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Now that colleges across the country are resuming, have you done the following?

• Talk to your professors one-on-one
• Read and studied your course syllabi

Know your instructor

Most students make the mistake of not taking the time to get to know their professors early on in the semester. In fact, many students only approach the professor before/after an exam or towards the end of the semester. The worst part is that an abnormal amount of students go to the professor to “beg” for a better grade without even taking the time to get to know the person. At this early point in the semester, if you go to meet the professor, he/she will be far more accommodating and be pleased to know that you are genuinely interested in them. Why? Right now, you have no quiz/exams to worry about and you’ll be demonstrating initiative.

So what do I talk about?

When you visit your professor this early in the semester, try to ask them about the course or what the best way to study for the material is. Ask them about things not pertaining to school. You should even approach them for career advice. The point is that you should talk to them about anything you fancy because the objective is for them to know you and be able to greet you on a far more personal level. Who knows, they may even be willing to help you out when you really do need their help.

Where’s that syllabus?

If you have not heard lately, the course syllabus is extremely valuable and you should treat it like a holy book. That piece of paper holds the expectations of your instructor, important dates, assignments, and much much more. It is imperative that you spend some time studying that document and knowing the important parts of it. I tend to focus more on the dates rather than the grading because if I forget the dates or mix them up, I will screw up my grade. Sometimes it is easier to summarize important items on the syllabus on a separate sheet of paper and use that sheet as a quick reference guide. The more familiar you become with your syllabus the far better life will be in that class.

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