<p>The idea of joining study groups is great. Do the profs provide study questions? these can form the basis for discussion with members of the study group as well as guiding your own reading.</p>
<p>As you read, write down a summary of the main points of a paragraph or chapter. Not all students understand what the authors are trying to convey (and the authors themselves may not express those points very clearly).</p>
<p>If the sections are in the humanities or social sciences, bring along index cards with statements from the readings that you think are important and worth bringing up in discussion. Write down the page where you found the quote. There’s nothing more time-consuming than students saying: “somewhere the author says blah, blah, blah” and then spends the next five minutes hunting for the quote throughout the book. This is another way to help you distill the messages of the readings.</p>
<p>By the way, in math and science, study groups are encouraged, too. There’s a fascinating article in Nature, referenced in today’s NYT, about the collective solving of a math problem through a sort of wiki-math.</p>
<p>Did you always have trouble retaining information, or is it the combination of a new environment and just being overwhelmed in general. Of course, at this point, your anxiety in this area cannot be helping, at all.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Do all of the above, which is all good advice, including visiting professors during office hours, both to comment on thier jewelry AND to ask questions and discuss material. Offer to bring a tea or a coffee if you anticipate taking up a lot of time. </p></li>
<li><p>Get a counselor to deal with the anxiety you are now experiencing. Most of the colleges will have counselors who specialize in just exactly this…adjustment issues…it’s why they are there. You might be suprised by a what a difference a few relaxation techniques can make.</p></li>
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<p>Your scores indicate you have no trouble memorizing material and keeping it in your head over time…I’d assume you will find your stride soon enough. It’s a tough transition.</p>
<p>Re: visiting professors during office hours</p>
<p>Maybe it is because I went to a top-50 private LAC, but office hours were there for the students to have access to the professors. A 3 minute “stop by” to create a social working connection with the teacher was encouraged directly and indirectly.</p>
<p>I’m glad that my professors at my top-50 LAC were open to this and did not interpret these visits cynically. </p>
<p>There was only 2 or 3 professors that I ended up having to visit during office hours at a later time because I was academically curious or needing guidance. My advice was never intended to be interpreted as “go waste your professor’s time.” </p>
<p>And who is paying whom here? I think the student, whether at a top-50 LAC or at a public school should feel welcome to stop by for that first office visit BEFORE the semester takes a bad turn.</p>
<p>The advice about stopping by the first time more socially isn’t to gab-fest the professor - but many 19 year olds don’t know what to do with themselves. Stop by for a few minutes, introduce oneself, say something socially pleasant, move on. The student now realizes that (most) professors don’t bite, the professor puts a face to a name, and all is well.</p>
<p>As a professor I find this advice a complete joke. I know these students. And they think they are oh so savvy…and we talk about them. And no it doesn’t work…and in fact could work to your disadvantage. Professors really don’t like their time being wasted by manipulative instrumental students or grade grubbers. </p>
<p>You sound like you genuinely need help. The last thing you want to do is **** off the people that truly want to and can help you.</p>
<p>I now teach at a giant public school. My door is always open. My colleagues door is always open. Stop by in person (or send an email if its more comfortable), to explain what is gonig on for you (as you did in this forum) and take it from there. No need to suck up to the professor and follow some ‘rules’ to play your professors. And yes Annika…you can try to twist around what you really meant but its pretty obvious what you think of your education and how to operate in the world. Its quite sad actually.</p>
<p>"The advice about stopping by the first time more socially isn’t to gab-fest the professor - but many 19 year olds don’t know what to do with themselves. Stop by for a few minutes, introduce oneself, say something socially pleasant, move on. "</p>
<p>I still disagree with this. Unless the student says something about the course (and it should be very easy for the student to ask a question or make a comment about the course) stopping by just to introduce themselves is probably a waste of time. Some professors literally teach hundreds of students a semester. A student who stops by and simply introduces themselves is not going to be remembered. Now, if that student is sitting in the front row, asking questions in class, contributing to discussions, that student is likely to be remembered, and the professor probably will go out of his/her way to find out the student’s name.</p>
<p>If the class is huge, the professor is unlikely to remember the name/face of a student who stopped by and said, "My name is xxxx. I’m taking your XXXX class.).</p>
<p>If the class is small, the professor would be far more likely to remember the student if the student said something in the class or asked a question/made a comment related to the class while visiting during office hours.</p>
<p>At the very least, if the student drops by to learn that professors don’t bite, the student could express interest in the professor’s class and ask for tips about how to do well in the professor’s class.</p>
<p>starbright: You are the one twisting my words and intent. I was hired to be a TA by 2 different professors, one of them not even in my field of study. I had a terrific relationship with those professors then and long after I was no longer their student/TA. It wasn’t because I “played” those professors or any of the others. I built relationships with them. </p>
<p>It is a shame my original post came off so poorly, but it is an even worse shame that you (and others) are unwilling to have me expand upon my original post.</p>
<p>northstarmom: yes, there may be a difference in terms of response from a large school vs. a small or mid-sized LAC. Introducing myself to and keeping in touch with my professors made sense and worked. </p>
<p>At the time I was a student at the top-50 LAC I was in my 20s and visiting during office hours was NOT something I did calculatedly or to “operate” in a certain way. I was actually quite terrified of most of my professors. </p>
<p>starbright: I’m now a mom in my 40s. I read the Berkeley study about the connection between visiting office hours and subjective grades just last summer. I tied my personal experience from my 20s with that study I read in my 40s and gave my advice from the perspective of how can I help the OP by merging the two ideas. That some people disagree with my advice is to be expected. To be personally attacked is unwarranted.</p>
<pre><code>I think I’m in the same boat. I had to drop out of my state university because my uncle kicked me out and now that I’m back at my home school, I’ve had to miss five of my PSC 101 classes over a course of five weeks and I’m afraid that I may be expelled this time. Here’s the back story.
I’m a freshman transfer and I’m taking PSC 101 during summer school (this term is five weeks). I left class early two days and I’ve missed like four days of class. On Thursday, my professor suggested that I not miss anymore class and I missed class today because I’m a commuter student and I live like 50 miles away from the university and the CAT bus was late and now I’m worried that I may fail this class because I’ve missed so many classes. My professor is really giving me a break but I don’t know about this time. He may think that I’m lying and I really need to pass this class because it’s one of my requirements for my major and my professor is the intern coordinator so I need to be on his good side. I’m really worried and I kind of don’t know what to do. The thing is I’m not behind on this class and I’m on ACADEMIC PROBATION. I need to take this class. I know that I need to “drop this class” but if I don’t complete this class, I won’t be able to pay rent and I’ll be expelled because I didn’t complete this class. It’s just that my GPA can suffer because I have a 3.0 and I can just retake the class but I because my SAP is so low, I need to complete this class.
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<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.” Annika.</p>
<p>Listen to Annika. The key is to learn, not just what is in the reading materials, but to know what the professor thinks is important enough to put on the test.</p>
<p>I have to agree and disagree annika’s comment.
It is true that a professor wants you know certain things in a class, you have to learn how to decipher what the professor wants by paying attention to the lectures, notes, and homework assignments. Normally a professor will not do anything unethical because you are nice and say hello to him/her.</p>
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