-AC/DC's "School Days"

Since Wednesday Sept. 23, the activity on the Buckeyes Blog has dropped significantly.  Also on that Wednesday, classes started.  Coincidence?  I think not!

The truth about college classes is that they can be TOUGH.  Like, study-my-eyeballs-out-for-hours-and-hours-and-still-barely-pass-the-exams TOUGH.  Granted, I am an engineer, which typically means some particularly hard classes.  But in my experience, every major has some classes that make you want to cry just a little bit, on the inside.

Therefore, my dear freshmen (and this is good advice for upperclassmen too!), I present to you...

Top 10 Ways to Conquer Your Classes (and make your Grade Point Average happy):

1. Use your TA's!  Whether Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or Undergrad (UTA), they are there to help you!  Recitations are smaller and more personal so that you can ask ALL your crazy questions and get the homework help you want.
2. Ask Questions!  Both professors and TAs absolutely positively LOVE answering questions!  Trust me.  I'm a UTA this Quarter.  The only "stupid" question is the one not asked.
3. Maintain Balance!  Don't lock yourself in a room all day and study study study.  Make sure to check out the other fun stuff at Ohio State (such as, I don't know, Swing Dance Club, or something).
4. Prioritize Academics First!  While involvement is important (see no. 3), you also have to realize that your studies should always come first.  Someone (you, your parents, a scholarship benefactor, the State of Ohio) is paying a great deal of money so you have the opportunity to get that degree.  Go excel in classroom!
5. Read the Textbook!  Seriously kids, this is a big one.  I know it sounds tedious and boring and repetitive, since the profs and instructors teach the same concepts in lecture.  But reading it on your own, BEFORE the lecture makes the material so much easier to understand.
6. Use Those Office Hours!  Let me tell you a secret: instructors WANT you to come to office hours!  That's why they have them.  You can get one-on-one instruction on the subject and ask any and all questions you have.
7. Procrastinate Not!  In high school, it wasn't too hard to procrastinate.  But now you're in college, where the complexity of assignments goes WAY up.  In an ideal world, NOTHING should be started the night before it's due.
8. Make Some Friends!  That's right, it helps your academics.  Study buddies are invaluable, and when you get stuck on homework it's always nice to go down the hall and find someone else in your class who can help out.
9. Go to Class!  Just because no one is making you go to class anymore doesn't mean you should skip.  Lectures will drive home points you already know and elucidate those you need help with.  Besides, the instructor might give vital test/quiz info at lecture.
10. Know your Advisor!  These are people whose professional job is to know your options, know your major, and know how to help you get to that degree.  They can help you schedule, help you drop, help you switch classes, and even help you switch majors.  Go visit them from time to time and help them help you!

In the meantime, I'm off to go study some more for Differential Equations, Chem, Mechanical Engineering Statics, and History of Technology!

Take care (and I'll try to blog more, promise!),
Rob