nadira berman

tips for surviving college lecture classes

class size can be one of the biggest differences between high school and college. i was always so intimidated when i heard about huge lectures full of hundreds of students. i always wondered how i could possibly learn anything in that type of environment. if you also feel like you may struggle with this typical college class setting, read on for some tips on how to not only survive, but thrive.

 

sit close to the front

don’t worry, i’m not saying it’s mandatory to be front row everyday. but try not to sit in the very back. you’ll be more focused and less tempted by distractions the closer you sit to the front. plus, it’ll be a lot easier to see and hear your professor.

 

ask questions after

if you’re scared to ask a question in front of the whole big group, wait till after class ends and approach the professor one on one. they’ll usually be pretty happy to help. don’t be intimidated.

 

take notes on printed slides

if the pace of the class is too fast for you or you’re having trouble focusing, find out if your professor posts the lecture slides online. if you print them out beforehand, it will be a lot easier to take notes because you won’t have to frantically copy down something that they’ve already written out for you.

 

make study buddy friends

in bigger classes where you have limited access to help from your teacher, study buddies are crucial. you can ask them any questions you have that you weren’t able to ask the professor. plus you can study together for your first college midterm, which is a very stressful time.

 

author

  • nadira berman

    as a summer marketing intern, nadira is excited to help high schoolers prepare for the sat and act. as a freshman at the university of pennsylvania, she is considering studying economics. in her free time, she reports for the school newspaper and styles photo shoots for the school’s fashion magazine. besides fashion and journalism, her passions include bagels, smoothies and netflix.

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