The Seven Deadly College Sins

As we wrap up week four, a quarter of the semester will now be behind us. It is easy to see how quickly grades can get away from us. I sat down with professors and counselors to determine the top seven mistakes students have already made and what they can do to get back on track.

Bombed your first quiz/homework

This is not the end. Although you want to start out strong, this is definitely fixable. There are so many resources available to you to help. Personally you can try to up your amount of time studying but if you aren’t grasping concepts go sign up for a tutor. I have already done it myself just this week. Its an easy process at our Learning Centers located in the Library or head over to the Math Cafe. Trust me whether you are completely lost or not this can only help you do better in a class.

No books

This is most likely due to financial aid coming to us after the semester has started. By now I hope you have all received your checks and signed up for Amazon Prime (it’s free for students) and so your books arrived in a matter of days. But if not you can always go see if the library has the book you need on reserve until you can get it yourself. Aside from that this is a problem that is a teaching lesson. If you don’t want this to repeat next semester make sure you put away a little bit of money from financial aid so that you can come to the first day already prepared.

Taking a class you hate

I can 100% relate on this one. I am in my final year so any classes I have put off I can no longer escape. The best thing you can do is remember that once it’s done and over with you can just forget it ever happened. Unless its crucial to your career and if so you need to make sure you’re prepared to deal with more of said classes you despise. So pick up a tutor or join a study group because there’s no way you want to repeat this class. Make sure you get the grade you need and be done with it.

Missed a class

This is a common occurrence for a student to at least miss one class a semester but in the first weeks it can set you off on the wrong foot. So how do you fix it? You can’t go back in time but if you can make friends with neighbors they will hopefully be able to fill you in on what you missed. In my opinion making friends who are determined to do well will help you in all aspects of school so buddy up to the kid who sits in the front. It’s also important that if you have a professor that takes attendance very seriously to talk to them about it and show them you won’t be wasting their time. If you grade comes down to being on the edge they will likely look at your attendance record and use that to judge which way they will sway.

Feeling overwhelmed

This cannot be fixed per se. It is always different for each person but there are some tips to help. You can go see a counselor although their best advice may be to reduce your class load and extend the time you will be at Yuba. Otherwise you might need a personal change. Sit down and prioritize the parts of your life that require your time. See if there is a way to reduce time in a different area or if you are wasting too much time on leisure or your social life. College is meant to be demanding so you will have to make sure it is a priority not a luxury.

Not enough time between classes

If you did not give yourself any breaks you can always look to drop a class but sometimes you can just better to prepare your day so you don’t have to readjust. Make snacks that are easy to consume between classes and map out where the bathrooms are on your walking path. This is one of those learning lessons that you can’t fix without losing a class or some major adjusting so try and bear through it for the next 12 weeks and you’ll  have a better idea of your needs for spring scheduling.

Huge gaps between classes

For huge gaps it is important to make this time useful. There are so many options from studying to adding another class. There are many late start classes offered by the college that may fit perfectly in a gap. Check out our Kinesiology classes for one that you may be able to still add into. That way you can kill two birds with one stone

I personally have experienced most of these so don’t feel bad if this is a checklist of your school life. There are few who can say they’ve never had one of these problems. So buckle down now my friends because the semester will only get colder and Winter Finals are Coming.