<p>As all of you can see from the discussion title, I tragically did terrible my first year in college. My first semester I received a 1.5 GPA and my prospective GPA for my second semester is a 1.25 approximately which ultimately leaves me with a 2.12 cumulative GPA. TERRIBLE. All of it was my fault for slacking and not taking it seriously. I failed a Gen Psych course and a Creative Writing course. The Gen Psych course was due to my lack of understanding and Creative Writing is due to my lack of attendance and laziness. I'm retaking my Gen Psych course in the upcoming Fall semester. Basically, I wanted to reach out to the CC community for some advice academically as to how to improve and what to expect. Also, anyone who has been on Academic Probation please please let me know what its like and how to deal with it.</p>
<p>College was a huge transition in my life. High school was so easy, I did nothing and graduated with a 3.6 and well obviously, my high school tactics are reflecting in my college tactis.</p>
<p>So any advice, tips, and suggestions are welcomed.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Take summer school classes at a CC.
Plan out your studying and read your syllabus ahead of time. Take maybe three classes next semester. Like, if you can, you can delay your graduation. I go to a public school and a lot of kids decide to take five or six years to graduate in order to graduate with a better GPA.
But really, learn how to manage your time and not be afraid to seek help. My older sister was on academic probation for a semester and had about 7 withdraws in college. She finally got her stuff together junior year and again in senior year. She’s graduating with a 3.0, but that’s much better than what she started with.
Talk to your academic adviser and maybe look into getting a peer mentor. Write a list of reasons of why you’re going to college and tape it near where you study (if that isn’t anxiety inducing).
It’s okay to mess up and make mistakes, but remember to learn from them. Star slow and build up again. </p>
<p>First step is to figure out the problem.</p>
<p>If it’s poor time management/too much fun and freedom:
Try making a schedule. Force yourself to study a couple hours a day, prioritize schoolwork before partying. It’s not that you should have fun or slack off ever, but you need to strike up a balance. You should probably make sure you schedule in some sleep as well!</p>
<p>If it’s trouble with the content of classes:
Get help! School is there to teach you. Professor office hours are great, and if it’s an essay based class you can ask for advice on how to improve when you do poorly. Most schools offer some sort of free tutoring, that can also be a good tool, as are study groups if your classes are big enough for those. If you’re having trouble in math/science classes, sit down and do practice problems until it all sinks in.</p>
<p>Trouble with exams:
Some students just panic when exam time comes. You might be able to get accommodations set up for tests in the future, I think usually through DSP or something maybe? But if you’re in a situation where you do well on practice problems (at home, no notes!) and freeze on exams, you might just be bad at taking tests. Remember that finals tend to be a big part of your grade.</p>
<p>You should probably try to pay more attention to your current standing in classes, as well. Are you getting bad scores on assignments? Don’t wait til the last minute, fix your habits then. Figure out what you did poorly on, why you lost points, and find an approach that’ll fix it (office hours, studying, talk to professor). Also, remember to take note of the syllabus at the start of the semester. What are you graded on, which assignments are the most important, and where do points come from? Knowing the grading system lets you plan and prioritize better.</p>
<p>Tutoring is about more than just helping you with the content of classes, as well - it’s about helping you develop good habits to succeed on your own. Check out what your university has to offer in terms of a tutoring center. Most universities have one. Also, talk to your academic advisor. They will know what resources are out there that can help you.</p>