Hello everyone!
Today’s video on my back to school 2017 series will focus on class behaviour, social
skills and fitting in during college.
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back to school videos coming up this summer.
I will post twice a week until the mid of September so you can kickstart your school
year fully prepared.
For a full schedule just check the description box below in case you are curious about a
specific topic.
A big part of your college success can be measured according to your studying habits
and schedule but your social life and the way you conduct yourself among other students
and in front of professors can boost your performance.
A happy student makes a successful student so neglecting your social life and the way
you interact with others around you can create a poor college experience.
One of the best ways to get to know tons of people when you arrive at a new college or
school is finding people who share the same interests as you.
Joining a club, an association or a hobby at campus can immediately improve and enlarge
your circle of friends and acquaintances.
Get out of your comfort zone and search for activities that are compatible with your classes
and stick to them You have sports, book clubs, poetry clubs, student groups, the student’s
association…
the list goes on and on.
You will be thankful for the friends you make this early in your college path and many of
them will stick with you down the road.
In class, try to have a proactive attitude.
Instead of just taking your notes and leaving, try to have a healthy relationship with your
colleagues and professor.
Use your professor’s office hours to get to know them, ask questions about the course
and even develop your knowledge on the subject further by presenting and talking about some
independent research you’ve made on some class topics.
Take advantage of the services and help your college provides you and don’t be shy.
These lecturers have known hundreds of students, and no question you ask will be the most foolish
they’ve ever heard.
Be mindful of your class attitude.
Try to take no more than five minutes before class to review any previous lecture notes
or skimming through the materials you are going to learn that day.
Also, open your computer or notebooks and start taking out of your bag any school supplies
you need so you can be entirely focused on your lecturer at the minute class begins.
If you get easily distracted, sitting in the back will do more harm than good, so don’t
be afraid to sit in the front row.
Also, if you usually tend to go on your phone during class, install an app like Cold Turkey
to block your applications during lecture-time.
A good way to make sure every bit of content you’ve learned during that class will stick
to your head is having an individual note pad for questions or doubts.
As you go through class, write down any questions you have.
You can then either ask your professor when class ends or use their office hours to clear
any doubts.
Save time to socialize and get together with your friends.
A good way to do this is marking a specific time in your planner to hang out and then
manage your college appointments around that time.
Treating your hang out time with the same seriousness as your studying schedule is crucial
if you want to achieve a healthy balance between your academic life and your social life.
A big part of the college experience are the connections you make, so make sure you have
dedicated time to people, new friends and old friends.
A good tip to balance college and your social life is to have a study group per class.
These groups can be small, with no more than 3 or 4 people.
You can create a private facebook or slack group and share notes between you, asking
questions and even schedule an hour per week to get together and discuss class contents.
Three heads always think better than one so that collective effort will benefit all of
you individually.
Also, take advantage of all major college events.
Conferences and job fairs are very popular amongst colleges.
Even if you are not thinking of getting a job right away, meeting with the recruiters,
getting comfortable around a more formal setting, knowing more about the companies you are interested
in working in, these are all positive aspects that build up during your college life.
Exposing yourself to different situations, even if you don’t take the most out of them,
help you develop as a student, as a citizen and as a human being, so use that in your
favour.
The social skills you build now will help you in your future career so it’s never
too early to start learning.
And these are all the tips I have to give you for today’s video.
If you want to see more back to school related videos don’t forget to subscribe and I will
see you next week.
Bye!