Plan to make it enjoyable.
College is hard work! Success in college for me involved countless hours of reading and reviewing. Yet if you are diligent on planning, you can create some enjoyment!
Take the Best Classes
Overall, I did not like high school. In retrospect, though there were several reasons. One key factor was the fact I was studying subjects which did not fit my interests or gifts!
Carefully ponder all of your course options, and choose classes you want to take.
“General education” classes are a negative issue for many college students, as they were for me. The fewer general education classes the better in my opinion. Then deal with what you must do.
For example, when I was a student at Virginia Tech, you often had general education options. For example, being in the College of Arts and Sciences, I had a choice as to whether to take either Statistics or Computer Science for one quarter to fulfill one general education requirement. (Virginia Tech switched to the semester system my senior year.) Statistics was not for me! Computer Science was not for me, however, in reading the class description, I learned that class was simply learning how to use a few software programs. That class turned out to be a practical class which helped me immensely for future classes and even for future work.
If you are willing to learn some new things, you can even enjoy classes which are a bit out of your realm, as long as they do not venture way off into the distance in that particular field.
Get Good Professors
Your determination is always important, yet in an environment where professors have so much power and control, a professor can make or break a class.
The summer before my first year at Colorado Christian University, I was working on my course schedule at a computer in the library. I needed to take a history class as a “general education” requirement, and I found a class which fit well with my school and work schedule. Yet there were other history professors I could take at different times. Since it would be my first semester in college in many years, I wanted to get off to a great start.
No joke, there was only one other person in the computer lab there in the middle of summer. I gently interrupted her at her computer and asked, “By any chance did you ever have Dr. Dyke as a professor?” She had. She told me about his style, and she recommended him.
So I enrolled in the class with confidence. And he turned out to be a great professor. Why? Because he was a superb “Socratic method” professor. Since I am an interactive learner, I learned much from him. Plus, he was a man who cared about the students! I was blessed to have Dr. Dyke for two classes.
Another example: At some point in high school, I developed an idea that taking a college astronomy course would be a quintessential college experience. Not considering that elements of astronomy, such as math and physics, did not fit my gifts, I wanted to take astronomy. And when the opportunity came at Virginia Tech, I went for it.
I had the great fortune of getting a professor who was a great person. Knowing the class consisted of students of a variety of majors, the professor was fantastic at explaining challenging scientific facts and concepts in a manner that a liberal arts minded person could understand. The man was cheery. The man was kind. And it was obvious the man loved teaching astronomy.
Get a Tutor
A “general education” requirement for all students at Virginia Tech in the College of Arts and Sciences, back in the last century when I was there, was a quarter of Algebra, a quarter of Trigonometry, and a quarter of Calculus. Crazy. My Trigonometry teacher was a grad student. Guess what? She flunked out of Tech the next semester. It is a weird story about that poor class, yet on the flip side, an inspiring story about my wonderful Calculus teacher the next quarter. Rather than getting into those detailed stories, I simply say here that for Trigonometry, I needed a tutor! (But I did not get one, and it was my lowest grade ever.)
Tutors cost money. Yet if you need one, and if you get someone good, it will likely make a difference.
Create Some Fun
In this world, you have a number of options. I advocate you should choose options which bring some fulfillment and enjoyment. And yes, I think there should be some fun. And fun often starts with you.
At Virginia Tech, returning to the subject of that Astronomy class, that great professor made it fun! So I keep rolling with that fun!
Near the end of the quarter, to assist students who had a low grade, the professor offered a sole extra credit option. That option was to visit the Virginia Tech observatory within the last few Fridays of the quarter, and look at stars and galaxies through their giant telescope. The observatory was up on a mountain in beautiful southwest Virginia, and was operated by a graduate student on Friday nights.
Getting a friend from the class and another mutual friend to attend one Friday night, I had a blast. I will spare you the details and simply say looking through the telescope for me was interesting, however, the reason it was so much fun was because my two friends and I made it fun. No alcohol. No admission fee. Plus extra credit. It was one of my most memorable Friday nights of college.
Work before play!
Closing likewise with that Astronomy class: I went one step further beyond simply enjoying his entertaining teaching. I paid close attention to what he said. Now I took great notes in all of my classes, yet there was a special focus by me in that class.
I have a distinct memory of studying intently for his final exam. The night before the exam, two friends came to my room wanting to play sponge basketball. I said ‘no.’
I kept studying intently for Astronomy, reviewing my textbook and notes. I figured the exam would even involve a few physics equations, and I carefully went through the material. The result: I got the highest grade in the class on the final exam. (I know this because the professor told me, and he said I was the one who determined the “curve” on that challenging exam in the class of about seventy students.)
I worked hard in that class, and enjoyment resulted. And there was the incredible bonus for me, a “liberal arts guy,” of an “A” in a class within the Physics department at Virginia Tech. I am proud of that to this day.
When was an occasion when you were intent on working before play?
Hunter Irvine
