FRESH START

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Classes start for most students this week, which means it’s a good time to strategize getting the best result for effort from those classes. Setting goals for the term and for each course is important, and I’ve blogged about that in previous terms. Lectures are one of the most important tools in your toolkit for gaining those goals, so that’s my topic today.

First, however, a side trip to look after the little things that will bite later if not attended to now. Taking into account that there is a shorter time frame to get them done than there was before fall term, you may need to attend sooner rather than later. Housework isn’t very exciting until it brings in the Board of Health, so here are a few key points–every one of which has tripped up even 4.0 students.

Housework Checklist

Accommodations:

  • Gather required letters and documentation.
  • Submit forms.
  • Follow up when needed.
  • Provide notifications to instructors.

Funding:

  • Gather required letters and documentation. This can be more complex than you might think. I recommend making a file folder that you can refer to and update in succeeding terms.
  • Submit forms.
  • Follow up when needed.

Registration:

  • Ensure registration in all courses is complete, including tutorials and labs.
  • Shop different courses and different sections (but see the next point).
  • Note deadlines for swap, drop, and withdraw.

Lecture Leverage

I don’t mean financial leverage–that would be the future gain from your student loans.

This is a more general leverage. Collins Dictionary defines leverage as “the ability to influence situations or people so that you can control what happens.” Well, yes. Your lecture strategy influences your group projects, your performance on assignments and quizzes, and the perception your instructor has of your effort and work.

Effective lecture strategy involves more than just attending every class. As long as you’re going to be bum-in-chair, you might as well use the time effectively. Here’s what works in most courses:

Don’t be a stranger:

  • Go to every class. Your absence will be noted. If you must be absent, send an apology, showing respect. If you’re tired and just don’t want to go, set up your reward system for attending each class. And endorse yourself for getting there.
  • If you miss a class, start fresh with the next class so that a miss isn’t a pattern.
  • When you’re in class, sit within the first four rows. First row is great, unless you don’t want to be That Guy that the prof calls on often.

Look like a student:

  • Body language counts: Sit up. Look at the prof.
  • Take notes.
  • Stay off social media.

Observation time:

  • Notice your classmates. Who has come prepared? Who has a few questions? These are the people you may wish to recruit for your group project work or as study buddies.
  • Note the questions other students ask and the prof’s responses.

Invest in prep time:

  • Earlier in the week, spend 2 to 5 minutes on the syllabus for each class. This lets you know how much reading or prep you will need to do before class. This is as important for tutorials and labs as it is for lectures.
  • Then schedule the prep you need to get done before class. 
  • Use this prep to identify questions and points of clarification you want to bring up in class or tutorial.

The perks:

  • It is a huge benefit to be in class when the instructor makes comments such as, “You might want to make sure you . . . ,” or “I won’t read beyond the second page,” or actually answers the student who asks, “What’s going to be on the exam?”
  • If life happens and you need extra consideration beyond the rules and regulations, you are far more likely to gain that extra consideration if the prof recognizes who you are.

After class:

  • Before bedtime, spend at least 10 minutes on each class you attended that day. This gains memory retention and reminds you of actions you might need to schedule.
  • Do the problem sets covered in the lecture. They will be easier than if you wait a day. You’ll also know the areas you need further pointers on in tutorial or study group.

That’s it! I have never had a student who added this strategy to their lecture approach that did not increase their grade.

If this hasn’t been your strategy, try it on for size. Connect with me to fine-tune the approach for  your winter term [email protected]  

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE DIAL 911.