If you’re going to the University of Michigan (and you’re not a football prodigy) you’ve probably been at least reasonably concerned about grades throughout your lifetime. No doubt, college is a big step up from high school, and when you’re thrown in the midst of kids who scored a 36 on their ACT and got 5’s on twelve different AP tests, it’s easy to be intimidated. But honestly, don’t sweat it. Most of us are just your average overachievers who are looking to have a good time while also earning a degree at a rather prestigious university in the Midwest.
There are some things you ought to keep in mind as you begin your academic career here at U-M. First of all, procrastination is the arch-enemy of college students across the entire world, so beware of this evil foe. However, if you happen to find yourself falling into its terrible clutches, do not panic, and don’t EVER just throw in the towel. Chances are good that most of your classmates will be procrastinating just as much as you will, so it’s not as if you won’t have company. And for most of you, the kinds of classes you’ll be taking your freshman year won’t require you to study for 10 hours a day. Unless you’ve way overbooked your schedule, you should certainly have enough downtime each day to keep you from going insane.
It depends on what you choose to study and what kind of an academic experience you had in high school, but college classes may be completely different from what you expect. If you went to a small school where your teachers knew your name and face, this will likely not be your experience here, at least during Freshman year. Succeeding academically at Michigan means that you will have to take a lot of initiative. There’s a lot of help out there if you need it, but if you don’t make a strong effort to do well, you wont. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of overachievers, but if you keep your eye on the end goal, whether that’s the good grade, mastery of an important skill, or just simply graduating in four years (this is not as simple as it may sound), you’ll make it.
College is all about learning how to balance—in many different ways. Balance your schedule by taking a few hard classes along with some that won’t be as much of a challenge. This doesn’t mean wasting your time with blow-off classes you don’t care about. Take a 100 level class in something that interests you, even if you know you wont be majoring in it. Balance the subjects you know you enjoy with a class in a subject you know nothing about—you’ll never know until you try, right? If you’re really passionate about a subject, putting in the time and effort wont feel like that much of a burden anyways.
But while the classes you take and the grades you get in those classes do matter, there’s so much more that U-M has to offer. Balance your academics with your social life. Both are an important part of the college learning experience. Explore beyond the boundaries of campus and venture into downtown Ann Arbor. There’s so much that you can learn from the new environment around you that you’ll never be able to learn in a classroom. Take advantage of your time here, both in the classroom and beyond.
The Truth About College Academics
Published: Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Updated: Tuesday, July 6, 2010 21:07
Be the first to comment on this article!