<p>In addition to what people have already said:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Actually read the textbook. You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t, then they complain about how bad their exam grade was because it asked questions from the material in the textbook. College differs from high school in that you’re expected to learn far more on your own. Don’t expect (especially in higher level math and science courses) to be able to learn everything from lecture; the professor might mention something briefly that takes quite awhile on your own to to actually learn.</p></li>
<li><p>If you have a class where the professor doesn’t collect homework, still do the homework. Most people see the words “not collected” and think “optional” or “woohoo no homework.” Don’t be like most people.</p></li>
<li><p>Find the instructors (complete) solution manual and/or get Cramster, especially for the more technical classes like math and science. From experience, I don’t know if I could have received an A in engineering physics without it. (To be clear I’m not talking about using it to cheat, since we didn’t even turn in homework for that class). The problem is many textbooks just give you a little background, the equations, and maybe 1 or 2 examples. Learning how to actually do the problems requires solving a bunch of them, and having a step by step layout of how to solve the problem is hugely beneficial in correcting your mistakes.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>and when the homework is to read out of the book, you should read it lol. I recently got a C on my political science midterm, even though I studied my notes, because I didn’t do the assigned reading. it was alright though bc everyone in my class did really bad so my teacher made a bunch of questions extra credit and I ended up getting an A+ lol.</p>
<p>and that’s not the first time that happened either. I took an econ class and everyone always did so horribly bad on the tests that my teacher just made everything extra credit. We all got A+'s for doing nothing lol. So, try to take classes with stupid people it’s kinda worth it lol</p>
<p>“4) Rate my professor can be good but it also can SUCK. Watch out for reviews that say… “I like him/her but they are hard… They are a really good teacher but their tests are hard… Only if you are majoring in _______ take him cause he is hard”. All these say the same thing and that is THE PROFESSOR SUCKS! Trust me don’t take the “He’s hard but you’ll learn a lot” take the one that says “Easiest _____ professor” Like a counseling teacher once said to me you go to classes to 1st get an A then 2nd to learn (sorry if this makes you mad but it is the BEST ADVICE EVER. This is how you get into the better schools, You can’t put on your application “Got a C with a hard professor so that’s equal to the other applicants A” If you get a C it’s a C, if you get a A it’s an A, END OF STORY!)”</p>
<p>This may be true however if you take an easy professor for a easy grade, you won’t pass the next sequence. For example if you take calculus 1 with an easy professor, and get an A. You’re going to get a mediocore grades as you go higher to multivariable calculus and differential. It may also affect your other science courses such as engineering or physics if you have a weak math background.
This is why colleges like to see an upward trend as you may have a C, but learned a lot in Calculus 1 and this eventually led to your B in Calculus 2 and As in differential. It builds study habits and trains your brain. It’s better to struggle earlier and be able to handle the harder abstract concepts later.
If you can train your brain to handle the hard stuff, then you will be to endure more abstract concepts in your later classes, peers that don’t know what they are even learning in class, or professors with difficult to understand accents. You can depend on yourself more.
For GEs, take the easy professor, but you never know what you’re missing out. Taking the harder professor is foolish for GEs though as they are often GPA boosters.</p>
<p>Grades are not everything because after you get work experience in your field, your next job and future advancements depend on what you actually learned in class and how you apply it in industry.</p>
<p>Actually buy the darn textbook! It suprises me how many people don’t. </p>
<p>Also, don’t be another name on a roster. Get to know your professors! This comes in handy for letters of rec and if you are boarderline in grading. I went from a B to an A because a Professor knew me and let me do an extra research essay.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Be very strategic about the time and spacing of your classes. We tend to perform optimally under very specific conditions. I’ve found that I take tests best in the early evening (around 5pm), so i’ve historically tried to schedule my hardest classes around then (Calculus last semester started at 5pm, Computer Science this semester @ 7pm). Also, a lot of people aren’t very good at paying attention to lecture at 8am, but I know people who study best in the morning from about 10am-12, so they keep this blocked off for studying since that’s when they’re most efficient. Figure out what gets you in the zone and when you’re most productive.</p></li>
<li><p>Take one or two online classes every semester. They’re generally less mentally rewarding, but easier (as long as it’s not a technical class) and far less time consuming. Getting good grades in CCC has a lot to do with time management.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to office hours. Ask your teachers what will be on the test and what specifically you should focus your efforts on. Also, it can sometimes be useful to ask them how they would study if they were taking their own class. Some will get annoyed if you needle them too much on it, but most won’t since they’re not used to students being this assertive and forthcoming. </p></li>
<li><p>Meet at least a few people in each of your classes and get their phone numbers (for the obvious reason that they can help you if you’re absent etc.).</p></li>
<li><p>Get involved in at least one on-campus extra-curricular that is fairly time-consuming/meaningful. It’ll help you develop an emotional bond with your college that adds meaning to your work and your interactions that will give you added motivation and interest. It’s easy to get disconnected and lazy at a CCC.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks everyone on here. I am a little overwhelmed/anxious reading through all the posts on here, but in the end you guys have helped build up my confidence a good bit.</p>
<p>I think with the proper combination of assist.org, ratemyprofessor, myedu, and of course all you lovely people on here … I’ll do great. </p>
<p>Easy prof or not, I’m gonna work my butt off. If I can just keep that image of me at Berkeley or UCLA in my head, I CAN DO IT (cue happy music)</p>
<p>I hope you guys don’t mind, but I’m probably going to be posting a quintillion questions on here over the next few months, so Thank all y’all</p>