Ah yes, fall break. We all anticipated it, and it left just as quickly as it arrived. Hopefully we became well-rested for a couple of days because of the wake-up call we received shortly after. We all know the feeling—Midterms? Those tests we took last week? Grades? What? This is followed by frantically checking Checkmarq to see how classes are going. Hopefully, we’re pleased with our grades, but for some classes we just don’t know what happened. A possible explanation for a less-than-satisfactory grade is our study habits for that class. Luckily, there are some quick alterations in our study behaviors that can help.
Increase study time
This may be an obvious one, but not doing well on an exam is a good excuse to evaluate how much time you are actually putting into your class. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t need to put in hours at the library to ace a test, you may find that this habit just isn’t cutting it for this class. Perhaps you need to study the material a bit more than other classes. It’s not about intelligence at all, like some may assume. Instead, realize that not everyone can grasp concepts in a certain subject so quickly, and others in that class are probably in the same position as you.
Seek tutoring
For a particularly difficult class, it may not be enough to study on your own. Luckily, for most intro classes (and some others), the tutoring center in the AMU offers weekly tutoring. Tutoring is free of charge, and groups meet once a week. The groups are small so everyone can get the help they need. Even though half the semester is over, the center still accepts students seeking tutoring. If a tutoring session isn’t available for your specific class, you may find it helpful to form a study group with others in your class. Not only will you learn the material better, but you may even make new friends!
Extra credit
Extra credit is a struggling student’s favorite phrase. In most cases, extra credits come in the form of an extra assignment that can only help you and never harm you. Sure, you may not want to write another three-page paper on an article that has to be pre-approved by your instructor, but your grade will thank you that you did.
Office Hours
You know how on the first day of classes the professor hands you a paper syllabus with his/her information on it? Yeah, that information actually comes in handy. Chances are the professor’s office and office hours are listed on it, which is essentially an invitation for any student with questions about the class to stop by. If you’re not doing that well in a certain class, it won’t hurt to stop by a professor’s office with any questions or concerns about the material. You can also ask for study advice if you don’t quite know how to approach an upcoming exam. There’s also another perk for your brief visits– Professors like when students seek them out for help, and often keep it in mind during the grading period. While the visits won’t dramatically impact your grade, professors can determine if a person really cares about the class and may bump your grade up your favor if your final grade lands on a borderline. In essence, that visit may be the difference between a low B and a high BC.