Making the Most Out of Class Time

Hey Everyone!

My name is Jennie and I'm a volunteer coach over at the Academic Achievement Center located on the bottom floor of the CUE building. This semester has already picked up speed and is in full swing. Now that schedules are set and you've gotten used to the classwork and requirements for this semester it's a good time to take a look at how you've been doing so far. You may even have a couple grades already. How are you doing? Even if you are doing stellar, there are always ways to do things better and more efficiently. One way to make the most of your time is with what you do with your class time.

Sure, everyone misses class from time to time but I think everyone here at the AAC agrees that actually getting to class 95-100% of the time is a great way to boast that GPA. For those of you rolling your eyes just hear me out. There is a study called Effort and Reward: The Assumption That College Grades Are Affected by Quantity of Study done by Schuman et al.(http://www.jstor.org/stable/2578600?cookieSet=1).This study found that GPA is actually not strongly predicted by quantity of study (not to say that you shouldn't study because quality studying is a great way to help out your GPA. For more information about quality studying or studying more effectively see some of the other blog posts or stop in the AAC Sunday-Wednesday nights from 4-8). The study did, however, find that class attendence is actually a very good predictor of grades in college. Something as simple as going to class can get you on track for success!



So you've gotten to class. Now what? It's very tempting to fall asleep in class and say that you went. However, at the end of the semester you can't say that put your full effort in. So in addition to actually staying awake in class, I have some tips of my own to make the most out of your class time.

First of all, I like to get to class at least 5 minutes early. This is plenty of time to get settled and getting out your notebooks/pens/etc. In addition to getting ready, this is also a good time to focus your attention on the task at hand. Getting to class 5+ minutes early also makes sure that you get the seat that you want (you might need a little more time if it's a big lecture hall). I usually sit within the 3rd or 4th row. This makes it easier to hear and see and it also limits the number of people sitting in front of you that can distract you. Another good thing about arriving to class early is that you can overhear other people's conversations. This may sound very weird but in my experience I have been reminded of many assignements because others around me were talking about them (ex. "Hey, did you start that paper yet?" or "Do you know what you're going to do for the project?")

Second, I actually tend not to schedule my classes with my friends. First of all, I tend to get too distracted by talking to close friends. Second, studying with friends tends to not yield as much actual studying as with people you don't know as well such as people you've met in class or studying by myself. Meeting people in class can be fun and I find that when I study with those new friends discussions seem to be more focused on the work or task at hand.

Lastly, taking notes in class is essential. This may seem like a "duh" thing to say but I know so many people that don't take notes and then wonder why they are not doing as well as they could. There is a lot of information about note-taking found in other parts of this blog but here are just a couple quick tips for taking notes in class in particular:

-If the slides are online, try and write points that the professor talks about rather than what is on the screen word for word.
-If the slides are not online, try to look at key points if your professor lectures too fast. Pay attention to headings and subheadings, bold terms, text in different colors and points that the professor stresses by speaking slowly or spends a lot of time talking about.

So as a recap for Jennie's class time tips:
-get to class early
-sit as far up front as you feel comfortable
-try not schedule classes with your friends
-focus on important points for note taking

And stop by the AAC for even more information and guidance regarding class and studying in addition to stress management. The AAC is open Sunday-Wednesday nights from 4-8pm.