Hannah Margaret is a Zooey Deschanel look-alike, college student, our guest writer, and blogger at hm. ~~ The verdict is out, and the issue that must be tackled today is (drum roll everybody) how to deal with hard classes! What do you do when passing a class seems impossible? Where do you turn when you are up a creek without a paddle (and about to go over the waterfall of Chemistry class)? What the heck do you do when you need, no must, get an A in a class for some privilege (driving anyone?) but it seems out of the question? Well, dear friends, you are in the right place.
1. First and foremost, you should approach the teacher from the start. This shows a visible and obvious effort on your part from the beginning. The teach clearly knows what it takes to pass or ace the class, and he or she is usually wanting their students to succeed. Ask them what you should to do to prepare and thrive in the class. Ask them how to achieve what you want to achieve and figure out how to overcome the bits where you are struggling.
2. Get a tutor. I always dreamed of getting some mega-attractive tutor to flirt quietly in the library until we fell in love. I think that’s Disney Channel’s fault. Regardless, you should get some one-on-one help. There’s nothing better than someone to explain the French Revolution to you from the perspective of someone who knows what they are talking about. It also forces you to set time apart to study and to study effectively. And back to what I said previously, you could meet some babe of a tutor (geek-chic?) to take you to coffee later. Who knows?
3. Stop doodling & set time for studying. This is directed to my high school self. I was such the doodler, daydreamer and note-passer, but get real, you don’t study like that. Take notes, ask questions and pay close attention to what is going on in the class. You can’t say a class is hard if you don’t show up mentally and prepare by doing the homework. You can say a class is hard if you are doing everything you can to stay on top of your work, and you’re still falling short. Make sense? Then after class, set some solid time to work on your own. Get your desk area ready to do work, make it cute and studious. I am a firm believer in a healthy workspace to be productive. When you want to sit in your study area, you’ll want to study (rocket science).
4. Group studying. My favorite of all study skills. Get a small crew together, preferably the smart-ish ones, to hunker down in the library or Starbucks to study for the tests in this hard class. I would suggest dividing up the work so that someone makes flash cards, someone makes a study guide and someone else lays out possible essay questions. Then, explain the subject to each other. Pretend to be your annoying, overly tanned Spanish teacher that spits on the front row students (jk). Really, just explain what you know and let someone explain what you don’t understand.
You’ll get through it, I promise. Hard classes, in the end, make you stronger than the "easy A" courses. I know that they stress and annoy, but they prepare you more for college and keep you on your toes. Happy studies!
Also, I would love to hear from you lovely readers! If you have further questions about hard classes or have issues you want me to address, please-oh-please email me (I can’t wait to hear from you!). Contact me here: hannahmargaret@hmallen.com
~By Hannah Margaret Allen. For a fantastically great posts and a well-traveled blog adventure, check out HannahMargaretAllen.blogspot.com