewing classes. I think that he's previewed every class that he took this year either using free, online videos, reading through multiple textbooks for his intended course or using open courseware.
He took Computing II this semester and the dropout rate was about 40%. This is with those that survived Computing I. Computing II had something like 120 labs. State schools can have a sink or swim mentality.
In physics, I think that about 50% dropped out in Physics I and that of those, about 40% dropped out in Physics II. Most professors and department heads push withdrawing from a class to protect the transcript.
The one thing that I've bugged him about this semester is getting into study groups. He prefers to try to do everything on his own and I told him that it isn't always the most efficient way to go. |