A few reminders for students going back to college

As we are approaching the beginning of the spring semester, I believe there are a few things that students should be reminded of (though if you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir!)

1. Make sure to come to class on the first day or at least email the professor if you're sick or something.  Many universities have an attendance policy the first week or so and you could get dropped for non-attendance.  In addition, this isn't high school and we do generally actually cover some material on the first day.  Miss it and don't communicate it - already starting off on the wrong foot!
2. On that note, when you email your professor (or anyone in a formal manner) be sure to use an appropriate title (if you don't know if they are a "Dr.", "Professor" is a safe bet).  Don't use any texting lingo, proofread it (we all make typos, but try to keep them to a minimum) and be careful of  "tone."
3. In addition to that, if you have a question that you think you need to ask the professor, spend at least 10 minutes trying to figure it out on your own first before sending an email.  This will prevent the "nevermind" emails.
4. If a professor makes a textbook "optional" it is just that - however, if you are struggling in the class and you didn't buy the book, don't blame the professor or use up all their precious time because you didn't want to spend the money on a book.
5. Do actually take the time to READ the syllabi for your classes - a lot of it might go without saying, but each professor may have their own policies or nuances that you want to be aware of.
6. If you can do exactly what we do in class (i.e. - regurgitation), this is worthy of a C in a class, nothing more.
7. This class costs $$$!  Why is this one of the few things that cost money that we don't care if we get short-changed on?  Go to class, expect every minute to be utilized, and if they go over a minute or two, think of it as a bonus :)
8. Remember that students are expected to spend about 3 hours (for an average student) per week outside of class for every hour you are in class.  Thus if you are taking 15 credits, you're expected to spend about 45 hours per week outside of class working on things for class.  (Notice that is more than a full-time job and count the 15 hours in class and you're at 60 hours.  Please also note that there are 168 hours in a week, about 56 of which you should be sleeping.  Thus, this leaves about 52 hours for commuting/eating/working/fun/etc.)

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Education is not a spectator sport!!   

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You will only get out of a class what you put into it!!

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via msnbc.com