Hi everyone.
My name is Melissa Cook,
and I'm a student worker
in the Elmhust University Learning Center.
In this video,
I'll be talking about different ways
You can take charge of your education
before choosing your courses
you might want to see
who is teaching the class
because you may find some coaching styles
more helpful than others.
Some professors do not assign
a lot of outside homework
so their style may not help you
when it comes to taking the exams,
because you might feel like
you have to do a lot more
studying on your own.
There are a few ways you can see
how others view various professors.
You can begin by asking students
who are currently in a class
or have previously taken
a course with a professor
you were thinking about signing up
for another great person to share
with about professors is your advisor.
They will know all the
professors in your major
and they can give you a great feedback.
You may also find the website
bring my professors helpful
because you can see
how other students have
rated the professor.
In the end, however don't
rule out a professor,
because they have a bad review.
You may do just fine despite
by what others are telling you,
because you may put in
more effort than they did.
It is a given that attending
class is expected in college.
Although not all professors
require you to show up
some may offer easy bonus
points just for going to class.
By attending class, you
have the opportunity
to ask immediate questions
as the professor is speaking,
some professors allow
you to record lectures
so you can listen to them again
and pick up more
information the second time
professors also give hints to questions
that are going to be on quizzes and exams.
Areas that they spend a
lot of time on during class
are more likely going to
be key topics on exams.
Attending class will also save
you time and studying later
because you will be reviewing material
that you have already gone
over instead of trying to learn
all of the material in
a shortened timeframe,
you will also be reviewing notes
that the professor talked about in class
and have a convinced set of information,
rather than trying to learn
everything from the textbook.
It is important to understand
that just going to class may
not be enough to succeed,
putting in time outside
of class is essential.
Most professors follow
the rule of every one
hour you spend in class
you just spend two to three
hours working outside of class.
During those two or three hours
you can read your textbook
or extra articles, watch
videos for clarification,
listen to your recorded
lecture take or rewrite notes,
complete assignments and so much more.
Sometimes the hardest part
about working outside of class
is getting started,
so once you start, you may
find that time will fly by.
It is also important
to prepare questions for your professor,
redesigned texts before going to class,
then go prepared with questions
for your professor that didn't make sense.
Sometimes it is difficult to recognize
what you don't know in class,
so read your notes afterward,
write down any questions you have
and go visit them during their
office hours or email them.
Lastly, don't wait until
the last minute to study.
You will retain more information
if you start studying early,
and if you find a strategy
that works best for you,
you can hand write your notes,
listen to the lecture again
and add to your notes,
critically think about the
material and so much more.
You just have to find the strategy
that works best for you
doing poorly on an assignment
or an exam doesn't necessarily
define your overall grade,
allow yourself to be upset,
but then accept that it was a mistake
and tell yourself that you
will do better next time
being upset shows that you
care about your grades.
So you will try harder next time.
Also look at what went wrong,
did you go to class?
Did you start studying early enough?
Did you misinterpret the questions?
If you're not sure what went wrong,
reach out to your professor
and ask for their advice and feedback,
in order to do better next
time, try and change something.
Maybe the way you studied
was helpful for others,
but not for you
so try studying in a different way.
Try studying at least one week in advance.
Most professors recommend
studying two weeks in advance,
but from the student's side,
I understand
that even starting one week
early is a challenge sometimes,
also critically think about the material,
most exams ask surface level questions,
but the professors expect detailed answers
because it shows that you
really understand the material.
You can also reach out
to the Learning Center
for additional help.
In the Learning Center,
you can go over daily assignments
and notes review for a quiz or exam,
go over material that didn't make sense
in the way that the
professor explained it.
Get help on papers and so much more.
The learning center offers tutoring
in 12 different subjects,
and you can make an
appointment whenever you want
to receive additional support.
To make an appointment,
visit your student portal
and click on the tab
that says my tutoring.
If you have any additional questions,
feel free to reach out to Susan Roach,
the director of the learning center
at her email and phone
number listed on this slide.
