Grading systems differ, and depending on the school you attend, the challenge of classes will vary. However, one thing that seems to be standard across most schools is the ability to work towards your success in classes over the course of the semester, rather than just at the end. What does that mean, exactly? The era of having the final exam be 70% or 100% of your grade is over. This could be good or bad for different people, depending on your classroom goals. For me, this was a big bummer because in the past, I could’ve gotten away with committing a lot of my time to basketball and pushing most of my school workload to catch up in the weeks around the final exam. This plan could no longer work. Yet we still have the requirement of success in the classroom, either for personal development or for expanding the opportunities available to you in basketball.
This is where and why you have to learn that sometimes you need to WORK SMART, not just WORK HARD. It took me a while to get to this point in the classroom, probably not until my 2nd or 3rd year of college. Hopefully, this article can help you reach that point sooner.
So what exactly can you do to set yourself up for a great semester at the start of school? Here are my top tips for succeeding in the classroom:
- Read the syllabus from end to end at the start of the semester. The first week of school is usually syllabus week, so use that time to read it all.
- Make notes of the values and percentages of each assessment. Write them on a post-it note and put it somewhere that you can easily refer to. This can come in handy when you find yourself in a bind choosing between assessments or running out of time for something. Part of working smart is knowing when to say, ‘I’ll have to accept this lower grade.’ For example, if an assignment is worth only 2% of your grade, it might not be worth doing or giving your best effort if you don’t have the time for it.
- Set up a calendar for the dates of major assessments in all your classes. My school had a semester calendar in the academic resource center that I believe genuinely changed my life, lol. I’m attaching it here. Hopefully, you can find something similar at your school and use that to plan out your semester.
- For those in high school, you generally have a more flexible schedule and access to your teachers. As much as you can reach out for help with expectations of classwork, especially if it’s your first school in the US.
- For those in college, go to office hours and take advantage of your TA and professors’ time (This isn’t always possible, but as much as you can, do it. Generally, professors are more than happy to help if you reach out sooner rather than later). Also, face time with them is never a bad thing.
- If tutors are available at your school, take advantage of them.
- Make friends in your classroom who are not athletes (This is a general rule in my opinion as an athlete, but it comes in handy a lot when schoolwork comes into play). You might miss a lot of classes, and other athletes might miss a lot of classes too, depending on their season. You want to be able to have someone to ask about notes or talk to about class outside of professors’ or teachers’ working hours.
- Find people who have taken the class in the past and ask them how best to succeed**. (I’m noting that this one can be tricky because while you want someone to give you tips, sometimes they can skew your perception of the class beforehand and make it seem harder than it should be. I try to refrain from this as a result, but it can be helpful if you can take it as a subjective perspective on the class and not the universal truth).
- Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you’re struggling. You can be helped much better if you reach out earlier rather than waiting until the last minute.
Remember, while experience is the best teacher, it doesn’t have to be your personal experience 🙂 . Good luck!!!
African Athlete Abroad 