Okay, I'm a young English professor and can see both perspectives well. I've taught full-time six years since earning my PhD in 2012. Brooke offers good advice here. Let me add (or expand on) some dirt from the prof's POV. 1) Yes, office hours. I promise you I'm not exaggerating when I say I can always count the number of students who visited me during the semester on one hand. I've taught at three schools in six years, so it's not institutionally-based. It's not like I'm unapproachable or unlikable, either. I consistently score 4+ on evals and RMP. I'm young and relatable. Yet, if you visit me during office hours, you will literally be one of a few out of a hundred who bothered to see me. There's no way I'll forget that when giving final grades (regardless, if you're that proactive, you're already outworking most of the class anyway; the grade will take care of itself). 2) Don't try too hard. I know you want to do well and make a good first impression, which is great, but last semester, I had a student who dominated class discussion the first few days. I knew she meant well, but I had to tell her to let others speak. Some people need more time to formulate their thoughts. Respect the classroom dynamic. It's not just about you. This is very important in discussion-based courses. I don't lecture. Certain behaviors are more noticeable in my classes than others. If you show up late all the time in a class of 18-25, you will stand out, and not in a good way (whereas, you can slip into a large lecture hall of 200 students without anyone caring). 3) A college B is not a HS B. Please understand this. 4) Grading isn't personal. I grade your work, not your personality or character. I've given jerks As and nice people Bs, because I'm grading the work in front of me. 5) I can tell when you waited until the last minute to write that mediocre paper. I'm a writer myself. Trust me. I can spot slop a mile away. Don't try to write a 1,000-word essay draft in one sitting the night before, like I did as an undergrad, making myself miserable and ruining any semblance of a healthy sleep pattern. Break your writing into four sessions of 250 words, which usually works out to one double-spaced MLA page. The writing will be better and you won't burn yourself out. 6) Okay, this last one really, really annoys me. I see it all the time: students intentionally crafting their schedules to fit their friends' schedules. AHHHHH! This is such a HS move. I'm not talking about coincidentally ending up in a class with a friend. That's fine. I am talking about the besties who basically have the same schedules. Sometimes, they even went to the same HS! Sometimes, they grew up together! And they are distracted during class; I always have to tell them to stop talking. Treat your classes like you would a job. Other than your attire, which at this point is sweats and shorts--this is pretty much accepted in 2017--ask yourself if you're doing things you wouldn't do at a job. If the answer is "yes, I wouldn't do that at a job," correct that bad habit.
Thank You! It's always awesome to see a professor's point of view. I can say from my three years of Community College, one of the biggest problems in a college classroom and I am guilty. Cellphones or even laptops! My first year of college I would get so angry at my professor who would stop teaching just to yell at me to put my phone away because I felt like they were treating me like a child that I no longer was but I am an education major so I often have to "fake teach" and last semester I had to teach in an art history course and I worked hard to prepare the lesson. As I was up in the front talking to the class and I noticed all the cell phones I felt very offended and even self-conscious that I was boring or what I was saying was "Dumb" I even saw one student take a picture of me and I legit froze and wanted to just run away. So this is my tip to all of you college newbies, as hard as it is. PUT THE PHONE AWAY! Your instructors will notice and will very much appreciate that you are giving them your time and are interested in what they want to teach you. You are there to learn and if you're just going to social media all class time. There's no point in even showing up.
Easy tip that ACTUALLY works: Take 3x5 index cards and cut them in half. Write the key terms and ideas on them to make flashcards. Now for the important part: make them a week ahead of an exam or a quiz. You could even do them as you are taught each section in class. But study them at least 3 times a day until you have the exam. This works because they take 5 - 10 minutes to go through, they really test you on and drill into your head the facts, and the flashcards are small and portable. You can then study the actual notes in addition to the flashcards as you near the exam. With this method you actually learn the topic and remember it past the test which is especially useful for finals.
I don't want to come off as a negative nelly, but please don't be hard on yourself if you don't get A's at first (or at all). A lot of us have complicated circumstances (I know I personally had to work full time while in college to pay for tuition and some of my friends struggled with family issues/mental health) and A's simply weren't attainable sometimes no matter how hard we tried. Don't be too hard on yourself, do your best and put in as much work as you can to get the best grade you can!
