It can never be said that I don’t care about the students. But in case it could, I present to you my short guide to a successful semester.
Attend class. Well, this one should be plenty obvious. You sign up for a class and you show up for it. Attendance is a grade in itself and, for some classes, can be your only grade other than the occasional exam. It’s a handout grade from your teacher, so don’t allow it to become something that will end up dropping you a letter grade or causing you to fail the class.
Complete homework the day it is assigned. You would be surprised that Mother was right
when it came to homework etiquette. Doing homework after finishing with class leaves little room for you to forget about it and the material gone over in class. Besides, you have nothing better to do during the day anyway. Fun doesn’t start until the sun goes down, whether that fun means a night out with friends, a LAN party, or other such entertainment. It’s best to free up the evening by taking care of school obligations prior to whatever it is that tickles your college student fancy.
Own an agenda book. It is no secret that most students are ADD positive and it is very unlikely that this has improved over the summer.
Organizing your days with the aid of an agenda or a day planner is an effective way to keep yourself on track. Agendas, if used correctly, can be an infallible little notebook that reminds you of every task you need to complete or prepare for. You can’t argue with paper, without looking very silly, and it’s hard to forget a test day when the moment is marked with a grim reaper taking a scythe to your text book (disclaimer: scythes are used for farming purposes only and the Spectator does not endorse any and all creative scythe use).
Seek help when necessary. Humankind was not meant to solve the mysteries of the universe or memorize complex equations. But it did, and now that is the standard for us to survive in modern day society. If you are struggling by yourself, don’t hesitate to find help from either your professor or fellow students. To the university’s credit, VSU really does give you all the tools necessary to overcome the most intimidating of obstacles: Study rooms in the library, tutoring in the Student Success Center and stress management from the Counseling Center. If you don’t care for strangers, you can always use BlazeView to track down your classmates and form a collective ADD Hive mind with a study group. Be aware of options like this before passive- aggressively tormenting yourself at your desk.
Go easy on the weeknight parties. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that students should become shut-ins during the weeknights. However, going out and performing a cerebral apocalypse over in Remerton on Wednesday before a quiz will have its repercussions. Have fun, but show some self-restraint. This isn’t high school, though I can see how you might confuse the two.
We’re three weeks into the school year, which is plenty of time to gauge whether or not you are slipping into bad study habits. Use these tips to keep your head over water.
Or not, I don’t care.