<p>Hi everyone. I come to all of you asking for help, as the transititon to a college level workload has been incredibly tough for me. In high school, I was extremely motivated and managed to pull out very good grades. However, most of these courses were not all that comprehensive, and i still had to work hard to achieve the grades I received. In college, I have not been able to cope with the increased amounts of material. Memorizing is my biggest challenge. I had struggled with larger test’s like AP’s in high school, but I always overlooked these issues because the tests for my classes were a lot smaller and condensed, and the material that we needed to know was essentially given to us. My college grades started off ok, the first few tests I found to be relatively manageable. However, since those first few exams, I have been struggling mightily. It’s not for lack of effort, either, I rarely hang out with friends and engage in fun activities because im constantly studying. I’ve tried everything to learn the material for classes; i read notes over and over again, i take notes and write down the information, i recite the information aloud, but I only retain and extraordinary little amount of the material, which doesn’t at all reflect the great amount of time i spend on my coursework. I’ve really lost all my self-esteem, my grades are poor, and I feel like I have to completely reevaluate the type of student that I am. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to remember anything, and I’ve learned very little in my classes so far. In discussion sections, I’ve read the material, but I often am unable to contribute because I can barely recall the material. Do any of you parents have an experience with someone in my situation? How would u recommend I confront these issues?</p>
<p>Use the study skills center or counseling center at your college. They should be able to help you, which could include testing you for learning disabilities and giving you ways to compensate for LDs if any are found.</p>
<p>Also realize that college material is much harder than is the material you may have been exposed to in high school. In addition, you may have gone to a weak high school, so not had to have learned some of the study and comprehension techniques that many other students at your college had to learn in high school.</p>
<p>For instance, in weak high schools, teachers basically explain the reading to you, and tell you exactly what notes to take and what will be in the tests, which may be multiple choice or require you to regurgitate back exactly what the teacher told you.</p>
<p>Stronger high schools would expect you to analyze the reading material and the teacher would not go over everything in the book. </p>
<p>If you are struggling now due to having been previously educated at a weak high school, you’ll have some catching up to do, but by using professors’ office hours and the study or counseling center and possibly extra tutoring, you probably can catch up and may even be able to graduate with honors.</p>
<p>I just looked at your back posts and checked your scores, which were excellent, indicating you definitely have the ability to do well, including at highly competitive colleges.</p>
<p>Assess whether any of these things could be interfering with your studying and short term memory:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are you getting enough sleep?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you partying a lot or /drinking/drugging?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you stressed/worried about something like family problems?</p></li>
<li><p>Are you taking an overly difficult courseload? For instance, the survey courses, which cover a great deal of material, typically are much harder than are upper level courses, which focus on one area. For instance, “Introduction to Western Civilization” covers 1,000 years of history while, “Nazi Germany” covers only about a decade. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>It’s important to balance your courseload so you don’t take, for instance, 4 courses that require a great deal of reading.</p>
<p>What sort of tutoring services are available at your school? You should probably avail yourself of whatever services are offered there. A more personal hands on approach
to your dilemma is most likely called for. Have you tried forming or joining any study groups?</p>
<p>It sounds as if your study strategies aren’t working for you and I’m not in any position to even guess why without a lot more info. Taking notes and reading them may not be the most effective way to go about this for you. Are you reading the material but not understanding it, or are you reading it but not really absorbing it due to a lack of focus. Is your mind wandering while you are reading? Are you distracted by other things while reading? Is it just not interesting to you? What sort of classes are you taking? How many? What kind of school are you at–large, small, etc.? Have you spoken to any profs or advisors?</p>
<p>I see by your sn that you perhaps like tennis?–do you play? It’s a sport that requires a great deal of focus and practice. Perhaps there are some strategies from the game that you could apply to your studies?</p>
<p>Fill in some of the blanks and I’m sure you’ll get some useful advice here.</p>
<p>Lots of the very best college students also use study groups. A structured study group in which students discuss the reading, and answers to possible questions on upcoming exams is very helpful.</p>
