Hello friend! Take a seat, and let me tell you about a class that I absolutely hate. Yay! Okay, it’s not really important which terrible class you’re in; these tips will help you with any awful course. Because, let’s face it, we’ve all had classes that either bore us to death, annoy us or teach us material that we just don’t enjoy. So, whether you’ve taken a terrible class in the past and want a good laugh about that awful time or you’re struggling with a bad course now, read on to learn how to survive a class you hate.
1. Take each class as it is.
Anyone who has taken a liberal arts class knows that discussion sections can either make or break a class. Some sections are great reviews of lecture materials where the TAs help with the upcoming essay and answer all of your questions. Some other discussions… may be lacking. Whether you sit in silence “discussing” the weekly readings or talk about new material not covered in lecture, discussions can sometimes be a drag. This may be a major reason you hate one particular class, but don’t let it stress you out! Most likely, it’s probably a fifty-minute class once a week that you just get points for showing up. Whatever your discussion section is like, take it as it is. Try participating more or going in with a positive attitude, and don’t let one bad hour ruin your view of the whole class. This goes with lecture as well; go to lecture with a fresh perspective every week and maybe you might learn something interesting. Even if you know you’re going to be bored, you paid to be there. So, show up and show respect to your professor and your peers around you.
2. Find a buddy.
Find someone in the class who you can sit with, talk with and complain with in class. Whether it’s someone you met in discussion or someone you know from before, find someone you can lean on and trust. Knowing you will have someone to talk to will also motivate you to keep going to lecture and might even brighten your day when things get tough.
3. Remember why you’re in this class.
Think about why you’re taking this class and use it to motivate you to get through the class. Are you taking this class to get some requirements out of the way? Great! You need those classes done and you can’t graduate without fulfilling those requirements. Are you taking this class because you need it for your major? Awesome! You gotta do what you gotta do! Are you taking this class because you thought it would be easy, fun or interesting? Tough cookies, girl. Even if it’s not what you thought it would be, stick with it and get over it. You probably only go to this class or think about it a couple of times a week, so if it’s rough, get over it. Obviously, not every single class you take in college will be your favorite.
4. Do the homework first to get it out of the way.
This is a super practical way to get you through a bad class. I always start with my toughest homework, although some people take the opposite approach. I always start with my least favorite thing and work up to what I want to do most. For me, this looks like opening up my least favorite textbook, powering through those readings and then ending with some interesting work that I want to do. Starting with tough stuff first helps me stay on track and prevents me from skipping work and brushing it off. The worst thing you can do with a class you hate is to forget about it and fall behind on work. Don’t do that! Stay on top of homework, readings, discussion materials and lecture; don’t let this awful class overrun you. Chances are if you do fall behind you’re eventually going to have to catch up on a ton of work, and that’s really going to suck if you hate the class to begin with.
5. Treat yo’ self!
Do as Tom and Donna do and treat yo’ self! Seriously, take some time for yourself and give yourself a break. Finished all of the readings even though the material was dead boring? Treat yo’ self! Went to lecture every time this week AND discussion? Treat yo’ self. You get the idea. Whether it’s an extra episode of Friends or getting take-out, treat yo’ self and indulge after hard work — you deserve it!
6. Vent.
If all else fails, talk with others about why you’re struggling with this class. If you’ve been holding in your feelings, just imagine how much better you’re going to feel if you just get those feelings out. Good, right? There’s a balance between complaining and talking about something frustrating, so be mindful of that. Not everyone wants to hear about your struggles all of the time but talking out loud about something that frustrates you may be a great step for you to move past it.
Even though these absolutely genius, never-would-have-thought-of-them-before, amazing tips will surely help you survive a terrible class, you may still have to struggle through and just finish out a bad course. That’s okay — you’ve got a ton of other amazing classes to look forward to, and honestly, you’re almost done *she whispers in desperation*… Good luck!!