Tag Archives: College in Four Years

GradeUP! Challenge #11: Predict Your GPA to Predict Your Future

Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , ,
Zoltar by Jonathan Reyes
Zoltar by Jonathan Reyes

Your Grade Point Average (GPA) tells how you’re doing in college; it is the ultimate indicator of whether or not you’re competitive. The final grade you make for a class matters because its impact on your GPA. It’s your GPA that determines what your future is going to look like.

You are competing with the students in your school as well as with students from all across the U.S. and all over the world. In the U.S. alone, there are 3,000 four-year degree-granting institutions, add another 10,000 institutions of higher education globally and you get some idea of how wicked the competition for internships, jobs or graduates school is. If you don’t have at least a 3.0 GPA, some employers and programs will not even consider you – anyone with a 3.0 or higher may have a better shot at the life you want.

Before the end of every semester, estimate your GPA to figure out if the GPA you want is within your reach. You don’t need final grades in your current classes to estimate the GPA you’re going to end the semester with. I developed a Grade Point Average Estimator© that is available through this link or  at www.granvillesawyer.com/resources that can estimate your GPA whenever you want.

Follow the instructions on the College in Four Years Grade Point Average Estimator© to see what GPA you’ll complete your coursework with. If you’re not satisfied with the estimate – now is the time to make the changes necessary to ensure your GPA predicts the future you want.

GradeUP! Challenge #9: The Conundrum of College Camaraderie

Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , ,
by Scarlet Ortiz on flickr
by Scarlet Ortiz on Flickr

One of the things that makes college life so special is that you will never be in a place where you have so much in common with so many people. Making new friends will never be easier;  there are many opportunities and activities inside and outside the classroom – more than you can possibly manage. There will always be someone to invite – or tempt – you to lose sight of your priorities. Put school and your objectives first. The fun you had with your friends, even  the money you made working a part- or full-time job, will just be memories when you graduate and start a career. However, your academic performance will follow you for years.

Be  honest with yourself about how much you can really take on and do well while you’re in college. Can you really work 30 hours every week and go to school full-time and make the dean’s list? Failing grades can be a sobering lesson. Seek help if you can’t accommodate it all. Share your concerns with anyone who can assist you – a parent, mentor or other anyone who is invested in or supports your success. Just be sure that those who support you do not confuse your college experience with theirs – your reality is what you and your support team have to focus on. Also give your professors as much information as possible so that they too can help you succeed.  Remember that:

  • Nobody is going to ask about how much fun you had in college or care how many friends you had. They won’t ask how much money you made on jobs to support yourself unless those jobs are related to your degree and make you better qualified for a position.
  • Many people – the ones important to your future – will ask what you studied and how well you did. What’s more, they will make pivotal decisions that affect your future, including job offers, based on your answers. Doing well in school is what’s most important. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

There is a lot  more information about how to stay focused on success in Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of College In Four Years: Making Every Semester Count.

Grade UP! Challenge #7: To Be Good With Numbers, You’ve Got to Get to Know Them First

Coaching, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , , ,

black and white numbers

In GradeUP Challenge #6, I showed you how to create your own outlines to help you learn in a way that best suits you. Another reason to create personalized outlines is so that you read about and understand the underlying concepts before trying to use them to answer questions and solve problems. This applies to all classes and all levels of study.

A student I’m advising came to my office thoroughly frustrated because she was failing economics for the third time. She said she was able to answer questions on tests but couldn’t do the problems – even after doing the homework assignments. I asked her how she did the problems assigned. Here is her process:

  • Look over her class notes for understanding;
  • Try to do the homework problems;
  • If she couldn’t, she’d go to the part of the textbook that seemed relevant and read that for the first time;
  • Try the problem again;
  • Keep doing this until she got the problem right or gave up on it and asked the teacher to show her how to solve the problem.

After all this effort, she couldn’t even figure out how to get started with problems on tests. I told her she needed to use the outlining techniques that I shared with you in Challenge #6  to understand the concepts that the problems are based on before trying to solve them.  Here’s a the process:

  • Create your own outline;
  • Study sample problems in the chapter to understand how the concepts were used to identify and solve the problems before trying your homework;
  • Use this information to know what kind of problems you have and what you need to do to solve them before you start working on them – in other words, have a strategy for solving the problem before trying to solve it;
  • Use your strategy to solve the problem.