<p>Make friends with the students who are doing well in your classes and ask if you can study with them. While not every high-scoring student will be willing to study with you AND not every high-scoring student will be able to pass on some valuable study insights, amongst those peers is the information you need.</p>
<p>Here is what I would coach you on in the most generic way since this is not subject/class specific at the moment.</p>
<p>1) A lot of scoring well in a college class is more about deciphering what the TEACHER wants to hear or see being parroted back at them. Even teachers who want to see “originality” still have certain biases that can be stroked for a good grade. While this might seem shallow on some level the reality is that this is the set up for a vast majority of classes. If one is going to study with Yo-Yo Ma, it is probably the case that one will pick up his ideas about vibrato and tone quality… the student can go on LATER and do their own thing but while in the studio, study Yo-Yo Ma.</p>
<p>2) Visit your professor during office hours. The first time, and this rule is never to be broken, just stop by to say hello for a minute or two. Don’t ask for help, complain, etc. Be sure to COMMENT on something in his office… “gee, that’s a cool set of books” or “love that picture on your wall”… notice something about the teacher’s surroundings (focus on the teacher indirectly). Studies, actual real studies show that students who go talk to professors score on average 8% better on subjective grading assignments! Plus, once you have rapport, the <em>second</em> office visit you can ask for help. And some professors will literally hand you the golden keys… nothing better than honing a thesis statement with the professor! How can they hate it – they’ve molded it with you already!</p>
<p>2) You haven’t deciphered exactly where the gaps are in your class performance. Is it straight memorization problems? Is it that you don’t memorize the right stuff? Are your memorization techniques just not quick enough? I have a whole bagfull of techniques that work for me that surprisingly my peers didn’t ever use… in study groups when I’d share a trick they’d look at me like I was Merlin and declare me genius. The reality is that those tricks worked for me and I played around until I found the right ones that worked.</p>
<p>Flashcards? Tried and true but are HORRIBLE for me. A major waste of time. Drawing out picture-stories? Near 100% recall. Creating mini speeches in my mind with acted out hand gestures? Great for framing long essay outlines in my head, though still takes a lot of “practice” to pull off. But it works for me. </p>
<p>I think you need new techniques.</p>
<p>Also figure out if you are trying to memorize/learn the wrong stuff. Diagnose where you fall short on assignments/tests. Then experiment with new techniques to bridge the gap.</p>
<p>That’s just a start but you get the idea. Good luck!</p>
<p>Is it possible for you to take many classes next term on a “pass/fail” or “Credit/No entry” basis, rather than for grades?</p>
<p>I was disappointed in my freshman grades (back in the day) and just got so tense I couldn’t think straight while I studied. </p>
<p>By chance, and because of the tumultuous times of the '60’s, our college offered (in my sophomore year) the option of taking ALL classes “credit/no entry.”</p>
<p>Suddenly without the pressure of grades in my mind every time I sat down to study, I was able to come up with study strategies that were effective. My problem wasn’t like yours – I could memorize. But I couldn’t deal with the massive amounts of assigned reading, because I believed I had to read every single word. WIthout the grade pressure, I began to read in order to learn, so I realized when several assigned articles were overlapping or restating. I stopped working myself into the ground for little acquired knowledge. Instead I recognized when I had learned the concept, so didn’t have to waste time reading yet another author rephrasing the same concept. I learned to scan, synthesize and think as I studied.</p>
<p>But I couldn’t do any of that when I was oppressed over my end-of-course grades. Basically I was OVERworking myself into the ground…and learning precious little, as a freshman trying to make good grades. </p>
<p>Following sophomore year, I returned to courses with grades and maintained a B average, with A’s in my major. I had a good time learning. Basically, by removing all pressure for letter grades during my sophomore year, I learned how to study effectively in time for junior year. </p>
<p>Is anything like that available to you, even in some modified form?</p>
<p>As well, your student study center might have strategies to make your study time more efficient. </p>
<p>Concerning memorization, there are also ways to approach that by getting a grasp on your particular learning style. Research “learning styles” briefly on the 'net. For example: some people remember lists/data/terms well when they repeat them silently on their own lips, but others do better writing them down several times on paper and rereading. Flashcards help some, but are useless for others. Listening to your own recorded voice might help (audial learner), but others do better sharing data back and forth with a friend to reinforce the memory better because they see/hear their friend’s voice saying the term (social learner).</p>
<p>You have gotten some great advice here. I particularly like annika’s.</p>
