Getting good grades; and what to do if they aren’t so good By Thomas Gottehrer

How to get good grades  Start classes off right; sit in the front  Be organized  Get to know the professor  Work in groups with other students in the class  Get tutoring if needed  Study  MAKE IT TO CLASS

Sitting in the front  This will help keep you from distractions  Not only will it help keep you focused on the lecture, but professors know that serious students sit in the front, and the students that don’t care or are obviously there because they have to be, sit in the back  Some people do well in the back of the classrooms but other good students usually sit in the front and when a professor wants you to work in groups it helps to sit with the good students so that you end up working with them during group work

Be Organized  Organization depends on the person; you know how you do your best work, therefor, figure out what type of organization works best for you  Choosing the right folders, binders and/or notebooks for you, will help you keep class work separate from other class work.  Get a Planner from the book store and write down every appointment or important time that enters your busy schedule, and look at it every morning so that you know what you have planned that day

Get to know your professor  If you do not understand something that comes up in class, the professor obviously knows the material best so meet with him/her during their office hours-that is why they have them posted on the syllabus  Remember, they are where they are for a reason. They might have some interesting things to talk about that might not have much to do with the topic you are having trouble with, but might interest you and get you thinking  Getting to know your professor will also show them that you are willing to go the extra mile to understand course work and to do well in their course ( Hint, Hint-Letters of recommendation)

Start a study group with other members of the class  This will not only enlarge your on-campus social circle, but it will also allow you to figure out what other students’ strong points are so that they can help you, as well as their week points so you can help them  Study groups are also a great way to quiz each other before exams or quizzes

Get tutoring if needed  Getting a tutor is a valuable resource; If you don’t exactly “register” the information from the lecture due to differences in your learning style and that professors’ lecture style, a tutor might have the time to explain it better  If you go through the Center for Academic Development and Enrichment (CADE), a tutor assigned to you there must have gotten an A in the course if they are allowed to tutor that course

Study, and MAKE IT TO CLASS  These two concepts should be fairly easy to grasp;  If you don’t do either of these, you should probably start applying to jobs close to home (with your parents) because your college career wont last long  Studying- Professors say that for every hour you are in class you should spend two hours studying outside of class: there is some varience to this formula, but not much  Getting to class- Get an effective alarm clock!

If grades are not so good:  Focus on good GRE scores  Participate in student/faculty research  Do an internship in your field of interest  You might want to think about taking a year off to gain good work experience in the field of your choice

Taking a year off to work  With a Bachelors degree, you can find many opportunities to work in a psychology related field  For example, if you would eventually like to work as a child psychologist, you can find a children’s shelter that needs youth care counselors that work with the children through their every day routine. This will give you experience working with children who have rough home lives, which will make you more marketable for a child psychology graduate program.

While taking the year off:  Research graduate programs and treat the one year that you are part of the work force, as your senior year in college.  Take the GRE’s after graduation and begin the application process around December of your following work year, so that you can begin the following fall semester at the graduate school in which you are accepted to.  Graduate schools love hands on experience but be sure not to mess up on the job so that your employer has nothing but good things to say about you as a reference