There is more in-depth information on creating your problem solving strategies in Chapter 19 of College In Four Years.

GradeUP! Challenge #6: You Can’t Study Your Textbook!

Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , , , ,
  • studying-studentIn the last post, I talked about how to use your textbook to prepare for and get the most out of your classes. You’re a few weeks into the semester so you’re probably preparing for a test on the material you’ve covered so far – let’s talk about how you prep for that.

First, don’t use your textbook to study for your test – it was never meant for that. The textbook is a reference source of all information about certain topics and concepts – you can’t remember all of what is in there. That’s why there are study guides that go with textbooks. However, you need to create your own custom study guide, one that works for you, not a generic one written by someone else. The best way to fully grasp the information that you’ll need to retain for an exam and use as a foundation for more learning is to process what’s in the text – not memorize the text. Here’s how you do that:

  • Get organized. Gather together everything you need to know and understand for the test – text, notes, handouts, your syllabus;
  • Using the textbook do the following;
    • Read a portion of the material you are responsible for on the test;
    • Close your book and summarize what you read in your own words – don’t look back at the book and don’t use or copy what the author wrote;
    • Read the section in the book again to see if your summary includes all of the important points;
    • If you missed some of the material, it means either you didn’t remember or you didn’t understand so go over that material again, summarize it;
    • Repeat the process for the next section of the text and repeat until you have created your own outline for all the material you are responsible for knowing for the exam;
  • Use this same technique for any additional resource material you need to know for the exam. Use the syllabus to make sure you’ve covered all the material you’re responsible for;
  • Don’t use anyone else’s study guide – you must do your own. This process creates a study guide specifically tailored to the way you process and learn material;
  • Now, use your study guide to prepare for the test. Don’t study the book or that stack of class notes – you’ve covered that in creating your guide so everything you need to know is in it.

Yes, this will take time – a lot longer than just reading the material but it is the best way to actually understand and be able to use what you learned when test time comes because doing your study guide well requires that you understand everything you outlined. You can’t finesse this – you’ve either got it or you need to go back to your resources and get it. Getting that understanding and creating your study guide is when learning takes place. When you’re finished, you will know and understand everything in it because that is the only way you could have done the guide well. A bonus, you’ve already started your comprehensive study guide for finals!

In Chapter 11 of College In Four Years, “How to Use Your Textbook the Right Way,” you’ll find more information on how to outline different types of study material to maximize understanding and ensure it works well for you.

Next GradeUp! Challenge, Tuesday, February 24.

GradeUP! Challenge #3: Go See Your Professors

Coaching, First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , ,

student-talking-to-college-professor - croppedIf you haven’t yet visited the professors for the classes you’re taking this semester, Go Now! Make sure your teachers know you and understand that you’re serious about doing well in their classes. If they know you as more than just a name— you give your professors the opportunity to respond to you as a person, not just a name or number on the class roll.

See every teacher from every course, outside of the class time, at least once during the semester. The biggest chunk of the money you spend on college pays for your professors, so go see them, make them know you, let them help you and get your money’s worth!

When you go to see your professor, you’re not just going to introduce yourself – try to accomplish the following:

  • Be prepared! Show your instructor that you have read and thought about the material you’re covering in class. If you don’t understand something, formulate reasonable questions beforehand so the meeting will be beneficial for you and your instructor will gain more appreciation for you as a scholar.
  • Ask open-ended questions about the class. For example, “What can I do, other than the assignments, to improve my performance in class?” or “ Are there things you can tell me that I should avoid doing in this class to improve my performance?”
  • Ask your instructor how he/she thinks you are doing in class and whether he/she can project a grade for you based on your performance so far. This is the assessment that counts. Find out how it is being made and the best ways to monitor/influence your performance in a positive way.
  • Act on the advice you are given. If your instructor suggests that you do something to improve your performance in class, do it and make sure he/she knows you did it.
  • Be grateful. Make sure your professor knows you appreciate the help and advice you are given. Saying thank you, and meaning it, is important.