<p>Use every strategy and see which ones work for you. You’ll find certain subjects require memorization more than others: math & science. If it’s math, and you can’t recall certain formulas then it might be because you’re not generalizing the information…you might not be asking “why?” Also, don’t expect to find the same exact question that you studied. Also, if you can locate the test, look at your mistakes, learn those problems that you got wrong (and understand why). Make the information relevant to you. I teach 3rd graders the multiplication tables and use all sorts of games and tricks and they always get it.</p>
<p>If it’s science, chemistry is like math: lots of formulas. manipulate the information, so you “understqnd” it differently. If it’s Bio: use your drawing skills. Draw those systems. In the process, you use a different part of you brain that helps you recall. (there’s kinesthetic, plus, visual, plus auditory)</p>
<p>Another often overlooked strategy is to reread your notes after class each evening. This may sound obvious, but there are studies that show recall rates improve considerably if you reread your notes by day’s end. Fix those scribbles you made while taking notes. And add to them. Be sure you have a good process for taking notes, and most especially write everything down that was on the board.</p>
<p>Many times, memory skills fail when you’re tense. If this is a pattern, it becomes worse. Break that routine. Talk positively. Get regular sleep (incredibly overlooked). Don’t feel rushed, or count the hours of studying you did. Try different strategies.</p>
<p>Well, as a prof, I can’t help but feel that some of annika’s advice is cynical and manipulative. I really don’t want students to stop by my office and/or suck up to me. I know it’s naive to think this wouldn’t ever work, but it’s not the best advice I’ve seen for doing better in college.</p>
<p>There are some good suggestions here though. One big thing that bears repeating is the importance of time management. I always advise new students to be careful about this. Just because your prof doesn’t give you an assignment every day doesn’t mean you don’t have work to do! Also, I’d also suggest taking a lighter load next semester. You only need 12 credits to be full time. And yes, definitely make use of the resources available to you. </p>
<p>Finally, take heart…Being a college student generally gets easier each semester as you figure out the lay of the land and also figure out what you’re interested in. Good luck!</p>
<p>"Visit your professor during office hours. The first time, and this rule is never to be broken, just stop by to say hello for a minute or two. Don’t ask for help, complain, etc. Be sure to COMMENT on something in his office… “gee, that’s a cool set of books” or “love that picture on your wall”… notice something about the teacher’s surroundings (focus on the teacher indirectly). "</p>
<p>As a former college prof who’s married to a college prof, I disagree with the above. Professors are busy and don’t like to have their time wasted. Stop by their offices if you need help or want further information about a lecture, etc. Don’t just stop by to brown nose unless you want to irritate the professor.</p>
<p>The propriety of “wasting” a professor’s office hours with a merely social visit might depend on the type of course. I can see it being very useful in a medium-to-small lecture course. I’m surprised at the vehemence of cadbury’s and Northstarmom’s replies. I must say that it seems obvious to me that all else being equal, having a social connection with a teacher is better than not having one. Perhaps I am overly influenced by having seen graduate science education and music performance education up close – at the end of the day, in both of those venues, it’s <em>all</em> one-on-one. </p>
<p>In fact, I think that perhaps the class lecture format in general is a poor compromise we make, because we can’t afford the kind of one-on-one education that would really be best - but that compromise can be sweetened rather cheaply with an occasional 5-minute one-on-one visit.</p>
<p>I am aware that there are college professors who see office hours as an imposition and waste of their time - in general this is not the most attractive feature of these professor’s personalities and talents, and there is good reason why deans and department chairs usually insist that faculty hold regular publicized office hours.</p>
<p>Even if you think a student comes to see a professor for cynical reasons, it is possible (I believe likely) that the student will become more committed to doing the work necessary to succeed in the class - so the supposed cynicism involved does not disturb me.</p>
<p>Kudos to annikasorrensen - you sound very skilled at analyzing and understanding study techniques. Thanks for sharing your insights.</p>
<p>D1 goes to a lot of office hours. But she sees her professors for extra help or to just go over some material from class she didn’t understand. Over time she does build up good relationship with most of her professors. As she goes to a large university, often those classes have 50+ students, going to office hours lets her stand out more against other students. Her professors also give her credit for taking her work seriously. </p>
