Week 1
- Purchase all required materials. If you are strapped for cash, and a bit hesitant
about selling your last kidney to raise funds, then go yourself to the library and
learning labs and find out if they have a copy of the textbook on reserve. That
way you won’t get behind in your reading, and you can’t afford to let that happen.
Seriously.
- Make up a study schedule and start sticking to it right away. Start with 2 hours
of study time per classroom hour. If you get a 99% on your first exam, you can
consider shortening that commitment.
- Read ahead of your professor. Even if you don’t understand everything you’ve ready,
you’ll be more familiar with the terminology and better prepared to ask useful questions
-Start working on any assignment or lab THE DAY IT’S FIRST ASSIGNED. That way if
you have problems, you’ve got lots of time to fix them.
- Go to e-tips for A-Grades (click link above) and spend some time browsing through
the site. If you find navigating the site to be awkward for you, you can download
the entire site as a manual in PDF format by going to their US website first, and
then clicking on the link for the eBook: e-tips for A grades Sampler
-Begin to develop a relationship with your professor, and start by helping her/him
learn your name. Say your full name with careful pronunciation at the beginning
of each conversation, and continue to re-introduce yourself until you are convinced
that your professor has learned your name. Don’t be offended if it takes your professor
the entire semester to learn your name - it’s a skill that many of us are poor at.
Remember, while you have 5 new professors, they have a hundred new students.
- Find your professors office. See if (s)he has office hours posted, and write
them down. Then drop by within the first couple of weeks and before your first exam.
If they are not there during posted hours, leave a friendly note under the door
with your main question or concerns written out. Assuming they are in, ask for clarification
about something , tell her/him about your study practices, and get as much feedback
as possible. Keep it friendly, courteous, and above all - professional. You may
feel the need to apply your “sucking-up” skills, but remember: a little goes a long
way.
- Find out how your professor likes to communicate, and the best way to contact them.
Some are better at email, some better by phone, some better in person.
-Check out the learning labs. Introduce yourself to the staff, and find out what
services they have to offer Each semester, study groups are formed for each biology
course, or you can form your own study groups with your classmates. Many students
fail because they wait to long to get assistance.
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