College Textbook Blog

As we stated before, where to go for help and what resources are available are fairly consistent on each campus. The primary resource is the counselor office. Usually students have a counselor assigned to them. After that, they can develop course advisement, degree planning, and identify and address barriers to academic success.

Student’s interaction with the counselor should be one-on-one discussions of the student’s current strategies and developing new strategies.  It could be signing the student up for an upcoming workshop or tutoring session.  It could be specific “school” counseling, like business school or medical school or just career investigation.

It seems that most issues stem from math or English and there are usually many math and writing centers as they are most common resources made. Other resources include tutoring programs, supplemental instruction, workshops on note-taking, test-taking, time or stress management, and many specific studying in groups.

Some of the successful strategies to help students are:

• Begin with the freshman orientation session.
• Seek help at the first sign of trouble and before you fail or need to drop the class.
• Use all study groups & workshops.
• Develop a career strategy so you do not become undecided.
• Not having a major or having the wrong one may contribute to problems.
• Talk to your professors & get to know them because they will help you.
• Get advice from your professors or teacher assistants regarding what is wanted, and how to convey it.
• The professors may also give suggestions as to how and what to study.
• Take a course in one of your weak areas during the summer semester.
• Consider going to a community college to get your direction as it has less demands and fewer students so you get more direct teaching at a lower cost.

Even though most student have an idea of what they’re doing wrong, they may not know how to fix it, but they do know what they should and should not be doing.  Counselors and other professionals who work with college students can help identify and direct students to successful solutions.

One thing that students need to realize is that one test, one midterm grade, the grade in one class, or a semester’s grades do not make or break a college career.  Courses can be re-taken, majors changed, new skills learned, and most important, you learn what your career goals are to become.