Tag Archives: Mentoring College Students

GradeUP! Challenge #20: Take the Long View – For Now and the Future

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By Joshua Sortino
By Joshua Sortino

In GradeUP! Challenge #19: Plan For a Big Finish I gave some advice on planning for a strong finish this semester. However, unless your graduating this semester (if you are, congratulations), there’s more than a semester to plan for. So, I’m taking off my professor hat and putting on my academic advisor hat and we are shifting our focus to the long view.

It is time to preregister for next semester. Here’s a step-by-step checklist that takes the long view by planning for the upcoming semester and the rest of your time in college:

  • First, you need to know where you are right now so get whatever documents you need from the registrar or on-line system to see what you’ve taken, the grades you’ve earned and what courses you have left to take;
  • If there are any errors (what you have verses what’s on file with the registrar) or there’s something you don’t understand, deal with it right now – don’t assume it’s a “glitch” in the system, it’s not;
  • Use the information on file with the registrar to plan courses you’ll take next semester and every semester all the way to graduation;
  • Make sure that when you’re scheduling courses, you plan to take them when they’re offered and that you’ll have completed any prerequisite courses you need to take;
  • Take this plan to your advisor to confirm you did it correctly and then register for next semester – don’t put it off, classes fill up;
  • Update your plan anytime something requires rescheduling of courses and be sure to check on how a change in one semester effects your plans for later semesters – keep your plan current all the way to graduation.

Following these steps means you’ll never say, “I didn’t know I had to take that course,” or “I didn’t know this course wasn’t offered this semester. I need it go graduate!” Or, my favorite, “OMG the curriculum changed – didn’t it?!!”

By taking the long view of your college career, you’ll know where you’re going, how you’re going to get there and when you’ll arrive. You’ll also know:

  • When you’re graduating so you can let others know well ahead of time; and
  • How many courses you have left to take and how much money you’ll need to take them.

Don’t let things you do today based on poor planning or no planning come back to haunt you in future and, cost you time, effort and money. Plan for now and the future – that’s the long view, the smart way to finish your degree.

All previous GradeUP! Challenges are available on the GradeUP! Challenge Week-by-Week page.

You can learn more about planning your college career in Chapter 8 of College in Four Years; Making Every Semester Count.

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 #10: Never Give Up on a Class!

Mentoring Students, Success In College, , , , , ,
by RSM
by RSM

Never give up in a class because you “think” there’s no chance to get the grade you want. With a few simple calculations, I’ve been able to show many students that they still have a realistic chance to get the grade they want – even when they were convinced otherwise. With hope for success, my students were willing to work with me because I offered them a chance for a better grade that they weren’t aware was an option. And, more times than not, they ended the class with the grade they wanted. These students upped their grades by improving a few aspects of their study strategies and preparation methods for tests using the very same strategies I’m sharing throughout the GradeUP! Challenge and, more comprehensively, in my book, College In Four Years.  Don’t assume what your final grade is going to be in a class until you:

  • Know where you stand in the class ; it can be inspiration and motivation to strive a little harder.
  • Calculate what grades you need going forward to get the final grade you want by using the How Am I Doing Worksheet I developed to help my students. Use the link above to go to the Resources page on this blog, click on the title of the Worksheet to bring up the form, read the instructions, then add your specific information to the blank Worksheet on page 2. It will automatically calculate your potential grade. Use the link above or access the Worksheet through my Resources page at www.GranvilleSawyer.com/resources/
  • Periodically assess where you are in a class by checking your grades and talk with your professor so you have time to make any needed adjustments.

Remember, you haven’t earned a grade until the class is over. Never give up. Stay informed, keep calm and carry on.

In my next GradeUP! post on Tuesday, March 10 – we’ll talk GPA.

GradeUP! Challenge #9: The Conundrum of College Camaraderie

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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

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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!

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  • 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 #5: How and Why You Should Do The Textbook Two-Step

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iStock_000002370989Medium - Open Book For WebsiteStep One: Get the assigned textbook for all of your classes.

Step Two: Read your textbooks before class.

To pass a class and you have to read the textbook. Sounds simple but some students don’t realize how essential reading the textbook is to passing a class. However, to do well in a class, you have to read your textbook BEFORE the material is covered in class. Textbooks are expensive but they are essential to doing well in your classes so use them in a way that gives you the most return on your investment (ROI).

That ROI starts with taking the time to read assignments carefully before class with a focus on understanding. Make notes about what you don’t understand and ask about these things when your professor covers the material in class. If you don’t read before class, you will be trying to do all of the following during class:

  • Listen to and understand what your teacher is saying to you;
  • Understand what he/she writes on the board;
  • Take notes that make sense, are clearly written and can be read and understood without trying to decipher scrawls or misspelled gibberish;
  • Look at the book and understand what is in there for the first time; and
  • Ask questions about the material being discussed.

