A Guide For Students

Kim Taehyung

Kim Taehyung

You shine brighter than anyone ✨
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Okay, this guide isn't complete. Rather, I'm adding my own experiences with college, and also taking advice from others. I'll post them in a list here at the top.

Okay, here's the guide:

1. Never put off ANY assignment.
If you have the time to do it, then do it! I've learned the hard way already that putting off small, simple assignments turns it into a snowball effect: I start putting off bigger assignments, and then eventually, I was behind in two classes. So, if you can do it ahead of time, then do so.

2. If you have a reading class, READ THE TEXT.
I have an Intro to the Novels class this semester, and I haven't read the first five novels of the semester at all. :gasp: So when it came time for the midterm yesterday, I was absolutely clueless. Always do the reading. ALWAYS.

3. Don't always rely on someone to bail you out at test time.
What I mean is that if you didn't study at all, or only partially studied, don't always expect your friend in that class to help you out. I learned that the hard way yesterday. One of my best friends up here didn't help me when I asked her. Sure, it seems mean, but I should have studied. Always be prepared.

Well, that's my two cents so far. What's yours?
 
I have some, though I only go to a community college.

4.) Schedule your classes as early as possible.

- as much as you'd like to think otherwise, there are likely tens of thousands of students who attend your university with you. As such, you may find a class you want or need to take full when you check its availability, so schedule early and avoid the rush.

5.) Scout out the campus and check out where your classes are

-...before the first day of class. You don't want to find out your next class is on the other side of campus and you have to be there in 5 minutes. Happened to a friend of mine.

6.) Don't neglect your General Education

- this applies mostly to freshmen and sophomores. You may be caught up with scheduling your beloved major prep. classes, but know that sooner or later you're going to have to take that bloody English class next sem.

7.) Take advantage of your professor's office hours

- they're there to help. Seriously, I've seen them holed up there for hours doing absolutely nothing with no one in sight. You don't have to talk to them about classwork, maybe you'll just be stopping in for a chat. For most professors, that's totally fine.
 
8) Take advantage of Study Groups, unless of course you prefer to remain introverted.

- When you teach someone how to do something, you actually learn more than you would in class. Also some people might know a bit more information that might help you with a test/presentation.

9) If you need tutoring, don't be ashamed to get it. Your college GPA is very important in order to establish credibility at a job.

- I never took the offer up, but I know I could of had a lot higher GPA if I just asked for a tutor for my accounting courses and such early on. Don't be ashamed either, I know people who went to Emory and still sought help. Give yourself the edge, because when you get done with college it is up to you to know your trade.
 
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10) Check, double check, and re-check anything your advisor tells you in terms of what you need to graduate. Ultimately *you* are the only one responsible for *your* graduation track and whether you stay on target or not.
 
Here's a few of mine:

- As you move through try to narrow down to the specific fields/specilization you'd like to pursue career-wise, and tailor some of your more advanced optional courses to meet this.

For example: Student A is an Accounting major, but doesn't want to go into public accounting, but instead wants to veer toward corporate finance/accounting. Instead of taking Advanced Accounting I/I/II, Tax I/II, Forensic Accounting, etc, you may want to take in more Advanced Managerial Accounitng, Advanced Cost Accounting, Advanced Corporate Finance, Capital Budgeting and Structures, etc.

- Try to get an internship of some sort at the earliest possible interval - even right after your freshman year. Many organizations (or whatever form the entity that employs you takes - dependign on your field) have expansive summmer programs, and while the opportunities for 18 year old kids may be very administrative, it at least exposes to the culture and day-to-day life. Having 3 internships on a resume vs 1 will put empoyers more at ease that you'll have less of a learning curve.

- Everyone should take few business related courses. I know in the US, our education system is pathetic when it comes to imposing basic, personnal financial management principles on students. For far too long it's been looked at as optional despite the fact that almost everyone must deal with it at some point. Screwing it up can ruin your life as is taking place all around us now.

- Have fun. Finding the balance between work and play is essential to getting the most out of both. Bust your hump during the week to get ahead so you can keep your mind at ease when you head out to play on the weekend. This balance will serve you well once you hit the real world.
 
No work is ever as bad as you initially think. A 2500 word essay does seem like a lot, and will be off-putting 99% of the time, but you'll tear through it surprisingly fast. All you have to do is get into your flow and in a few hours you'll be done.

