As the month of March comes to an end, many high school seniors are in the middle of recieving some very exciting things, college acceptance letters! I can’t believe almost one year ago I committed myself to become part of the Providence College Class of 2020 and the Friar Family. As the weeks go by and more students join PC’s Class of 2021, the more the Friar Family will expand and become diverse. There’s one academic program here at Providence that really binds the Friar Family together, Development of Western Civilization (aka DWC or Civ). This four semester course spans over your Freshman and Sophomore year and is composed of one two-hour seminar and two 50-minute lectures every week. It’s basically a giant history class that covers everything from Ancient Greece to WWII. I decided to whip up a quick little “How to” for all the incoming Freshman and transfer students, or even the current Freshman going into their Sophomore year who still don’t really have the hang of Civ down (yet, does anyone?).
1. GO. TO. OFFICE. HOURS.
Whether you’re confused on a seminar reading, why you got a quiz question wrong, or need help on your paper, go to your professor’s office hours. They’re literally sitting there and waiting for you to come and ask question. Going to Office Hours can also boost your participation grade because it shows you somewhat care about the class.
2. You can read online summaries, but try your hardest to read the actual text
Yes, some of the readings are going to be long and dry, but you should still attempt to read the actual text. Although online summaries can be a time saver, they can sometimes leave out important details emphasized in the actual text. But if you’ve already read the text, online sources are a great way to make sure you kinda know what’s happening.
3. Always be the first one to speak in seminar
Whether you ask a question about the reading, or share a quote you liked, being the first one to speak not only shows your professor that you did the reading, but you’ll also raise your participation grade.
4. Don’t sweat quizzes
Some Civ teams like to give quizzes, whether they’re every seminar or whenever the professors feel like it. Quizzes aren’t normally a huge part of your grade, so if you do badly on a couple of them, just make sure to make up the lost points in another area such as participation or papers.
5. Write down what a professor says twice
If a professor says something twice during lecture, write it down because that not only means it’s important information, but will most likely end up on a test or quiz
6. Study with others
Whether it’s for a test, the midterm, or final, studying with a small group of people from your class is a great way to compile all of your notes together and figure out what you should study
7. Connect ideas and themes
If you connect themes or old texts in seminar to new ones, you’ll recieve major brownie points
8. Ask about exams
Not only should you ask about the format of an exam, but also ask your professor, “What section do students loose the most points?” in order to figure out the most challenging section
9.There’s no stupid question
Whether you need something to be repeated in lecture or want claification on a certain idea in seminar, there’s no stupid question because there’s a good chance that other people are wondering the same thing
10. We’re all in this together
Because every student at PC has to take Civ, just remember you’re not alone in this wild journey called “Delevelopment of Western Civilization”