by Kyle Cochran
August and early September in Fort Worth, Texas means one thing: 100 degree weather. Okay I guess it means two things: 100 degree weather and the academic year at Texas Christian University beginning! Because we work on a college campus, we are certainly as excited for students to move back on to campus as they are, as the energy that they bring is unlike anything else.
Although it is easy for students to get caught up in the excitement of moving into their residence halls, reuniting with all of their friends, and gearing up for football season, there is one more thing that they need to keep in mind…. Oh yeah – class! With a new semester comes (for most students) five new classes to take and five new areas of the university to explore. The first few days in a class can be vital to setting a positive standard for the entire semester, so below are three tips to start off the semester on the right foot. Hopefully you can someday employ these tips at the university you decide to call home!
- Get to know your professors.
Developing relationships with your professors is incredibly vital to success in college. Not only can professors help you out if you are struggling with a concept, but making yourself known can impact your grade if at the end of the semester your average is borderline. It’s hard for them to give you the benefit of the doubt if they don’t know who you are! The best way to get started is by introducing yourself on the first day of class. Simply shake the professors’ hands and tell them how excited you are for the semester. After that, you can follow up by stopping by their offices or by emailing cool articles you find that relate to class topics. Because of the small class sizes at TCU, it’s very easy to develop that relationship early on in the year.
2. Sit in the front row.
Sitting front row, center in a classroom is a great way to stay engaged with the lectures throughout the semester. While it might be tempting to take one of the back rows to blend in with the crowd (though with TCU’s fairly non-existent “crowd” this might be more challenging), you should take the initiative to sit up front. You’ll be able to see the slides and whiteboard much more easily. Plus, it will be less tempting to text or mess around on Pinterest. Professors will often either let students sit wherever they want or will make a seating chart after students have claimed their seats after the first few days. Either way, pretty much wherever you define as “your” seat, no other students will likely sit there. Because of this, try to get to class on the first day a bit early to stake your claim up front.
3. Complete your reading for class before the material is discussed.
While the first week of class may seem pretty lax, what with syllabuses being handed out and overviews of the courses being discussed, it is important to get a jumpstart on the semester’s assignments. Even though the first test may be a month away, get ahead on your reading assignments by opening the textbook before the class in which the material is discussed occurs. It can be tempting to push it off until after the class period or even until the night before the first test (oops…), but by reading the material beforehand, the class content itself will be much richer. You will be able to participate in class discussions, your notes will actually make sense to you, and when the test finally rolls around, you can simply review the material you already know then kick back and relax!
Overall, starting off the semester right is incredibly important in order to ensure success down the road. By getting that jumpstart and putting yourself in the right mindset to learn the material, you can manage your grades, your time, and your stress much more effectively and gain a more positive academic experience on campus.
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