<p>D1 will often discuss her topic with the professor before she starts her research, and she’ll show her outline and drafts as she progresses. She has never felt any professor viewed it as an imposition. Most of the professors she has come in contact with want their students to succeed and they like what they are teaching. D1 said it is amazing how few students go to office hours. Often she is the only one there during office hours, except when it’s before an exam then everyone is just asking what’s going to be on the text, or right after an exam when people are trying to get extra points.</p>
<p>" must say that it seems obvious to me that all else being equal, having a social connection with a teacher is better than not having one."</p>
<p>Office hours aren’t there for social visits, but for business. A student who just drops by to brown nose and for idle chitchat is wasting the professor’s and their own time.</p>
<p>In this thread, we’re attempting to help out a student who is having trouble getting good grades. Such a student has every good reason to stop by a professor’s office to get advice about how to do well in class. This even could be done at the beginning of next semester. It would be foolish for the student – or any student – to just stop by for idle chatter.</p>
<p>I loved teaching, and although I stopped teaching journalism more than 10 years ago, I still keep in touch with several of my former students. Over time, we became friends, but that happened because they got to know me by using office hours for business. The students stopped by to follow up on lectures, to get advice on improving their exams and journalism work, and to get career advice. </p>
<p>I do remember having one student who’d stop by to talk about absolutely nothing. I think she must have been following some bad advice from her parents. I would hear her approaching (She had to walk through the student newspaper to get to mine, and would loudly greet her friends), and I’d want to flee. I’d end my conversations with her as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>Just as is the case with other work places, it’s not appropriate to make social calls during business hours. Would anyone here suggest that someone drop by their boss’s office during business hours just to comment on the books on his/her bookshelf?</p>
<p>Just to show how busy some professors are and how much time they are willing to spend with students, my H spent the night in his office the other day grading papers and creating a final exam. That’s because he had gotten behind becaue earlier in the day, he had seen every student in one of his classes for a half-hour individual review session before their final exam. He spent far more time with them than his office hours, and that’s typical for him and for other professors whom I know.</p>
<p>While I think introducing yourself is great, I do agree that a prof will take you more seriously if you don’t just introduce yourself, but also come with a comment or question about the class (ex. I was really interested in X, what did you mean by that, where can I find more info about that, etc.). So yeah, kinda weird suggestion to comment on the bookshelf instead of the class, but I guess the poster was more making a point to not COMPLAIN. Like, at this point, you come into office hours and you’re like, “I’m doing so bad!! Wail wail!!”, you might not get much help. But if you start early next semester and bring in papers, notes, or generally have substantial and positive conversations, that would definitely not only make the prof take you seriously but also really help you (would also help you retain things, if you have a conversation about them, I’d think).</p>
<p>"Perhaps it’s because the poster suggests NOT to ask for help or whatever and to rather focus on trivial things, such as the prof’s book shelf. I think during an introductory meeting it’s important to come with at least one comment about the class that you’d like to discuss, ex. I found “blahblah” really interesting, where can I find out more about it or what did you mean by X…</p>
<p>That might make it seem like less of a “waste of time” I guess.</p>
<p>I mean, I think it should be acceptable to spend 5 minutes introducing yourself, though I don’t think you should stop by regularly to talk idly haha! Seems like a “one time” kinda deal."</p>
<p>Yes, of course one should introduce oneself, but it also makes sense to talk about the course, not just about the professor’s bookshelf. Surely the student has some question about the course material or would like to learn more about something related to a recent lecture or class discussion.</p>
<p>Just stopping by to say, “I’m so and so and I like your furniture” would be a waste of time.</p>
<p>If you want the professor to get to know you, speak up in class, and stop by for office hours with some pertinent questions and comments. </p>
<p>I think that sometimes students erroneously conclude that students who use office hours get good grades because professors like them. Instead, the students using office hours get good grades because they not only go to class and do assignments, they also talk to the professors about the material, thus going more in depth with the material than do the students who do the bare minimum.</p>
<p>My best students used office hours. My worst students used office hours the day before exam to find out what would be on the test or to beg for extra credit…</p>
