College can be tough, especially if you’re taking courses that are at the 3000 level or above (the four digits in the course code reflect the difficulty of the course, apparently). At times, you will get to that point to where it doesn’t matter how much you cram in study hours or how much you pay attention in class, it only feels like you’re spinning your wheels. When you get to this point, it’s best to seek out your last resort to pull you through the rest of the semester: help. For many, or at least for me, it’s hard to come to this decision as there is the matter of convenience. It requires extra time and, in some cases, extra money to seek out the help you need. The thing is though, if you do fail the class, you’re going to have to spend the extra time and money to take the course again anyways, so it’s worth the sacrifice.
1. Make Use of the College’s and Professor’s Resources
Many universities have tutoring programs available geared towards people who are having difficulty with their classes. Usually, information on this is given to you during orientation and at the start of the semester. You want to keep this information on you at all times, preferably in a separate folder along with any other resourceful material that may have been handed to you that would aid you when on campus. Also, many professors, as well as their assistants, have hours that they have open to help students that are struggling to keep up. Your professor should have his office hours printed out on his syllabus, though you may need to write down their assistants’ hours beside it.
2. Use Internet Resources or Find a Friend
Your second option would be to search the interwebs for anything that may help you understand the subject matter better. One option would be YouTube, as there are plenty of videos aimed towards helping students. Spark Notes has plenty of material as well. Another website that I found useful was Khan Academy. Also, if you have any friends that have taken your class (preferably someone who got an ‘A’ in it) or specializes in it in their career, you may want to ask them for some help as well.
3. Hire a Tutor
This would be your last option. If all else fails and you’re really not getting anywhere, search your local directories for anyone that could tutor you for the class that you’re taking. It may be costly, but if it comes down to it, it may be your only chance of passing your class.
To pull through college, it requires a lot of work. There isn’t a semester that will go by where you won’t have to pull off a few all-nighters. Fortunately, not all courses are that extreme to where you have to spend 60+ hours each week studying and then have to go seek help just to make it through. If you space out your courses carefully for each semester, you should only have to worry about one or two courses that try to keep your head underwater. Unless of course you’re majoring in engineering, then God help you.
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