College is tough, but you are tougher. Follow these 7 tips to make your college experience just a tiny bit easier.

1. Read the Syllabus

The syllabus is like the class overview. This is where you can find school policies, your professor’s policies, and what assignments to expect over the semester. Your syllabus should also contain the name of all assigned textbooks, due dates for your assignments, and contact information for your professor. You syllabus is like a mini gude to your class.

Download the syllabus and either print it or keep it somewhere easy to eaccess so you can read it over anytime you need.

2. Read the Rubric

If your syllabus is your guide to the entire class, your rubric is the guide to your assignment. A rubric is what your professor is going to be looking at as they grade your work. A rubric specifices what qualifies as “Meets expectations” and “Below Expectation”. A rubric tells you what you need to do to get the grade you want.

Instructions on an assignment are great, but a rubric tells you how the professor is going to look at your assignment. Read the rubric for every assignment. And if you can’t find your rubric, reach out to your professor and ask if they have one they can share with you.

3. Introduce Yourself

Today your professor might just be your educator. But a couple of years from now, they might be the person you need to contact for a reference letter.

So contact your professor early and start building your network! Introduce yourself, tell your professor what you are excited for in the class, and ask any questions the syllabus had not answered.

4. Become Familiar With the “Classroom”

Online classes tend to take everything we know about a traditional classroom and through it out the window. An online class does not necessarily mean that you will get a lecture and an assignment and be sent on your way.

Your online classroom, whether it is Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, or some other platform, probably is flush with resources. So take a look around. Click buttons. Follow links. Try to familiarize yourself with the platform before your class starts to avoid the stress of trying to learn while being frusterated by an online classroom.

5. Seek Out Resources

You can’t just pull information out of the air. And your school knows that. Your school knows what students struggle with because most students go through similiar struggles as they get through school. So your school has resources for that.

Seek out youronline library. Seek out your online accesibility center. Seek out peer mentors. Ask your advisor if their are resources for your particular situation.

There are people whose entire job is to help you succeed as a student. So try to get to them and get the help you may need.

6. Create a Routine

College feels like having 50 responsibilities thrown at your head all at once. It becomes easier to juggle all of the responsibilities when you are able to create systems for your life.

Establish what you have to get done every week, and try to create a consistent routine.

For example, if you have a discussion post due every single week, then try to pick one day of the week to do your research, one day of the week to write your draft, and one day of the week to edit and turn in the assignment.

7. Ask Questions

You are learning. It is expected that you are not going to know stuff. It is expected that you are going to struggle as you try to navigate your way through your class. That is what your professor is here for. So reach out to your professor and ask any and all questions you may have.