Another good tip for studying is to start studying the material as soon as you get it rather than the couple days before the test! I've noticed it works really well for me to be set on one chapter before we move onto the next that way right before the test you can just review all of the chapters rather than have to learn them the night or two before the test! Also recording lectures on your phone that way if you miss something when you're taking notes, you can just re listen to the lecture again and follow along with the PowerPoint etc when you're studying that chapter! This really helps with professors who have lecture based tests rather than textbook or ppt.
Brittney Pfleiderer yes my mentor would tell me right after the class ends study the notes in a library because my mind is still on the lecture and it would be easier for me to study 📖 since it's fresh in my head
Brittney Pfleiderer This is probably different for every professor, but in your experience did you ever have to ask if you could record the lecture before doing it?
Sydney Hazer it depends on the professor. If on the first day they say no phones at all then I wouldn't record at all or would ask, but most professors with a large amount of students don't care because they know it helps many students to hear the information again. A lot of my professors have actually encouraged it
Great advice! I think another great tip is paying attention to the syllabus. A lot of times the professors gives you a direct outline of what's going to happen next so you can prepare ahead if you're that kind of student or at least know what to expect every class/week
I got a 4.0 with my first if year of college!:) study study study! My professors post all of the study guides so I would make quizlets and study guides :)
About the handwriting notes: generally it's better to hand write notes but some classes like biology because it has a lot of diagrams I find that drawing them out is counterproductive cause I'm not an artist so it makes it messy and not clear.
bless your heart for this series. I'm starting college in just a few weeks and I'm extremely nervous (excited too but definitely scared/nervous)! all of your videos have started to put me at ease and just try to make the most out of the experience. so thanks so much for making these! :) love all of your videos but these have really helped me personally the most.
As someone beginning her senior Year In college I especially agree on the office hours!!! I took a difficult history course and English course emailing questions and going to office hours helped soooo much! And got high grades for the class. I sat in the front for one my classes and the teacher kept staring at me.. and during office hours I asked.. but in a settled way.. xD she told me oh I was just making sure you were paying attention.. lmfao I do zone out or space 😂
I don't know that I would say it's definitely attainable to make all A's in college. I think that depending on individual majors that it definitely isn't sometimes. I'm a pre-vet major at Auburn University and I wouldn't describe my course load as attainable for getting all A's lol. Just some insight......
I've definitely found my study zone this past semester which is the lib and I spent literally all my free time there and found that it significantly improved my grades. I would go with my boyfriend and his fraternity brothers which was just right bc we were all trying to get stuff done but they're also entertaining and keep me sane whenever i need a social break then when I need to focus on what I'm working on I can easily just slip some headphones in :)
OMGUSH!! So I'm subscribed to both of you guys, and you both posted your videos at once. And I was like YAASSS ITS LIT! I thought it was just coincidence, but I just found out and this just made my day. :)
Hi Brooke! Thank you so much for all your advice videos! I find them super helpful for college. I came from Olena's channel! So happy you two are friends ✨✨✨ I relate to you'll so much :)
So I have trouble studying even two days before the test. I study the night before the exam. taking it in sections doesn't really help for me ( i mean it can) but I just study faster when I do it all together (mostly cuz there's the pressure of it being tomorrow)
Lexi Ray can relate. I'm a BScN student in Canada and our motto is "Bs and Cs get degrees." Its so hard to get straight As when we're taking up to 7 classes a semester, obviously things like skills, pharmacology, things to help provide competent care are going to be prioritized over organic chem and stats. Mental health is wayyy more important than pushing yourself to get those As.
How do you balance making videos and school? I started making beauty/college vids and I go back to school soon and I'm a little nervous to see how it's all going to balance out!
lydlydho in my experience no. All of my professors have wanted you to do the work ahead of time and if you have questions write them down and come in and ask them before you turn it in for clarification!
