What to Do When You're Behind in Your College Classes
Alumni or student networks: You are not the first student to fall behind in college. Alumni in these networks are often eager to assist current students, and getting in touch with graduates or other current students who have encountered similar challenges can offer perspective. 3. Ask for help
Go through all of your classes—even if you think you're behind in only one or two—and make a quick list of things you've done (example: finished the reading through week three) as well as things you haven't (example: started the research paper due next week).
College offers plenty of opportunities to explore and try new things, but it can, at times, be easy to lose sight of what you’re going to school for in the first place. It might seem simple, but stating exactly what you’re trying to accomplish is an excellent way to keep yourself focused.
Students falling behind in an online course should reach out to let their instructor know what's happening. Online students who fall behind should use an academic calendar to get organized, experts say. (Getty) It's important for students to manage their time in an online course.
There are some easy ways to catch back up in a class if you give it your best effort.Go to class. Even if you've missed several class periods before this, the first thing you can do to turn yourself around is to attend class. ... Take notes. ... Make friends. ... Go to office hours. ... Do your homework.
Playing Catch Up Go through all of your classes and assignments, and create a “catch-up list” to see where you're falling behind. For each assignment, write down exactly WHAT you need to do and WHEN you need to do it. But don't go over the top, assign yourself only one subject each day.
Failing a class in college happens to even the best of students, and it's unrealistic to expect that you'll be able to do everything perfectly in college. You messed up. You failed a class. But in most cases, you probably didn't ruin your life or put yourself in some kind of disastrous situation.
What do college students do after class?Attend club meetings or participate in extracurricular activities like intramural sports.Go to the gym.Study or work on class assignments.Eat.Work.Hang out with friends or classmates.Visit their professors during their office hours.Attending tutoring sessions.More items...
It isn't easy to catch up, but you can do it—if you stick with it. It took more than one day for you to fall behind, which means it will take more than one day to catch up. Be diligent about following your plan and adjust as necessary.
Some Tips to Catch up and Become More OrganizedWrite Down a List. Adults are always writing down lists, and sometimes the lists themselves become misplaced. ... Keep a Calendar. ... Organize Your Papers. ... Develop a Catching-Up List. ... Prepare a Daily Homework Schedule. ... Is Homework Taking Too Long?
Failing a class is not the end of the world, or even of your college experience. It doesn't mean you're stupid, or that you chose the wrong major and won't be able to cut it in the real world. It simply means that you have something to improve on and a goal to work toward in your education.
If you fail, it's usually smart to retake the class. Most colleges will allow you to retake a class one time and replace your new grade with the failed one. This looks better on transcripts and for financial aid purposes.
College students can retake a class a maximum of 3 times, most of the time. If they want to retake it a fourth time, they have to write a special letter to the school. It might not be worth it to redo a class so many times, as you would graduate late.
Of those people, more than 52 percent never even looked at the course materials, and over a five-year period the average dropout rate was 40-60 percent for those in a degree program and 90 percent for those taking a MOOC course ( a course offered online, without tuition).
Another big reason students drop out of college is that they're overwhelmed and aren't sure what to do. Some students aren't academically ready for college level work and struggle in their classes. Others didn't choose a major before heading to college and don't feel they have a real reason to be there.
In summary, college classes are definitely harder than high school classes: the topics are more complicated, the learning is more fast-paced, and the expectations for self-teaching are much higher. HOWEVER, college classes are not necessarily harder to do well in.