First Year Experience

Academic Issues: Intellectual Demands

During your first semester in college, you might realize that the intellectual demands for college courses are significantly different than high school courses. In high school, you had 9 months to cover a subject, whereas in college you have one quarter or one semester. In addition, a college course covers material more in-depth at a rapid pace. Your college instructors demand more of you thant your high school teachers did. To most of your college professors, a college educaiton is more than a means to a job. To them anything that stimulates and challenges the mind is worthwhile. Some students make an academic adjustment during their first quarter while others need a year in order to establish an appropriate study strategy. You can receive assistance in developing your own strategy from the information provided on the Study Strategies Home Page.

If you find that you are having some difficulty in a course, you should speak to your course instructor to get some feedback about your performance and gain any insights on how to approach the course material. Disbro reports that students must be willing to ask for help as soon as they think they need it. The very first person to ask - not the last - is the instructor (1995). Don't ever be embarrassed about discussing any problem affecting that course. You could also go to the tutoring center to receive assistance. The tutoring center is located in Campus Center 40 and provides free, walk-in assistance for most subjects. Be sure to check the tutoring schedule to find out when a tutor for your particular course is available. The Academic Support units offer several workshops which help freshmen adjust to the academic rigors of college. Attend an appropriate workshop to gain some important information.

In order to experience academic success, you will need to take good notes in your classes. In high school, the ability to take good notes typically does not impact the learning process. In college, taking good notes can sometimes mean a big difference between understanding the material and not being able to understand some concepts or ideas your instructor is trying to convey. To assist you in the development of being a good note-taker, please include the following tips provided by Lisa Fraser:

1. Read/skim your text before class.
2. Go to class earyly, stay late.
3. Sit close to the instructor. There is a correlation between course grades and where students sit in the classroom. Typically, the closer a student sits to the front, the higher their grade.
4. Don't try to take down everything said in class. Try to focus on the main points and any examples to illustrate them.
5. Use abbreviations to save time.
6. Use lots of paper and space your notes appropriately.
7. Leave spaces in your notes for you to go back later and fill in.
8. Use a separate notebook for each class.
9. Don't rewrite notes, instead review your notes aloud.
10. Compare notes with other students in class. This helps get a different perspective as to what the most important course information is (1996).

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References:
Disbro, William. 100 Things Every College Freshman Ought to Know. Cambridge Stratford, Ltd.: Williamsville, NY 1995.

Fraser, Linda. Making Your Mark. Maracle Press Ltd: Canada 1996.