Freshman Pitfall #4 - One Difficult Class

In my spring Learning Strategies classes there are always students who are on academic probation because of failing just one class, otherwise their grades were all passing.  There are multiple reasons for this:

• Not enough background  knowledge about the subject
• A professor with an accent that is hard-to-understand
• 8:00 AM class that the student has trouble getting up to attend
• Lack of interest in the subject

Here are some suggestions to cope with each of these:

• For lack of background knowledge, you can go on the internet and get the basic information (for starters look at Wikipedia), get a lower-level book from the Library, go to tutoring, or go and talk with the professor.
• For a professor with a hard-to-understand accent I usually suggest going to see them during office hours with some random question and get a chance to talk with them one-on-one.   Often it is just a matter of getting used to how they talk.  You can also raise your hand in class and ask them to repeat what they said – if you do not understand there are other students who do not understand either.  Also, read your textbook before class so you anticipate what words they will be using and go to tutoring!
• I have limited sympathy for a student who complains they cannot get up for their 8:00 AM classes!  You could go to bed earlier, set multiple alarms, or have someone come to the room and get you.
• Regarding lack of interest, one off-the-wall idea is to act as if you are interested.  What would you do if this was your favorite class?  How much would you study, pay attention, etc.?

In all cases, a major motivation to just buckle down and get the work done is that if you fail the class one semester you are going to have to take it again – and pay for it again!!!

Not every class will be your favorite but, especially in the liberal studies courses, you are building a wide range of general knowledge that you will draw on throughout your life.  And you never know when you might learn something that will turn out to be vitally important or interesting as you progress in your career.

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First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B.  Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and  barnesanddnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.