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!

I got a WHAT?!?!?

Early last semester, I received a huge shock in the form of a big red "D" on the front of my Philosophy paper. When I saw it, it felt like the wind got knocked out of me and a lump the size of Texas rose in my throat. And then I thought, "How is this possible? I don't get D's!"

It was true, I had never seen that grade before, except once on a high school Chemistry test that I had not prepared very well for. I reinvented myself at UConn as an "A-student" and I couldn't believe that I had earned such a terrible grade. Up to that point I had a 4.0 in my Philosophy Major and hadn't considered that it could change. "As and AAC coach, I'm supposed to be an expert at this, not someone who gets D's!"--I thought.

After a night of feeling sorry for myself and coming to terms with the fact that the paper I thought was "not my best, but good enough" really was pretty awful, I remembered a few important things.

AAC Coaches' 4.0 Challenge

In addition to being a tutor at the AAC, I also work at the CUE building and have been sitting here eagerly awaiting to sign up for the AAC Coaches' 4.0 Challenge that will take place here in the CUE in room 130 at 5:00pm. There will be a brief explanation about what the Challenge is at that time and then, if you should choose to accept, you can sign up!

The basic premise is that if you are planning on "doing better" this semester, why not just go for the gold (a 4.0, that is)? Whether or not I actually get a 4.0 this semester, I think this Challenge will be a good reminder, even as the semester drags on and I start to get a little tired and a little lazy, that with a little extra effort, a 4.0 won't actually be to far out of my reach. I mean, if I go to all of my classes and do all of the homework/reading well and on time I think it will be pretty hard to do poorly. Plus the Challenge will offer workshops and events like study breaks and stress-relief seminars to help me stay on track troughout the semester. So I think it's a great opportunity and will be a good support system for me to do well this semester.

If you are interested in joinging the Coaches' Challenge, come to the CUE today at 5:00. It's pretty late notice, so if you're interested in joining but couldn't make it, email aac@uconn.edu or go to aac.uconn.edu for more information.

A's are Risky Business...

Now that I'm well into my fourth year at UConn, I often look back at how I got where I am now. Each semester I have been challenged but motivated and achieved at a level I am proud of. But, to be frank, if the student I was in high school could see me now, she wouldn't recognize herself.

In high school I sometimes felt like I was in the shadow of my very bright, very hard-working, and well-known sister. She had always done well in school and it was kind of her thing; I found my interest in other places like my art classes and extracurriculars. I never really did that poorly in high school, but I did spend a lot of time just doing enough to get by with a grade that was good enough. I did enough to get into UConn (and so did you!), but I made a lot of excuses for why I was perfectly satisfied with getting OK grades and reassured myself that if I really cared, really tried, or really studied then I would be getting straight A's.

Even though I thought I was smart enough and capable enough there was still something in the way of me really doing what it really takes to get those A's. I don't think there is anyone out there who means it when they say they don't want A's or that they want C's or B's. The reality is that A's feel really good to get and D's really don't. A's feel different than B's and a lot different than C's or D's. So the question arises, why would a student not want A's if they feel so good to get?

Ask Ali

Ali is a recent UConn graduate who made several videos outlining the strategies she used to be a very successful student. Although Ali has left UConn, her videos have not! You can access them on her YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/UConnAskAli alongside some helpful "favorites".

UConn students and faculty, you can access the Ask Ali pages of the First Year Programs website with your NetID and password. Click here to check it out!