<p>Getting used to college is an adjustment for even the strongest students. Best of luck to you and don’t give up, just keep searching for what works for you. Seek out the resources available through your school. Kids from weaker high schools do have a harder time at first from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>~Most importantly - Go to class. Do not skip class unless you are so sick you can’t raise your head off the pillow (or have something contagious like the flu). DD says it always amazes her the number of kids who will say “this class is so hard, i’m doing so bad in this class” and most of the kids complaining are the ones who don’t show up for class (not saying you’re one of these). If you don’t go to class, you won’t do as well. Period. Even if you can get the notes from someone or the prof puts the notes online. It will not be the same impact on learning as going to class.</p>
<p>~Study every day for every class. You might not have an official assignment but that doesn’t mean you can’t review the material. It’s just basic good study habits to review the material daily. You’ve gotten good advice on techniques depending on what works best for you. Whatever the method, review daily. One note on group study - don’t do it if you think the potential exists for it to turn into social hour. DD won’t do group study for that reason…her time is valuable and some kids consider studying a little and gossiping alot to be studying. Not all study groups are unproductive, just be selective who you study with and where.</p>
<p>~Get guidance from the professor, especially if you’re struggling. DD has gone to profs when she didn’t do as well on a paper, assignment or exam as she thought she should and asked the prof for advice to improve. Most have asked “how and what are you studying” and will say I think you’re headed down the right path or I’m hoping that students will focus on the articles more so than the text. They’ve been quite helpful to her in offering guidance but she would never stop just to chat… although she does have one prof who always wants her to stay and visit about grad school apps.</p>
<p>Talk to the professors to let them know you need help. If you have questions, ask, don’t wait until final. I have students (college) come to me after the first class they had with me and introduce themselves. I really like that. I also like students go to my office ask questions. I get to know the students and that helps me to help them. I have students complain "I studied all night still got a 45. (out of 100). " I suggest them shouldn’t stay up all night, first of all. Secondly, they should ask me (the prof) questions, or even talk to me, to make sure what they do is in right track.
It’s a big change from HS to college. It’s great you’re willing to make effort. some just gave up. that doesn’t help them at all. . Don’t give up. You’ll make it!</p>
<p>Oh, also maybe you should consider preview some class materials. that will give you confidence in class, in sync wth others.</p>
<p>First: You can do this!!! </p>
<p>Make sure you’re taking care of yourself physically, especially getting enough sleep and eating a somewhat balanced diet.<br>
Make sure you take short but regular study breaks, say, 10 minutes per hour.<br>
My freshman tells me that nothing clears her head better a half hour in the gym. She comes back to her studies physically relaxed, and mentally refreshed.</p>
<p>Maybe professors who are overloaded with classes or teach classes that include hundreds of students don’t have time for students to drop by to chat.</p>
<p>But all the college professors I’ve had, except one*, gave every evidence of enjoying it if I dropped by their office just to say hi or comment on something that was an interest of theirs, even if it didn’t relate directly to homework or class. (For example, “Did you see that article about X in the paper yesterday?”, where “X” is related to something they cover in class.) </p>
<p>College is about learning new material, but also about networking. Which is not to say you should only talk to professors because you want to “advance yourself”; I agree that’s rather cynical. But most professors are pretty interesting people. You don’t have to be a manipulative brown-noser to get to know them or enjoy chatting with them.</p>
<ul>
<li>The one who didn’t like office visits was a professor who said on the first day of class that he preferred students to ask him questions about homework/class during lab time (it was a physics class) rather than during his office hours. So, given that he didn’t even want to talk about his subject matter during lab time, I don’t think it would go down well if a student tried to chat to him about his bookshelves, LOL.</li>
</ul>
<p>All of this advice is good: get help from a learning center, from the professor, whatever is offered, including thinking about a learning disability of some mind. Study groups are very helpful. </p>
<p>Most of all, know that many students in college struggle at first, and then find ways to do fine. It is very common not to do as well as expected in freshman year.</p>
<p>I would just add some concern about memory. Did you have memory problems in high school? Is it possible that you have some physical problem, such as Lyme disease, migraines or chronic fatigue, that is affecting your memory? Even some viruses can cause memory problems.</p>
<p>I have a terrible memory. I think majoring in something that required analysis rather than a lot of memorization, worked better for me (such as English versus history). If memory really isn’t a strong point, would different course choices or choice of major help?</p>
<p>Do you think that performance anxiety is affecting your memory? Again, there is help on campus for that.</p>