I ran into a friend of mine in the grocery store that I have not seen in a couple of years. She had no idea I was going to college. During our conversation we talked about her daughter and my son who went to high school together and graduated from Alabama at the same time. Her daughter is about to get married and is a fabulous student so is getting a masters degree as well. My friend said she was not a good student when she went to college all of those years ago and I told her although I had always been a nerd, I was even more nerdy and precise than I was before. I told her I attributed it to being a wife and mom. She and I have had to keep up with our schedule, our husband’s schedule and our children’s schedules. If we can keep several people on time and on task, keeping up at school with only myself is a breeze!
Due to comments made at the end of last semester I have decided before I just completely forget it and move on, I will share my rules for success in college. After seeing my friend, I realized why I have been successful and that I should share how I have done it. Following these rules guarantees that you too can succeed and have people make rude comments about you and your good grades and good relationships with the teachers!
1) Attend every class! Yes, that means every class, the first one, the last one, the one after an exam, the one that you have a review for the exam, every class! Pull yourself out of bed, drink some coffee to sober up, whatever it takes, show up. When you have a family there are no days off for any reason. The only excuse for missing class is surgery or death (and only if it is your own!)
2) Take notes! Write down everything the teacher says, even jokes and personal comments. Then you have them to use again when appropriate. They might mention a birthday or upcoming opportunity for extra credit. They might mention a movie they love that somehow sneaks onto the test (or into a maze for extra credit!) As a mom I had notes all over my house with schedules, activities, birthdays, etc. to keep me on task.
3) Do your homework! That means look over those notes you took for a few minutes that evening while they are fresh on your mind. That way you can correct anything you wrote down so quickly it doesn’t make sense, believe me in a few weeks it really won’t make sense. If it is an actual assignment, do it ASAP, then you can forget it and move on to other things, like beer pong. As a wife you can not let the laundry go because it will have doubled by morning, you have to stay one step ahead of everyone or you can quickly find yourself buried under a mountain of chores. Also, I helped my child do his homework sometimes so I have had a lot of practice!
4) Turn in papers early! That way not only do you not have them to do the week of finals but the teacher is impressed. The teacher also does not have a depressing stack of papers to grade with yours at the last minute, so they read your paper in a better frame of mind. If they don’t want it early just put it in your binder and forget it until it is due. It is such a great feeling whenever it is mentioned by your teacher or other students to know it is already done and waiting in your notebook!
5) Answer questions in class! After you answer a few correct, you can just nod a lot when others talk. That way, the professor thinks that you knew the answer but were generous enough to let others have a turn. If no one answers, then you do it! There is nothing worse than asking a kid a question and getting a blank stare in response. As a mom and teacher I know that for a fact. I would rather hear a dumb answer or funny quip than have someone stare at me as if I were an idiot.
6) Remember that you came to college to learn and meet people! Some of those people are teachers so you can be friendly to them too! And if you actually learn the subject, show up and stay ahead of the game you will automatically get a good grade.
7) Be old! If you are old, people underestimate you or don’t know what to expect from you. Then you can swoop in and be fabulous and they are reeling in shock. Also, in history, you were actually there for some of the historical events. In computer class, you have actually had to do spreadsheets and databases for real jobs. (Computer history actually HAS all happened in my lifetime so I had that pretty easy!) I have had to balance checkbooks and write job applications, given speeches in meetings and stood up to local government to support the kids in my school system. I have met famous people and maneuvered my way through charity events, business gatherings and childbirth. I know how to handle myself in ways these kids can only imagine.
If these rules seem hard to follow think again. I lost no sleep, saw lots of movies and plays, and went out to eat and enjoyed myself immensely while going to college, as well as keeping my house clean, my family fed, my parents and in-laws taken care of and myself healthy and relaxed.
I was told once that the kids at school are full of themselves and have the upper hand because of it. I have to disagree because I have experience that is decades in the making and they will never catch up! They certainly can ask me anything and I will share anything. But for the most part I sit and listen and chuckle as they tackle subjects I have tons of experience in and they never think to ask me. They talk in very self assured ways and spout out information that is WAY wrong! But as I was told, they are full of “piss and vinegar” so they keep talking and making fools of themselves and I just chuckle within.
And for those of you who seem to think I bribed someone or tricked someone into these grades, just try my rules and you too can be gossiped about! After all, what is the college experience without some good gossip and jealousy!
