A Recap of the First Semester of Freshman Year (Part 1)
By: Sydney Henry ‘24
All the freshmen, including me, are rejoicing at the fact that this first semester is almost over and a long break is soon to come. But the journey isn’t yet over and we still have a long way to go. There are definitely many moments where I had full on breakdowns and wanted to give up so bad. Between the all-nighters, the lack of social interaction with others, and the frustration at myself for not being able to find the motivation to do anything, I was still able to reflect on this first semester. That reflection has prompted me to share what helped and hurt me academically, so your first or next semester could go much smoother than mine.
What Helped Me?
1. Don’t Be Scared of Your Professors
Talking to teachers and professors has always seemed scary to me because the schools I went to previously didn’t heavily encourage it and when I absolutely had to talk to one I usually got a useless or negative response from them. But, this is college and it is all about taking on more responsibility.
If you are having trouble in a class, take the initiative to email the professor for that class and ask how you can make certain adjustments to make the class clearer and easier for you. It is true that some will give off a cold vibe and give a negative response, but many won’t. It’s worth it to reach out for your own well being.
My biology (aka BISC 120) grade was in shambles because I really didn’t know what I was doing right or wrong or why my studying methods weren’t working out. But I finally built up the courage to email my professor and ask him for ways that I could improve my grade as well as my study routine. I was so scared that he would tell me, “I had to figure it out for myself and it was my fault that my grade was so low.” But he didn’t say anything like that and was really positive in the email I received back. He also offered to meet with me over Zoom to discuss what he wrote in his email further and I took him up on the offer. He gave me great advice and was really nice and encouraging throughout the entire meeting, even though I was failing his class at that point. That meeting was definitely a saving grace in my opinion.
2. Make Friends in All of Your Classes
This one may be a bit more challenging since we are online, but it is still doable. You don’t necessarily have to reach out and find one specific person in your class’s specific section. Just joining a general group chat for everyone in, for example Spanish 150 (Spanish II), is a great way to find not only people that are all taking Spanish 150, but to also find people in your specific Spanish 150 class section.
Most group chats for classes are created through GroupMe and are created at the beginning of each semester. There is also usually a mass excel sheet created with all the names of the group chats and which corresponds to which class as well as the link to the group chat.
3. Research Professors Before Taking Their Class
The last thing you need in an already stressful semester is a bad teacher. Bad teachers could lead to bad grades and a bad blow to your gpa.
Rate My Professor is a great website that many use to both post reviews and read reviews about a specific teacher. Reading each review and paying attention to their ratings, including their level of difficulty, could save you from taking a class with a teacher that you might end up disliking heavily.
I used Rate My Professor personally and it definitely helped me considerably when making my schedule.
*It is also very helpful to post a review on a teacher yourself, especially if the teacher wasn’t great, so people can be steered towards the right teachers.*
What Hurt Me?
1. Confused Studying Methods
This one may not be the easiest to figure out before your first semester starts as it requires trial and error, but it can still be done.
I personally did not have an effective studying routine in high school and that definitely hurt me this first semester, specifically in Bio and Calc. I think I have finally realized what works for me but it took me the entire semester to get there which reflects on my grades heavily.
Try to map out a studying routine, like using flash cards or practice exams, that you think will work for you starting at the beginning of the semester. Continue with that schedule up until your first exam happens. Use your first exam grade to reflect on whether or not you can keep the same routine or if you have to switch some things out. This reflection period is also a great time to reach out to your professors about ways to improve your studying routine, especially if you got a very low grade on that exam.
2. Balance Your Time
Time management comes into play for almost everything that we do, so it isn’t surprising that it’s important in college too.
Planning out an effective schedule, including blocking out what time you’re going to do the homework for this class or study for that class and even blocking out time for rest or breaks, is important. It sounds ridiculous that you have to block out time for rest, but as college students we can tend to unconsciously push ourselves to do more and more hoping we can continue to get ahead without having any rest and that will end up having detrimental effects.
Using tools like Google Calendar or Timely could help you in planning out each week and set notifications as to when you have to do different assignments. You could also do it the old fashioned way and set a bunch of alarms so you know when to switch to different assignments, but i personally prefer a calendar. A planner is also effective too when it comes to writing down assignments that you have to get done each day.
3. Explore What Resources Are Available To You
USC offers a bunch of free resources that students can use to help them meet their academic goals. Exploring these different resources and finding ones that could be helpful to you can definitely guide you effectively through the semester.
Here are some helpful resources:
The center offers academic coaching which can help support students when it comes to their academic goals which includes suggesting effective strategies that can be applied towards achieving those goals.
Tutoring Services
Peer tutoring is available for a variety of different subjects through the Tutor Request System. There are also several department tutoring services available.
Always remember that you got this! The first semester will be rough, but try and learn from my mistakes and apply the positives of what I mentioned. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I dive into how to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of the first semester of freshman year. Hope you guys enjoyed this post and always remember to #FightOn!
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