<p>How do you get an A doing coursework with professors who are considered, 'tough', as in, those who give out particularly challenging tests and homework? Are there any tips current college students could give? Sorry if this seems like astupid question.</p>
<p>Your question isn't stupid, but I think my answer is a bit: just do all the things you're supposed to do. Go to every lecture (and recitation, if there is one), do all the required reading, take good notes, study often so you're not cramming at the end (maybe start a study group with some people in the class), go to office hours to develop a relationship with the professor. Often it seems like a "tough" professor is simply one that expects what is expected out of you.</p>
<p>To learn, do what you need to do to master the information. Yes, do the readings, show up to class, etc., but you may find that you need to do more. Figure out what that is -- if it has to do with what <em>you</em> need in order to learn trial and error may be your best approach, but if has to do with what about the subject makes it difficult your professor may be able to help you with -- and do it. Keep in mind that some material in college is only in the lectures or only in the reading, and you'll be expected to master it anyway. You can't do just the reading and skip the lectures, or just go to lectures and skip the reading, and assume that you know your stuff.</p>
<p>To get a good grade, do whatever you need to do in order to master the material well enough, and read your syllabus closely to be sure you understand all your responsibilities -- and live up to those responsibilities.</p>
<p>If you get a grade lower than you expected on some assignment or test, go ask about it. Just make sure that you know the difference between asking for a better grade on that assigment or test and asking what you need to do in order to perform better on future assignments or tests.</p>
<p>Most people I know who thought they were doing better in a course than they were either didn't understand the grading formula (if attendance is 10% of the grade, you simply cannot get an A if you don't show up, even if you get all As on assignments), didn't keep track of the grades they got (if you are sure you turned in an A paper at midterm and never checked to see whether the grader agreed with you, you can find yourself in trouble academically), or didn't pay attention to their obligations. </p>
<p>One of the academic bloggers I read has a policy that if you are marked absent in more than 5 class periods you will be dropped from the class -- but the policy also specifies that if you are caught without your book for the course, reading something other than the course material, doodling (that's the one that would be hard for me -- I tend to doodle as a matter of course while listening), texting, checking your cell phone, or in any way not being fully attentive in class that counts as having missed the class. People who don't read the syllabus closely can find themselves dropped from the course because they are unaware of how many times they have been marked absent. </p>
<p>If you appear to be interested in the grade but not in the learning you're not going to get much respect from the professor. If the learning matters and the grade also matters to you, that's reasonable (although there are some professors who will claim, at least, that you ought to care only about the learning and trust that the grade will follow, and there are others who are completely naive about the possibility of someone mastering the material but being tripped up by the professor's expectations about how they can demonstrate that mastery). But since so many college students appear to their instructors to value the grade but not the learning, you need to be careful how you phrase requests for information about grading.</p>
<p>But of course, all these things apply no matter what the professor's reputation is.</p>