I have been failing exams and quiz.... but I havnt been late to classes or was absent once.. will i able to pass the class if i keep up submitting hws and doing really good on group presentation? things like that?
One of my professors is just a piece of shit that is just unfair with his expectations. He expects me to read over 300 pages of material that I’m completely new to in just three days, memorize all of it, and take a quiz on it. And, he wants us to write entire summaries on videos about material that I’m completely new to and the video has a narrator with an accent that I can’t even understand.
Okay, I'm a young English professor and can see both perspectives well. I've taught full-time six years since earning my PhD in 2012. Brooke offers good advice here. Let me add (or expand on) some dirt from the prof's POV.
1) Yes, office hours. I promise you I'm not exaggerating when I say I can always count the number of students who visited me during the semester on one hand. I've taught at three schools in six years, so it's not institutionally-based. It's not like I'm unapproachable or unlikable, either. I consistently score 4+ on evals and RMP. I'm young and relatable. Yet, if you visit me during office hours, you will literally be one of a few out of a hundred who bothered to see me. There's no way I'll forget that when giving final grades (regardless, if you're that proactive, you're already outworking most of the class anyway; the grade will take care of itself).
2) Don't try too hard. I know you want to do well and make a good first impression, which is great, but last semester, I had a student who dominated class discussion the first few days. I knew she meant well, but I had to tell her to let others speak. Some people need more time to formulate their thoughts. Respect the classroom dynamic. It's not just about you. This is very important in discussion-based courses. I don't lecture. Certain behaviors are more noticeable in my classes than others. If you show up late all the time in a class of 18-25, you will stand out, and not in a good way (whereas, you can slip into a large lecture hall of 200 students without anyone caring).
3) A college B is not a HS B. Please understand this.
4) Grading isn't personal. I grade your work, not your personality or character. I've given jerks As and nice people Bs, because I'm grading the work in front of me.
5) I can tell when you waited until the last minute to write that mediocre paper. I'm a writer myself. Trust me. I can spot slop a mile away. Don't try to write a 1,000-word essay draft in one sitting the night before, like I did as an undergrad, making myself miserable and ruining any semblance of a healthy sleep pattern. Break your writing into four sessions of 250 words, which usually works out to one double-spaced MLA page. The writing will be better and you won't burn yourself out.
6) Okay, this last one really, really annoys me. I see it all the time: students intentionally crafting their schedules to fit their friends' schedules. AHHHHH! This is such a HS move. I'm not talking about coincidentally ending up in a class with a friend. That's fine. I am talking about the besties who basically have the same schedules. Sometimes, they even went to the same HS! Sometimes, they grew up together! And they are distracted during class; I always have to tell them to stop talking. Treat your classes like you would a job. Other than your attire, which at this point is sweats and shorts--this is pretty much accepted in 2017--ask yourself if you're doing things you wouldn't do at a job. If the answer is "yes, I wouldn't do that at a job," correct that bad habit.
Thank You! It's always awesome to see a professor's point of view. I can say from my three years of Community College, one of the biggest problems in a college classroom and I am guilty. Cellphones or even laptops! My first year of college I would get so angry at my professor who would stop teaching just to yell at me to put my phone away because I felt like they were treating me like a child that I no longer was but I am an education major so I often have to "fake teach" and last semester I had to teach in an art history course and I worked hard to prepare the lesson. As I was up in the front talking to the class and I noticed all the cell phones I felt very offended and even self-conscious that I was boring or what I was saying was "Dumb" I even saw one student take a picture of me and I legit froze and wanted to just run away. So this is my tip to all of you college newbies, as hard as it is. PUT THE PHONE AWAY! Your instructors will notice and will very much appreciate that you are giving them your time and are interested in what they want to teach you. You are there to learn and if you're just going to social media all class time. There's no point in even showing up.
Easy tip that ACTUALLY works: Take 3x5 index cards and cut them in half. Write the key terms and ideas on them to make flashcards. Now for the important part: make them a week ahead of an exam or a quiz. You could even do them as you are taught each section in class. But study them at least 3 times a day until you have the exam. This works because they take 5 - 10 minutes to go through, they really test you on and drill into your head the facts, and the flashcards are small and portable. You can then study the actual notes in addition to the flashcards as you near the exam. With this method you actually learn the topic and remember it past the test which is especially useful for finals.
