A Professor's Guide to Success in College

By Jeff Anstine

College is a completely new and sometimes overwhelming experience for most incoming first-year students. As with anything in life that is new, it helps to know what to expect. If you were traveling to Europe for the first time, you would probably gather information about the area you were visiting through the Internet, guide books, or a trusted friend who has experience traveling to that area of the world.

Professor J. Anstine, using his many years of experience as a college professor, has written this book for high school students planning to attend college, current college students, and parents. The information provided will certainly help great students who want to be excellent students, good students who want to be better students, and marginal students who may be on academic probation, or even to those who have dropped out. Professor Anstine guides students and parents on what to expect in college (both inside and outside of the classroom), what to do when you encounter personal or academic pitfalls, and why you should do everything you can to complete your degree.

"A Professor’s Guide to Success in College" is a must-read to help today’s students prepare for and make the best of their college experience.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781941478455

Book preview

9

PREFACE

In over two decades as a college professor I have witnessed certain characteristics that separate students who succeed in college from those who do not. This book describes what students need to know and how to implement those actions to succeed in college. It is not about making college easy; college is not easy, a degree has to be earned. However, there are simple steps that can be taken to make the transition from high school to college smoother and the process of getting a bachelor’s degree less complicated.

Internet sources and most college guides seem to have forgotten the basics of what college is about. Often their focus is on joining sororities, dealing with roommates or engaging in extracurricular activities. College is essentially about teaching and learning. This involves at least some, and sometimes a lot, of interaction between professors and students. At a bare minimum college success involves knowing a course’s objectives and understanding a professor’s grading expectations.

I provide a professor’s perspective, on not just how to survive but how to excel in college. The latter chapters provide guidelines for what to expect in classroom situations, how to choose classes and recommendations for studying for tests and writing papers. In addition, I supply tips on how to get the most out of both your classes and the college experience.

chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A college¹ degree has never been more important. High school students and their parents realize this: thus there were over 20 million students attending American colleges and universities in the fall 2015.² On average, workers with a college degree earn almost twice as much as those with only a high school degree. Thus, over a lifetime college graduates earn over a million dollars more compared to those without one.³

Obviously there is more to life than money. Research also shows that people with college degrees enjoy life more. They tend to have a higher level of self worth and confidence. They are more curious and more open to new experiences. College helps individuals develop a better sense of who they are and where they fit in the world.⁴

Though students and their parents recognize the importance of a college degree, many students still fail to reach this goal. As many as one-third of college First-year students do not return for their second year.⁵ Only half of the students who start college graduate. In some cases it is because students forget what college is about or do not know in the first place. Sometimes there is a tendency to make things too complex, losing focus of what matters. Ultimately, succeeding in college depends on being able to learn from the people responsible for your education, the professors.

In new situations it often takes a while to adjust, adapt, learn and finally to excel in our endeavors. I provide guidance for what to expect in college so that the process is easier and more rewarding.

Many people who are successful in life tend to be proactive. They have the ability to navigate jobs and careers because they know what to expect. They are able to look ahead and prepare. Less successful individuals are reactive; a problem arrives, then they try to solve it.

I have seen many college students struggle because they are reactive. They spend a lot of time and energy responding to a situation that they should have been ready for. They fail a class because they don’t understand what the professor wants, or they need to take another year to finish college because they were not aware of graduation requirements. Some flunk out because they do not know how much time they need to spend studying for classes or where to focus their energy in a particular course.

College is a great place to learn how to navigate life. There is usually a low cost associated with a mistake, a low grade on a test (that I will explain how to correct) or a reprimand from a Resident Assistant. Receiving an F in a class or being dismissed from school typically has a high cost. There is often an upside from a negative experience, if you are willing to learn from it.

COLLEGE IS A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE LIFE.

PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY,

COLLEGE IS A TIME TO LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF.

If you take control of your college experience, you get a lot out of it. As with life, there are some things you can control and other things you can’t. I will explain these throughout the book. College is a time to learn skills for future jobs. It is also a time to learn how to communicate, think critically and discover the world. Perhaps most importantly, college is a time to learn about yourself.

There are hundreds of books and websites on how to get in to college, what types of extracurricular activities college admissions officers are looking for, how to increase college entrance test scores, and on writing the essay that will get you into the right college. There is also information on roommates, sex in college, and how to join fraternities and sororities. There are also many sources about saving and paying for college. You get the idea. However, there are very few books about how to succeed once you are in college; and almost no books written by full professors for students. This is surprising given the fact that only half of the students who start college actually earn a degree.

For many students, college is the first time they experience failure. Many students (and their parents) think that because they made it through high school, they will make it through college. Average, good, and even very good students fall into this trap. Some students think college classes will be similar to high school classes and do not adjust to the differences. Other students have difficulty following lectures. Still other students don’t even know they need help in a class or are not sure what to do if they are doing poorly. Professors are amazed by the number of students who receive an F in their class at the end of a semester, not realizing that they were failing it all along.

I often hear the parents of incoming first-year students say things like, He did great in high school, I am sure he will do the same in college. She’s the creative type, her talents were stifled by high school teachers, but college professors will encourage her creative side. He struggled a little in high school, but he’s much more mature now, so he’ll do fine. I made it through college with no problems, so I am sure my kid(s) will too. We’ve provided so much support (monetarily and emotionally) that I am sure s/he will finish.

Students will say, I took advanced classes in high school, I’m sure the classes in college aren’t any harder. I didn’t do as well as my parents expected in high school, but it was because the classes were too constricting, I’ll do fine in college where I have more options.

Less than two percent of first-year students believe that they will drop out of college temporarily or permanently.⁶ Yet, hundreds of thousands of students flunk out their first year. Others struggle on academic probation for a year or two before dropping out. Some students drop classes each term or switch from full-time status to part time, spending lots of money over a period of four or five years and still do not finish. And still other students take six or more years to finish, piling up significant debt along the way.

There are lots of reasons why perfectly capable, bright students do not finish college. Many students make the mistake of thinking that since they made it through high school, they will make it through college, so they do not take college work seriously. Other students flunk out or do not do well because they do not know how to do college; they don’t learn how to navigate the system.

For others, the non-academic adjustment from high school to college is much more difficult than they expect. Some encounter unforeseen problems and do not know where to go for help. It is not that these students are not smart enough, it just that they are not prepared for the academic and non-academic challenges they face. I will provide solutions to all of these problems later in the book.

In grade school and high school there is a