Especially if you are in the first rows. This should already be obvious to most of you, but if not, you should definitely know that although you may be in a lecture hall with hundreds of people, the professor WILL be able to notice that one student in the back that is snoozing away (a.k.a., you). This goes for cell phone usage as well. The professor will know that you are not just smiling at your lap for no reason and certainly not just "touching yourself." Also, why go to lecture in the first place if you're just going to be on Instagram the whole time? (I will admit that I have been guilty of this myself a few times, however).
2. Eat before lecture.
Anything. Well, preferably, something that gives you "healthy" energy such as a piece of wheat bread with some peanut butter, or a piece of fruit. However, many times in college you may not have time to pack a snack before rushing to class and you may have to resort to buying something out of the vending machines. If this is the case, your best options will be a bag of trail mix or a granola bar; for drinks, skip the soda and try some iced tea or fruit juice. Eating before lecture will help you to pay so much more attention because you won't be focusing on how hungry you are or thinking about what you're going to make for dinner as soon as you get back to your apartment. Also, I have found that it is acceptable in many lectures to eat during class, as long as you pay attention and clean up after yourself.
3. Do the assigned readings BEFORE lecture.
This is something that many of you (I hope) will learn naturally over the course of your college career, but it is always good to know from the beginning that actually doing the assigned readings before attending class will help you to understand the material so much better. If you go to class without having read the material, you might feel completely lost and not get anything important out of the lecture except confusion and frustration (especially in classes like Organic Chemistry). Doing the readings is also important for discussion sections, where you will actually need to know what you're talking about because you will be discussing the material.
4. Ask questions in lecture.
I know that for many people, including myself, asking the professor a question in the middle of a class full of hundreds of people can be horrifying because of its potential for embarrassment, but trust me, professors LOVE it when students ask questions. Asking questions in lecture earns you major points with the professor because they can see that you are actually engaged with the material and have "done your homework" enough to be able to ask a question. Furthermore, your question may be one that half the students in the class also have but are too shy to ask. They too will then love you for this. Lastly, it can be a good way for the professor to recognize you in class so that you can stand out as a student who actually pays attention. However, it is also important to remember not to take this too far, as asking too many questions too often can lead to frustration from both the students and the professor.
5. Do NOT pack up early.
All professors, although they may not show it or mention anything because of their professionalism, absolutely hate it when students begin to leave or pack up their things before the lecture is finished or before the set time period. Not only is this rude and disturbing to other students trying to pay attention to the last bits of information that might be on a future exam, but the professors WILL notice the students who pack up early apart from the others who stay until the end.
Those are my top five tips for surviving college lectures; I'll have plenty more tips on more college stuff in the future as well! Please leave any comments with suggestions for future posts or feedback on this post.
Thanks!
Latinmetalhead
0 comments:
Post a Comment