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Success as a University Student

Remember that your goal as a university student is learning. Grades are not the goal, they're the measurement. If you concentrate on learning the material presented in your classes, the grades will take care of themselves.

Read the assigned material carefully before each and every class. Make sure you can answer the self-study questions in the textbook. You probably won't have time to work all the problems or exercises in the textbook, but you should read them all and satisfy yourself that you know how to work each one.

Attend each and every class. Be on time (which means a couple of minutes BEFORE the class is scheduled to start.) Be attentive to what the professor says in class. That means putting laptops, phones, etc. away. You may think you're "multitasking" but you're not; you are goofing off and missing an opportunity to learn from the professor. Take notes. You can't write down everything the professor says, but you can make an outline. It is especially important to take note of anything the professor says that wasn't covered in the advance reading. After class, look it up.

Complete each and every assignment by the due date. Give each and every assignment your best effort, not just a lick and a promise. If an assignment or part of an assignment doesn't make sense, see your professor during office hours. Many professors will also answer such questions by email, but don't forget that the purpose of office hours is to make your professors available to you in person.

Review your notes a couple of days before each exam. Cramming the night before doesn't work. Re-read anything that isn't clear in your mind. Review the homework, the self-study questions, and the exercises in the textbook. If the professor has returned earlier tests, review them and be clear about why any points were taken off.

The job of a university professor is to organize material so that the students can absorb it. Learning is the student's job, and it requires effort. If you are honest with yourself, you will find that your GPA reflects the amount of effort you are putting forth.

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Copyright © 2013 by Bob Brown. Some rights reserved.

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