Tips for Succeeding in College

 

How many college students are really successful?  How many truly get their money’s worth out of their education? Research suggests that 60% of students are wasting their time and money in college.  Multiply that by the average college tuition rate and the estimated 17.9 million students that will be enrolled in 2007, and it quickly becomes apparent that parents and students are wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on college education.  But simple changes to how a student handles the college environment can make a significant difference in that success rate.

 

In his book Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds Richard Light asked 380 Harvard undergraduates how to create a successful college education.  The interviews revealed seven actions that are key to unlocking the benefits of a university.  Being a college student myself, I’ve employed nearly all of these pieces of advice. Without them, my college experience so far would not have been nearly as enriching and rewarding as it has been.   And interestingly, the disciples of Jesus also took these same actions during their 18-month semester with him.  Many of the keys to a successful education found in the Harvard survey can be observed in the choices of the disciples and the teaching style of Jesus.        

Don’t put off courses you’re truly interested in taking.

Over 50% of college students change their major at least once.  Many change it two or three times (I have one friend who changed her major 5 times her sophomore year).  Choosing classes of greater interest can help students settle on a major and possibly a career.   When Peter and Andrew were given the opportunity, they immediately chose to abandon their livelihood to follow Jesus and learn from him.  They left their careers and a significant amount of infrastructure behind to take advantage of learning from the Master, taking a course they were truly interested in.

Every semester, choose one professor you’d like to learn something from and talk to him or her.

Most colleges have a number of professors that are legendary in their fields.  And many of them are eager to guide, advise, and mentor students.  But oftentimes the student needs to take the first step.  My sister took the initiative to introduce herself to her freshman sociology professor, who taught several classes of 200+ students.  The next semester that professor took my sister on a guided tour of Southeast Asia and introduced her to the royal family of Thailand.  Similar stories are common among people who talk with their professors.  Most professors are not merely willing, but eager to help any student who asks.  Jesus never turned away people who were willing to learn from him.  He talked with Nicodemus in the middle of the night, blessed the Samaritan woman by a well, and taught anyone who approached him.  The accessibility of Jesus is a trait shared by the best teachers, professors, and leaders in colleges and in the corporate world.

Choose courses that provide early feedback on your performance rather than ones in which the entire grade is based on a final exam or a single paper.

The classes that I’ve learned the most from are the classes that have had daily or weekly quizzes, papers, and exams. Which makes sense because the biggest threat to most college students is procrastination. Constant review forces students to be prepared, and early measurements can warn students if they don’t understand the material being taught.  After Jesus gave lectures to large crowds he would gather his 12 disciples and explain his teachings in detail to them.  Similarly, after he sent his disciples out on an assignment to drive out demons and preach repentance Jesus heard their reports and gave them feedback on their performance.  Through constant interaction and review Jesus ensured that his disciples learned the material he was teaching.

Take small classes (15 students or less).

While this can be hard in large colleges and in core classes, the benefit it brings to students is tremendous. Professors are much more likely to allow discussion in small classes, and they are able to fully address questions that students have.  Because of the size, professors can personally keep track of how well each student is learning and often can individually tutor students or refer them to other available resources.  Jesus himself chose only 12 people for his class.  He gave lectures to amphitheaters filled with thousands, but he chose fewer than 15 people to receive in-depth, interactive teaching on a consistent basis.  With a class size that small Jesus was able to give his students as much time and personal instruction as they needed.

When you take a science course, join a study group.

Collaboration is especially important in science classes, but it can be applied in any department.  Rarely does one person understand all aspects of a class.  Understanding is piecemeal, and a study group can take the various parts each person understands and assemble them into a coherent form.  The disciples often discussed and debated Jesus’ teachings and their future among themselves.  When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples, he did so in groups of 2.  Jesus never sent one of his disciples on a mission alone, but always in small groups to help one another.

Develop a list of activities you want to participate in during your freshman year — then cut it in half.

First, make sure to develop a list.  Many students who don’t develop a list of activities wind up doing nothing.  It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle at a big university, and the number of students who don’t join groups, clubs, or campus organizations, who don’t find a community to take part in, is larger than we think.  Then make sure to cut it in half.  During their freshman year, most students get a crash course in time-management, often learned through trial and error. Narrow down the activities you want to participate in.  Choose a few things to do, then do them wholeheartedly.  Before sending his disciples out on their first major assignment, Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."    There are an overwhelming number of activities to do, making it critical for new students to plan.

Befriend a fellow student who is the opposite of you in interests, background, religion, philosophy, or values.

While the world may be flat, it’s still looks huge to a new student.  One of the easiest ways to grow mentally, spiritually, and emotionally is to befriend someone who is radically different from you.  Jesus chose his disciples that way.  Before taking Jesus’ class, the disciples had various professions and backgrounds.  Some were fisherman, some were tax collectors, some were religious zealots, and Jesus himself was a carpenter.  These were people who normally would not have interacted with one another, but came together because of the class.   This class changed some of them from rural fishermen to authors, community leaders, and international evangelists.

With these seven simple actions, Richard Light estimates that the rate of successful college students can be raised from 40% to closer to 70%.  The billions and billions of tuition dollars saved won’t be the only benefit to the economy.  How might doubling the number of prepared, mature, and successful college graduates affect the job market?