It is impossible to do all of these tasks at the same time. Many try – all fail. To get the most out of the textbook and class lectures you have to two-step – get the textbook and read it before class. Only then will you:

  • Know what you understand and what you don’t understand;
  • Be able to write down questions to ask in class based on your understanding of the material.
  • Ask questions in class when the teacher starts to cover material that you don’t understand. “I don’t understand that,” is a valid question – you don’t have to sound like you understand everything to ask a question and, it is your professor’s responsibility to facilitate your understanding – in class or later, one-on-one.
  • Take notes to make sure you have the answers to your questions written down so you won’t forget them.
  • Review your notes after class and before you start your homework making sure you understand what was covered in class.

Doing the Textbook Two-Step leads to better understanding of course material, a better grades and a better ROI on your textbook investment. There’s more on effective study and learning strategies in Chapter 12 of College in Four Years.

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GradeUP! Challenge #4: Go To The Source – See The Decision Maker

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Exit from labyrinthYou are going to need help to complete college successfully. Everyone does. If you’re in college to earn a degree and graduate with great job prospects, you’ll need some help along the way. Be it academic, career planning, social or emotional issues – stuff comes up during the semester and there are resources on campus to get you the help you need. To access the right advice at the right time the following rules always apply:

Never hesitate to ask for assistance. If you think you need help, ask. If you think you’ve got this, ask anyway. In college you are surrounded by a wealth of information; access as much of it as you can, whenever you can. At no other time in life will you be in a place where the primary goal and objective of everyone there is to help you succeed.

Go to the source. When you need information that’s important to your success always go to the source of that information and, when you can, go to more than one source to verify what you have been told. Don’t go the source that is convenient or that will give you the information you want to hear – like your roommate, Facebook, the Internet or people who can only tell you what they’ve “heard.” Remember, an opinion spoken and repeated twice becomes fact. The first time it’s “I think” the second time it’s “I heard” and the third time it’s a fact! Don’t be misled this way. Go to the person who is responsible for creating and disseminating the information you need. You’ve been to see your advisor – (Challenge #1) and you should have talked to your professors (Challenge #3). Visit the registrar to confirm you’re on track to graduate on time. Register with the career office to get information on the job market. If you didn’t get the information you seek directly from the source – it’s all just hearsay.

Go to the decision maker. Make sure you are always dealing with the decision maker and that they are empowered with the authority to make a decision and stand by it. No one else can give you the definitive answers you need. Others can tell you about decisions that have been made in the past or what they think about the decision; but if they are not the decision maker, they can’t ensure your outcome and the only one with something at risk is you. Don’t take chances with your college success. Always go to the person with the authority to make a decision you can count on – preferably in writing.

Knowing when, where and who to ask for advice is key to success in college and in life.

Next GradeUP! Challenge post on Tuesday, February 17.

GradeUP! Challenge #2: Make Your Syllabus Your Action Plan

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Syllabus from Flickr by Grace KatRead the syllabus for each class you’re taking. Really read them – all of them. Find out what is expected of you and when, then use a planner – paper, electronic, virtual – and plan out what you need to do and when you plan to do it so you stay current in all your classes. If you don’t have a system for scheduling your time – get one NOW! Don’t get behind because trying to catch up and keep up at the same time is a losing proposition.

From the syllabus in every class you should:

  • Confirm the location and time for class – be there on time from the first day forward.
  • Learn the instructor’s name, office location, contact information and office hours so you’ll know who to contact and how to contact them when you have questions about class;
  • Find out what you need for class – the textbook (if it’s required) and any other material or equipment, (calculator, software package, etc.) you’ll need to be successful. Get everything now, not having the materials is not an excuse for not doing your work;
  • Understand the assignments for each class including reading, homework, projects, reports – know when each is due then schedule when you plan to tackle that assignment so you can turn it in on time;
  • Know when exams are scheduled and what they will cover so you can plan when and how to prepare for them;
  • Find out how you’re going to be graded in class so you’ll know how you’re doing at any time during the semester (more about this in a subsequent post;
  • Note any other information about how the class is going to be run and what is expected of you; and
  • Find out anything that you think you need to know to get the most out of each class, now is the time to ask for it.

The next Challenge posts on Tuesday, 2/10/15. Learn more about the GradeUP! Challenge here. 

To let me know what you think about this post and the GradeUP! Challenge, please leave a comment below.

College In Four Years Challenges Students to GradeUP!

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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.