Everyone who attends college runs into a nearly impossible class at some point. You might feel that passing is not even attainable. This is a hard time. Failing a class is no joke in college. It can set you back from getting the degree you want or even graduating in some classes. This dooming feeling stresses students out even more. If you are having issues with a hard class, here is what to do.
Stay extra organized
Staying organized will make your brain feel more organized—it’s true. Some classes make it easy to get by with not a lot of notes or organization, but this isn’t the case in difficult classes. Make sure to have binders, pocket folders, and notebooks specifically for this class. This way, you won’t have to comb through a bunch of material every single time you need information. If you don’t stay organized, you will get sidetracked easier and lost your thoughts quicker.
Flash cards are an organized way to help yourself retain information, even if you don’t use them to study. When in class, have flash cards handy so that you can jot down important information that seems like it could come up later. Writing it down more than once in more than one place will help you when a test or project rolls around.
Read over the material 30 minutes a day—not just the day before a test
Take 30 minutes a day to look over notes and focus on a section of your class book. This isn’t majorly time intensive nor much of a task. Just take time to wrap your head around one or two topics. For example, you could study economics terms a-z, write out some flashcards, practice with a friend or even just reread the content. This won’t pay off immediately, but it will help when things come up later. It also will help in generally understanding the content of the class. It keeps your brain fresh on the subject material.
Record your lectures and take notes
While taking notes on notecards, write things down in a class-designated notebook, as well. This is a key to having things documented in a timeline. This will help when studying and reviewing material after class. Don’t combine this class with another class in your notebook—this will scramble your thoughts and leave you combing through pages for longer than necessary.
Ask your professor if you can record lectures. They will likely agree and understand that you will want to play the recordings later when self-teaching. This is a good way to have something to look back on when working on assignments and studying.
Find a way to make the content interesting for you—even if it isn’t
Sometimes these hard classes are hard because they don’t interest you, which is unfortunate. Think of any inkling of interest you have and try to focus on how the material relates to things that you enjoy or regard as important. For example, consider an economics class. You might hate economics and not care about it, but think about visualizing the flow of money and how it affects the bigger picture. If you are more of a creative, map it out in a way that tells a story. This is a great way to learn the material, study it, and retain the knowledge for later in life.
Don’t get discouraged if your class seems impossible. If you put in the work with this much attention to detail, your efforts will pay off. Your professor also can help and see your eagerness to do well. No professor wants you to fail when you are doing your best to get a passing grade.
