I’m sure every college student reading this blog has heard the horror stories of some last year college courses. Every college program has the one or few courses that are so difficult that they basically act as a filtering system. We have all heard the depressing rumors:
“4th year Organic Chemistry has a 50% failure rate.”
Or better yet, “the professor never gives anyone an A in that course.”
I’m also positive that every financial stud reading Studenomics cares about money. Retaking a college course because you failed or because you want to improve your grade, will cost you hundreds of dollars. Why not pass the course the first time around? Why not get the desired grade the first time?
I wanted to share some tips to help you kick butt in your most difficult courses in college!
Read the material the first time as if it were a novel
The first time I go over the material the goal is not to try to figure everything out right away. The goal is to skim through the content so that you know what to expect. It will become information overload if you actually expert to absorb all of the content on your first reading of the material.
Come to class prepared
Drink your coffee.
Eat a meal.
Get enough sleep.
Do whatever it takes to come to the class prepared.
Sit in the front of the class
When you sit at the back of the class you are more susceptible to start talking with someone. At the front of the class you can’t get away with that. I know nobody wants to sit at the front of the class but it can be very beneficial in your difficult courses.
Leave the distractions behind
I know that I’m that fool that brings his laptop to class to write blog entries. If you have a difficult course you must be distraction free! No iphone, no laptop, no blackberry, no head phones, no sitting next to the cute girl in class.
Set a daily goal
My daily goal is to look at the course material for at least one hour a day. In that one hour I try to go over difficult past midterm problems and see how promptly I can solve them. This may seem excessive but there’s a reason that the 4th year course has the highest failure rate. What will your daily goal be?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Yes I’m that pain that annoys the professor by sending him emails. So what? I pay for my education and if I come across a question that I can’t possibly answer then I email to professor for help. Some professors will get upset. Others will appreciate your effort and take note. You benefit by obtaining the help you need.
Go over the most difficult possible problems before the exam
You know the exam isn’t going to be easy. Prepare yourself by going over the most difficult problems from the textbook or from past exams. I figure I would rather scramble my mind trying to figure out how to answer that impossible finance question before the actual exam when it counts.
photo: claudiogennari
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
That would be a heck of a way to pass every class. I would recommend not holding off the hardest classes till your last semester. Try to have your last semester be as easy as possibly because you will be job hunting and going for interviews etc. and will more likely miss some classes.
I can’t say that I actually followed much of this advice while I was in school. I did more of the I will get by without studying but certainly not the best way to do it.
Ahhh, the last year of college, I loved it! I took a 480 Economics class, and then……….. Golf 301 (3rd level)! That was absolutely the best time of my life. Classes were Mon, Wed, Fri and I daytraded on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
There has to be a sense of urgency in college. You’ve got to believe that if you get lower than an “B+” or whatever, you are going to fook your life up. Once you know that there difference between a “A” and a “B” could mean $100,000 over the course of your life, I guarantee you, you will become FIERCE in your studies.
There are many firms who don’t accept graduates with less than a 3.5 (out of 4.0). You’ve got to give yourself a chance!
In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t finish in 3.5 years and extended it to 8 semesters of school. College is absolutely FUN TIME, and if you need more time, there’s no shame in being a “Super Senior” if it’ll help your grades. You have your whole life to work!
Best,
FS
Not to be completely contrary, but $100,000 over a life time of work is really not that much. I would hope that if I got a 4.0 or even 3.5 that it would get me more than $100,000 in 30-40 years of work versus my 2.8 that I got.
However, I know that where I got my job we all got the same starting salary and after that your previous job means far far more than your college GPA. I think choosing your major and career means way more than a high GPA.
I should have worked harder at times and not changes degrees but by changing degrees and taking 2 extra YEARS of college I came out with a job that started probably 20,000 per year higher, add that difference up over a career and it is well worth it.
Ah Philip, but I’m talking about just ONE grade! For a whole year, we got what… 10 courses, or 10 grades? Every B you get instead of an A COULD be $100K (who knows for sure, just an example), so that’s $1million your first year. After 4 years, let’s say that $4million. Divide $4mil by a 40 year career, that’s $100,000 a year.
Trust me, a B student isn’t joining McKinsey, Bain, BCG or getting into Harvard Law School….. if they wanted to.. so it is meaningful.
You’re right though.. forget $100,000…. let’s talk about $1,000,000 lost for every B instead of A folks get!
The goal is to bash the concept in early, so students don’t mess up their lives starting freshmen year. But, the flip side is, they might have had a GREAT time during those 4 years! Whoo hoo!
FS
Thanks for the great insights! Time to share mine.
I wish I applied these tips to more of courses. Unfortunately I have only applied it to my most difficult courses.
As for college grades. I honestly think it all depends on what you plan on doing post-graduation. Not all of us want to work for Google. Some of us want to take the acquired knowledge and venture off on our own.
I do believe that the job landscape has become so competitive that you do need to earn higher grades. With that being said it is also important to have some good experience and amazing networking skills. I believe that you will go a lot further with decent grades and amazing networking skills than you would with just really high grades.
What do you guys think?
Hi Stud – Yes, grades alone don’t cut it, but high grades will never limit you, it will only open doors.
Anybody who says grades don’t matter, or don’t help one get ahead probably didn’t get good grades
Why NOT try as hard as possible to get good grades, so you can get a chance to interview at Google? Don’t know why people limit themselves and settle for B’s. Only got one chance guys! You can’t redo college.
Fair point. I’m not saying that you should strive for B’s but what if you get a B here and there? No point to try to make some one feel like shit because they have a weakness. I always try to get A’s but stuff happens. How did you fare in college?
Lol you can call me MD instead of stud.
Ok MD, but Stud sounds better! Good point, but just making a point for those still in college or just starting out.
I was a F student, so there’s hope for us all!
Great advice on sitting in front. I got to class a little late one day and sat towards the back. Not only was it harder to hear the professor but I had to deal with all the whisperings of the students in the back. Another benefit of sitting in the front is the professor sees you every class. Come grade time the professor may remember that you were there up front paying attention the entire semester. Sometimes showing up can help your grade.
Also ask questions in class. A professor told our class that when you ask questions you are molding the course to your needs. Also, professors love participation (usually).
These comments are quickly bringing back memories. My first couple semesters before things went downhill, I would try to sit on the first couple of rows in the classes. Unfortunatly having a professor that is so boring that he makes you fall asleep even on the front row does not impress them very much!
I think the biggest thing in doing well in any class (whether it is hard or easy) is being a pro-active student. You have to treat college as an investment in yourself and it took me a few years after graduating to understand the concept. You do not realize the money you have to pay back until the bills are coming in 6 months after graduating.
Many look at college as being a fun time and then relax on the books, which is exactly what I did. While I am happy where I am now, I do regret doing better in college, regardless of whether the class was hard or not.
They key to doing well in any class is simple: Go there and pay attention. If you understand the concepts in class, you will pick up the material when working on it outside of class. Hindsight is always 20/20 and 3.5 years later it continues to become even clearer.
Hi there, I just wanted to say thank you for your truly wonderful blog! I just started reading your blog regularly a few weeks ago and am constantly surprised to see how bright, insightful, and to-the-point you are. It’s greatly appreciated. Many bloggers ramble unnecessarily, and I can actually get through and derive great value from yours! Thanks so much. While the stuff in this post is all stuff I basically know, it is helpful to see it written out like this from someone else’s (successful) perspective.