I don't want to come off as a negative nelly, but please don't be hard on yourself if you don't get A's at first (or at all). A lot of us have complicated circumstances (I know I personally had to work full time while in college to pay for tuition and some of my friends struggled with family issues/mental health) and A's simply weren't attainable sometimes no matter how hard we tried. Don't be too hard on yourself, do your best and put in as much work as you can to get the best grade you can!
Yes
Another good tip for studying is to start studying the material as soon as you get it rather than the couple days before the test! I've noticed it works really well for me to be set on one chapter before we move onto the next that way right before the test you can just review all of the chapters rather than have to learn them the night or two before the test! Also recording lectures on your phone that way if you miss something when you're taking notes, you can just re listen to the lecture again and follow along with the PowerPoint etc when you're studying that chapter! This really helps with professors who have lecture based tests rather than textbook or ppt.
Brittney Pfleiderer yes my mentor would tell me right after the class ends study the notes in a library because my mind is still on the lecture and it would be easier for me to study 📖 since it's fresh in my head
Brittney Pfleiderer This is probably different for every professor, but in your experience did you ever have to ask if you could record the lecture before doing it?
Sydney Hazer it depends on the professor. If on the first day they say no phones at all then I wouldn't record at all or would ask, but most professors with a large amount of students don't care because they know it helps many students to hear the information again. A lot of my professors have actually encouraged it
Great advice! I think another great tip is paying attention to the syllabus. A lot of times the professors gives you a direct outline of what's going to happen next so you can prepare ahead if you're that kind of student or at least know what to expect every class/week
I got a 4.0 with my first if year of college!:) study study study! My professors post all of the study guides so I would make quizlets and study guides :)
How much is too much?
About the handwriting notes: generally it's better to hand write notes but some classes like biology because it has a lot of diagrams I find that drawing them out is counterproductive cause I'm not an artist so it makes it messy and not clear.
It was great to see how both of you supported each other and gave a shoutout!
bless your heart for this series. I'm starting college in just a few weeks and I'm extremely nervous (excited too but definitely scared/nervous)! all of your videos have started to put me at ease and just try to make the most out of the experience. so thanks so much for making these! :) love all of your videos but these have really helped me personally the most.
As someone beginning her senior Year In college I especially agree on the office hours!!! I took a difficult history course and English course emailing questions and going to office hours helped soooo much! And got high grades for the class. I sat in the front for one my classes and the teacher kept staring at me.. and during office hours I asked.. but in a settled way.. xD she told me oh I was just making sure you were paying attention.. lmfao I do zone out or space 😂
"back to college series"
Me: *is in 8th grade....*
I love how honest you are in all of your videos Brooke! You inspired me start my own youtube channel!!
When you've already graduated from college and will literally never take another class again yet still watch all 10 mins
have confidence, you are amazing at makeup. don't down yourself!!
even as a student going into second year of uni this is very useful thank you!!
I don't know that I would say it's definitely attainable to make all A's in college. I think that depending on individual majors that it definitely isn't sometimes. I'm a pre-vet major at Auburn University and I wouldn't describe my course load as attainable for getting all A's lol. Just some insight......
I've definitely found my study zone this past semester which is the lib and I spent literally all my free time there and found that it significantly improved my grades. I would go with my boyfriend and his fraternity brothers which was just right bc we were all trying to get stuff done but they're also entertaining and keep me sane whenever i need a social break then when I need to focus on what I'm working on I can easily just slip some headphones in :)
Very helpful video Brooke! Can you do a similar video but focus it on how to be successful in highschool ? Grades, study habits, etc. 💖
These tips are so helpful, since i've been watching your videos, i'm getting ready for freshman year in college, thanks Brooke
your hair looks so perfect in this video!!
AOT babygirl! Thanks for the tips, I’m struggling! Love from KD’s Zeta Omega chapter!