Take advantage of the campus library (if there is one). You'll be told this a lot when you start your course, and it isn't a lie. There'll be plenty of helpful books and such there which will make your life a lot easier.
 
CassinoChips said:
10) Check, double check, and re-check anything your advisor tells you in terms of what you need to graduate. Ultimately *you* are the only one responsible for *your* graduation track and whether you stay on target or not.
Click to expand...

Building on this, the same goes for scholarships and loans. Always be sure you know what the requirements are (GPA and course load, usually) to keep your money. I just finished my first year of law school, and the only way I found out that the required GPA for keeping my scholarship had been changed is because I kept bugging the financial aid advisor.
 
Study groups are a good idea in principle, but make sure the people
you're doing it with are actually devoted to getting any studying
done. Because what happens more often than not, is that you'll get a
whole bunch of people down at some private study room in the library,
talking about some off-topic subject, and you'll never get anything
done that way. Study groups are not meant for social chatter.

I don't personally have my own advice for others, except for some from other people and resources: Here's a guide to getting an A: http://faculty.erau.edu/schliepr/evaluations/a.students.html

And here is an advice column for University of Toronto undergraduates from Innis College (but the general advice is good for students from other universities; you may have to do a bit of searching to find it though): http://askastudent.utoronto.ca/
It's funny, informative, and has picture and video links.
 
Theres something i fear for this,i have to do a french oral soon,in a group of 4.And if I get in with 3 people that dont speak french at all,they will be the reasons that i would fail. French is an obstacle in my life that has to be removed.
 
This is quite similar to what Pooley said about the library, but read a lot. Obviously this depends on your degree, but as a student your own ideas are worthless. Your lectures are and tutorials aren't even 20% of the knowledge that you'll need. Even then you can't cite what they've said. Reading helps develop your ideas, and you need experts as evidence to prove your ideas.
 
Indeed, use the library as much as you can, campus or local. They do get you out of some trouble as you cant always rely on the internet for info and it can make you look lazy.

Do study groups. Even if it interfers with your social life, JUST DO IT! Youre working AND being social at the same time. So it works out both ways.

Get stuck into that essay straight away. Ive known people to start like 3 days before and its 5,000 words :/ I always did a bit a day. When you get typing, sometimes you cant stop. But have a break and do go see friends, do some shopping. If you sit in front of a screen, determined to get it done before anyone else, you can get ill and become unfocused.

Plan out what work youre going to do daily. If I have a class on media, then I will get that homework done that night instead of the day before. Dont leave it till the last minute.

Get stuff printed early. As soon as the essay is done, double check it, then get it printed!! Its painful when you discover your printer has no ink or paper and its the day before essays due in!!

Always, always, ask for help. You wont look dumb, but interested in the subject. Some peeps may be thankful you asked cause they wanted the answer also!
 
My advice is yes, make sure you devote enough time to studies, but also make sure you have relaxation time too. Play a sport or something, but make sure you aren't sitting down reading and stuff ALL day long!
 
Study Methods

Hi students, gamers and workers,

Would like to know how you guys study to get good grades? I guess everyone has a different way of doing it although there is a general principle. Please share :) would like to know.
 
Make a list of questions about what your about to read and what you have to know for whatever your studying



Read whatever you are studying twice over, making an outline
Study it, then take the test that you made.

Or you could Read the information and write down the important things then look them over, that's what I do. It beats taking 2 hours down to about 30 min/1 hour.
 
Don't highlight- it may feel effective but it actually has been shown in studies to not be effective (and I am sure people are going to post on their personal anecdotal evidence of it working).

What you need to do is take extensive notes the act of writing the notes helps you learn the material better- given that you are paying attention and not just copying it blindly.
 
Don't force yourself to work. It'll just leak right out of your brain. I know a lot of people encourage cramming and whatnot, but quality is far more important than quantity. It does NOT stay in if you just stare at the page and repeat it over and over, because you're totally unmotivated. Try not to set yourself an overly rigid timetable - be flexible. Work earlier than your start time if you feel like it. Work later if you don't. If you're in the mood, you'll remember it far better.

Also, don't work for too long. Take fifteen minute breaks every hour or something, just to clear your head. Find out how long you can study for without getting bored of it, and don't work any longer than that. You'll just be wasting your time if you try.

Find somewhere quiet and isolated, as well. In my experience, libraries are neither. If you need references and whatnot, then you don't have much of a choice, but if possibly try and find somewhere quieter, without constant distractions.
 
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