In the world of general education requirements, pre-graduate school tracks and even difficult major requisites, there is bound to be a time where you in a class you absolutely do not like. And that’s okay. But what’s also important is acknowledging your dislike and trying to find little aspects of the class you can learn to enjoy. So here are some ways to make sure you’re not in for a longer quarter than you have to be:
- go to class, even if you dread it
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If you skip class once, you’re going to want to do it again because it means less time in a place you don’t want to be. The issue with that though is not only will you fall behind, but the work you would have to make up makes the class not even worth skipping. The work will keep piling up, and when you finally sit down to do it, you realize you like the class even less now. Just stick to a routine, and you will thank yourself for it later down the road.
- engage with others in the class
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Chances are that if you aren’t a fan of the class, there’s going to be someone else who shares your sentiment. Try to interact with the people you sit around to make the class a bit more entertaining for yourself and others. It’s even better if the people you happen to interact with are genuinely interested or passionate about the class. You found yourself a potential study buddy and a person whose energy you could feed off to connect better with the class.
- change up your note-taking strategy
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Being in a class you don’t like makes it that much easier to get distracted, and getting distracted means you could be missing out on important material. Just sitting in class and listening would leave you open to daydreams, but just monotonously writing everything verbatim means that you wouldn’t be retaining any of the material.
Try to develop a note-taking strategy for the class where you make sure to write down the important information, but not everything. This forces you to discern which information is worth nothing down and which is not, which automatically causes you to retain more of what you’re hearing.
- try to reward yourself after class
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Use an after-class activity like getting a coffee from a café on campus or meeting up with friends to have something to look forward to throughout class. Having something you’re excited about can give looking at the clock throughout the lecture some meaning. It can also motivate you to be more focused in the present because you know something you actually enjoy is waiting for you. It might be just that little nudge you need to push through.
You are inevitably going to be in a class you don’t like at some point in your college career, but instead of being miserable every time you step into it, these small changes just might make it a little more bearable. Plus, it never hurts to learn how to face a bad situation head-on and make the best of it.