- by Caroline Bennett -
Every semester in college you have a full new course load of work, and a new opportunity to achieve personal academic excellence. While your GPA is cumulative over all your semesters, thinking of it in such a large sense is rather overwhelming for students, especially myself. Here are 5 tips for keeping a high GPA from a straight-A student.
1. Plan your semesters
If you can, plan your semesters so you do not take your major’s hardest courses all at once. Planning with your academic advisor, and following recommended course programs posted on each major’s website for what to take when will set you up for success.
2. Make a schedule and stick to it
Every student will go through how to effectively manage their time during the shift from high school to college. Luckily, in your first semester at Naz, you take a course called Academic and College Success. You learn how to navigate the processes that Naz uses to register for classes, learn about different programs available to students, and also have a chance to connect with other students. In general, for every 1 credit, you are supposed to spend 3 hours a week working on course material. To graduate, it is recommended you take 15 credits a semester. So subtracting class time, in general, I spend about 25-30 hours a week working on courses. The biggest adjustment from high school to college is the decrease in actual class time. On a given day I may only have 2 or 3 classes, so in theory, I have a lot of free time. Students usually fill some of this time working part-time, joining clubs or sports teams, and of course, working on school work. I recommend you set aside a few hours and make a list of what you hope to accomplish during that time. My process includes outlining all the assignments due across the semester and for larger assignments working on them in advance, in case I may need clarification from a professor.
3. Attend office hours
When I need clarification on an assignment, want internship advice, or just to chat, I can attend my professors’ office hours. Every professor has set hours every single week where students are able to come and ask questions about the material, receive clarification on assignments, and so much more. In my experience, my professor’s office hours sometimes fall during times when I am in another class so just be sure to communicate with each professor.
4. Sign up for tutoring sessions
At Naz, tutoring is a paid position for the tutor but for the students receiving tutoring, it is free! A tutor has to have a B+ above in the course, and a recommendation from the professor to become a tutor. Sometimes, your tutor is someone that took the class with the same professor you are, just a semester previousl
5. Use designated academic centers
All over campus there are a variety of centers designed to help students with a particular course subject. Often they operate as “drop-in” office hours and are run by upperclassmen. There is a writing center to help with navigating the citation process or general help with writing assignments. We have a math center as well as a language and philosophy center to help students.
Each semester I have utilized any combination of these available resources, but the biggest tip of all is to continue to put forth your best effort! Undoubtedly, college is a lot of work, but it is also incredibly rewarding!
