How to Pass a College Class

Today's Fun Fact:  I worked at a movie theater one summer and I absolutely loved it!

Disclaimer:  This is how to pass a college class, not necessarily ace it...

1.  Go to class.  This should be common sense, but my 300-person lectures normally only have about 100 people in them.  You have to learn the material at some point, so you may as well learn it in class from a professor!  You scheduled the class times, so you really shouldn't have anything better to do…

2.  Sleep.  At night.  One reason people skip class is because they stay up late doing who knows what and use class time to catch up on sleep.  Then you stay up late trying to catch up of things you missed while you were sleeping!  When you're in college, attending class is like your job.  Eventually, all those missed lectures will get you fired in the form of an "F".

3.  Have friends.  Yes, you need friends for social reasons, but friends in your major are also valuable for study sessions, homework help, moral support, catching you up on missed material when you skip class against my advice, and countless other things.

4.  Turn off your phone.  Or *gasp* leave it at home during lecture.  Today's phones are colossal distractions.  One minute you're half-heartedly writing notes on nitrogen fixation, the next you're playing Candy Crush while simultaneously stalking celebs on Twitter.  Turning your phone completely off will take away so many temptations and help you focus on what your professor is saying.

5.  Buy index cards.  Regardless of course or major or topic or difficulty, you can make some sort of flash cards to help you study.  Using flashcards is a type of self testing method, and testing yourself is way more effective than mindlessly rereading your notes for the millionth time.  It makes you have to recall the information, which is exactly what you'll have to do on an actual exam.

6.  Get a planner.  Find a pretty one, fill it out, and treat that thing like it's your child.  You're in college now, you are an adult, so professors aren't going to remind you of every homework due date or exam time.  They give you this magical thing called a syllabus, and it's your job to keep all your classes straight and schedule out your semester.

7.  Think positively.  It may sound cheesy, but if you go in with a positive mindset thinking that you will succeed, you will be motivated to follow through and do what you need to do in order to actually be successful.  If nothing else, heyyy, it's only one F, right?

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These things have improved my semester dramatically, and if you have any other tips, please let me know in the comments.  Lord knows I can always use the help...  And if you found this list helpful, share it with your friends and we can all pass our classes and be awesome together!

Best of luck,
Shelly

The Meaning of Success

Today's Fun Fact:  I hate pickles.

It has been an excruciatingly long Monday.  The day started off with my alarm not going off.  I couldn't find any clothes to wear because I still hadn't done laundry.  Then I got a blister on my way to class (Darn you, cute shoes).  I ended up skipping two classes to make up for my missed study time in the morning.  And lastly I went to the exam I had been dreading all weekend and completely failed it.  As in, I think I maybe got a 15%.    

Yet I am feeling quite proud of myself right now.  I was stressed all day about that exam, and now I'm just glad it's over.  I mean, I survived the day.  I had some nice conversations with friends, made some musical progress in my orchestra rehearsal, and got done with the exam before the dining court closed for dinner.  Sure, it may not sound like much, but I'd consider today a success.  

Success is different to everyone.  When asked to define success, I'd say most people would give an answer involving monetary or career achievements.  Sure, these are types of success, and they're somewhat quantifiable.  Being able to afford that new Porsche shows that you have monetary success.  That new promotion illustrates career success.  And these things are important.  But I think that what really matters is what isn't measurable.  

I want to live a successful life.  That's hard to define, but I feel like today has really opened my eyes to the concept.  It wasn't a perfect day by far.  But it also wasn't wasted.  I grew in my relationships, I learned new things, I met someone new.  I moved forward.  And looking back on today, I realized it really was a good day.  This is what I want to feel like every day!  

Now, I'm totally not dissing success in work or school or anything like that.  My idea of success is moving forward every day, which leaves room for growth in nearly all aspects of my life.  This includes my education (and study habits!) and career once I'm out of school.  But once again, those things aren't the only things that matter.  I challenge you to find success in the unexpected places in your life, like I did today when I made a new friend.  It may just be making it through a tough day.  After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!  Today's small victories can lead to great achievements in the future.  

I wrote a post similar to this on Motivation.  Check it out, and share these with someone who may be struggling to find success in their lives.  

Also, "One of Those Days" by Joy Williams perfectly describes my day today, not just the lyrics but the happy tune as well.  So, I thought I'd share this excellent song with you! :)   Click here to watch the video!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a fabulous day :)

Shelly

P.S.  I got a twitter!  Follow me here!