OMGUSH!! So I'm subscribed to both of you guys, and you both posted your videos at once. And I was like YAASSS ITS LIT! I thought it was just coincidence, but I just found out and this just made my day. :)
Cs get degrees but shouldn't you aim for an a or at least a good understanding of the subjects that you're taking .
You have a very good understanding of a subject if you've gotten a C or passed the course.
Been binge watching your videos for weeks now! Thanks so much for these vids. I love you! :)
Hi Brooke! Thank you so much for all your advice videos! I find them super helpful for college. I came from Olena's channel! So happy you two are friends ✨✨✨ I relate to you'll so much :)
im taking the max credits my freshman year and im sooo scared... i really hope i pull thru😭😫
You will! I took 19 credits last semester( it was my freshman year) and I got A in all my classes. If I can do it you can too!
whereverwithjen I'm taking 17 credits in grad school this semester. I wish you the best of luck 😩
Thanks for these insights. You are doing great work.All the best for your videos.
looking beautiful as always in this vid Brooke! thanks for all the tips :)
yasss!!! i love your videos so much!
So I have trouble studying even two days before the test. I study the night before the exam. taking it in sections doesn't really help for me ( i mean it can) but I just study faster when I do it all together (mostly cuz there's the pressure of it being tomorrow)
Just come here from Olena! Loved both videos and I've hit the subscribe button i'm finding these types of videos very motivating so thank you! xx
ahh yes thanks so so much!! you are AMAZING ILY
Thank you sooooo much for this advice, this is going to help me a lot 😁😁😁😁
Loved this video Brooke!! Wish we were friends in real life, you seem so genuine :)
thanks for the advice!
Brooke, you are seriously SO pretty.
Because of you, I know that I really really want to go to UGA😩💕
Thank you for this video!! So helpful! ❤️
Your videos are so inspiring!!!
I NEEDED THIS YAS!!!!!
How do you balance YT and school?
IM IN ELEMENTARY..
MY SCHOOL MAKES ME FEEL LIKE IM IN COLLEGE
C's GET DEGREES
true but C's don't get into grad school so I wish I could relate
cynthia unfortunately that's what I just faced doing grad school apps. Got in my top choice but it was stressful, even with a decent GPA (3.1)
Lexi Ray literally me, its so hard to do well in eng 😩
im a science major so its literally impossible to gets As in chem or physics
Lexi Ray can relate. I'm a BScN student in Canada and our motto is "Bs and Cs get degrees." Its so hard to get straight As when we're taking up to 7 classes a semester, obviously things like skills, pharmacology, things to help provide competent care are going to be prioritized over organic chem and stats. Mental health is wayyy more important than pushing yourself to get those As.
you look stunning
Fellow ASL interpreting majors, what are your secrets to acing your classes?
can I just say you sound like such a sweet person 💕
yay i'm early! love you and your videos brooke
This video helped me I also download this video thanks a bunch
You're so beautiful! And your vibe is awesome :)
New subscriber!
where is your shirt from??
How do you balance making videos and school? I started making beauty/college vids and I go back to school soon and I'm a little nervous to see how it's all going to balance out!
Is it ok to go to office hours just to do work so if you did have a question you could ask immediately?
lydlydho in my experience no. All of my professors have wanted you to do the work ahead of time and if you have questions write them down and come in and ask them before you turn it in for clarification!
this is such a helpful video ahh
I have been failing exams and quiz.... but I havnt been late to classes or was absent once.. will i able to pass the class if i keep up submitting hws and doing really good on group presentation? things like that?
Can you link the article that you were in? It was on your insta story!
Thank you so much for the advice, Brooke.
Go Dawgs!
Too late for me lol 😂 nice video
I heard about the contest where we would get to meet you at Patrick Henry mall but I'm 12 so I can't enter 😭😭
Here cause of Lena.
One of my professors is just a piece of shit that is just unfair with his expectations. He expects me to read over 300 pages of material that I’m completely new to in just three days, memorize all of it, and take a quiz on it. And, he wants us to write entire summaries on videos about material that I’m completely new to and the video has a narrator with an accent that I can’t even understand.
1:50 until video starts :/
❤️