Get more information and advice on the benefits of talking to your professors and, read about the time a visit to a professor saved my grade in Good Players Talk to the Coach, Chapter 15 of College in Four Years. If you don’t yet have College in Four Years, during the GradeUP! Challenge you can purchase the book for $14.99 (normally $19.99), a special 25% discount. I’ve set up a special College in Four Years storefront that will only be open during the Challenge and it is the only place you can buy the book for $14.99.

To get the discount enter the code BBQ86MXV at checkout from the special College in Four Years GradeUP! Challenge storefront. Use this direct link to the storefront.
If you prefer an eBook, you can purchase it for $9.99 on Amazon.com.

Next GradeUP! Challenge,Thursday, 2/12: Why your professor isn’t the only person you need to see.

 

GradeUP Challenge #1: Talk To Your Advisor

First Generation College Students, Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Academic advisor - croppedOne of your most valuable and probably most under-utilized resources is your academic advisor. They do more than sign your advisement form. Your adviser actually has the best view of your academic future  – no crystal ball needed. With access to your academic past (what courses you’ve already taken), present (what courses you’re taking now) and future (what you’ll need to graduate) and the experience they’ve gained from successfully shepherding other students through the college experience – they have some valuable skills.

Meet with your advisor as early in the semester as possible – before the drop/add date in case you need to make changes to your schedule. When you see your advisor do the following:

  • Talk to them about your performance last semester. Discuss why you got the grades you did and how to keep doing what you did right or how to fix what didn’t work. They actually have the answers to these questions.
  • Ask them to review with you what your curriculum is going forward and what if any changes you need to make or accommodate.
  • Look at your present course load – are they aware of any particular challenges? Should you arrange or rearrange what you’re taking this semester?
  • Talk to your advisor about scheduling classes so you’re not trying to take a spring course in the fall or a fall course in the spring.
  • Talk to you advisor about when you should take your courses to ensure you meet all the prerequisites when you want to take a course that requires them.

Get more information and advice on working with your advisor in Chapter 9 of College In Four Years.

Grade Up Logo - jpeg-rev

Let me know what you think about this post and the Challenge.  Please leave a comment below.

The next Challenge posts on Thursday, 2/5/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here. 

 

College In Four Years Challenges Students to GradeUP!

Higher Education, Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , ,

Grade Up Logo - jpeg-revSo, how were those first semester grades? Are you on track to ace this year or will you need to improve to finish strong? Either way, it is the beginning of the second semester and you have to start now to make this semester count. To finish strong you have to start the semester strong; then stay on it through mid-terms and finals. This semester, I’m here to help you do that.

Tuesday, February 3, I’m kicking off the first College in Four Years Grade-Up! Challenge. For the next 15 weeks – through the end of the spring semester – every Tuesday and Thursday I’ll post a task designed to help you work smarter, not harder, to get the grades you want this semester. The tasks are short, easy to accomplish and, they integrate and enhance what you should be doing to earn your degree. GradeUp! tasks are not optional – they’re essential and work for any class, all majors and students at any academic level. The GradeUp! Challenge tasks are tools to help you succeed in college and beyond.

To join the GradeUp! Challenge, click the orange Follow button to the right. I’ll notify you by email when a new post is available or, follow me on twitter @ProfGMS you’ll find the GradeUp! Challenge Tasks on my profile page or use #Ci4YGradeUP hashtag.

The goal is Graduation so, Tuesday 2/3, GradeUp! and let’s get started.

Instead of Paying and Praying – Make College Success a Family Affair

Coaching, Higher Education, Success In College, , , ,

GMS with Dr LoveI had a great conversation with Dr. Justine Love on CBS Radio’s Community Focus about the role parents and educators play in getting students into, keeping them in and ensuring their success in college.

Dr. Love’s comments on what every 11th and 12th grade student with aspirations for college needs were insightful. She also helped me share tips on how family can “coach” undergraduates to better grades.

If there’s a student in your family, or you know someone, who is on track to attend college or already there, you won’t want to miss our discussion on Community Focus with Dr. Justine Love:

The show originally aired Sunday, January 25 on WPGC 95.5 FM. Special thanks to Fred Robinson, Director Government/Political/Issue Marketing, CBS Radio Washington, for facilitating this interview.