Ask Isa: What to do if you fail a class

From the Ask Isa inbox:

Dear Isa,

I am worried and scared because I think I just failed a class this semester. I know, I shouldn't have failed a class for any reason but I did and it happened. So, I need some advice on what to do now?

I am aware of the impact it will have on my GPA and I know I will have to retake the course. Is there is something I can do to, I guess, not make it look so terrible (when in fact it is) for when I do transfer. This is so strange for me because I've never failed a class.

Sincerely,

Class Fail

Dear Class Fail,

Thank so much for reaching out. I'm so sorry about your failed class - that must be so difficult to deal with. But fear not failing a class can be overcome. Below are a few things that I hope will help:

1) Set an appointment to talk with your professor immediately. Take ownership of why you failed and ask the professor for advice on what you can do differently next time. This will only be a failure if you don't take the opportunity to learn from it.

2) Set an appointment with your academic advisor to talk about the failure and ask about your options. As you mentioned, many colleges do offer the opportunity to retake a class. Ask your advisor what your options are and ask for advice on which option will be best for you. 

3) Don't be afraid to explain the situation in your transfer applications. Many applications include an opportunity for you to add commentary regarding anything on your transcript. Use that space to share how you you were able to learn from the failure, overcome it, move forward, and keep it from happening again.

Overcoming adversity can be one of the best ways to explain your character and resilience in applications. Use this to your advantage and don't let it stop you.

The fact that you are reaching out already shows you are the kind of person who is going to bounce back from this, learn all you can, and keep going towards an amazing college career.

Good luck! And remember this oldie but goodie:

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

What Harvard & Community College Students Have in Common

According to a recent article in The Atlantic, The Harvard "first-year experience unfolds under the supervision of an entire team - a freshman adviser, a resident dean of freshmen, a proctor, and a peer-advising fellow. Residential house tutors and faculty advisers lend support later."

The article goes onto compare that with community colleges, saying "community-college students are largely on their own. Student-adviser ratios in the two-year sector are abysmal in many schools: they can run as high as 1,500-to-1."

What stuck out to me when I read this?

Harvard students need just as much support as you do to be successful.

I see this lack of understanding and support affect low-income students all the time - they come up against an obstacle, feel alone, and assume that they must just not be college material. 

But, as I tell students in my speeches, no one does college successfully alone. 

Every student needs a solid support network. Colleges that are smart enough and/or have the funding know this and try to build it into the system.

But not every college understands how important this is, and some just don't have the funding. 

Which is why I do what I do. The system requires change to meet the needs of 21st century students - and while I hope to affect positive change at scale one day, my main goal is you right now.

You can't wait for the system to figure it out. And the good news is YOU have the power to create your own success network; that's why I wrote my book.  

So even if your college isn't surrounding you with advisors and mentors it's your job to surround yourself with them. They are everywhere. It's up to you to make the most of the opportunity to build that network. It can change your life and is necessary for college success.

Here are some places to start looking:

1) Your college's advising office
2) Your professors' office hours
3) Your college' student life office 
4) Your college's career center
5) Your college's tutoring center

Harvard students have a team and you should too. Build one and watch your potential grow. 

College To-Do List Week 9: Find someone you admire

The College To-Do List is here to see you through until the end of your Spring 2014 semester! It's the small things you do consistently that make the biggest difference.

Click here to see why you should find someone you admire this week!

And for extra help you can check out this video on how to do an informational interview!

How to adjust to a big university

Note: The message below is from an e-mail exchange. Name has been changed for anonymity, and e-mail is shared with permission from the sender.

Dear Isa,

I am having a difficult time adjusting to the large crowd at the University of Texas (I transferred there recently from community college). I sometimes feel overwhelmed - I never thought this would happen to me because I am very outgoing. Do you have any advice on how not to get lost in the numbers at a big college? I don't want to lose my determination and motivation.

I feel very discouraged sometimes because I don't have my usual friends, professors, and community leaders who I usually reached out to.

Thank you so much for any help Isa!

Hi Jessica, 

This is such a great question. Here are some things you can do right now that I hope help:

1) Look on your college's website or go to the offices necessary to set up a meeting with a career counselor and a student life coordinator right away. Ask the career counselor about internships, and ask the student life coordinator about clubs. Then get going!

2) Look at all the clubs on your college's website and contact the top three clubs that interest you. Go to the meetings, introduce yourself to the president, and ask to get involved in the one that interests you the most. If possible try to get an officer position as soon as possible.

3) Keep asking for advice. I transferred to a small private school so I don't know what it's like to go to a big school. But I do know it was hard to adjust even at a small school so I imagine it's hard not to feel lost in a big crowd. 

Even with the small school it was vital I made my experience smaller by getting involved right away. (I joined the dance team and became an orientation leader.) I also found it helpful to meet with all of my professors during office hours to ask their advice and build mentorship relationships with the ones I clicked with. 

Stepping outside your comfort zone to get involved right away is the best thing you can do to begin to make the big experience a little bit smaller. Sometimes it may feel odd, and you won't always click with everyone - but putting yourself out there will pay off. 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions and let me know how it goes! Good luck!!

Sincerely,

Isa

Ask Isa: 3 study strategies that helped me get 100's on exams

From the Ask Isa inbox:

Dear Isa,

This semester has started and my classes are pretty hard already. I looked at my syllabus for each class and I notice there are a lot of days where I have two or three tests from each class on the same day. 

How do you manage to study WISELY for tests that are packed on the same day? What type of study habit do I need to go through? I've never been in a situation like this.

Sincerely,

Too Many Tests

Dear Too Many Tests,

This is a great question to ask - as exams can often fall in the same day, especially at the end of the semester. 

Below are the three things I did to manage many tests. 

I became a master test taker - me, who did NOT get a good SAT score. But I often got 100's on my tests using the methods below. I really hope they help you as much as they helped me - because one of the best feelings in the world is approaching test day with confidence. 

1) Study every day
There wasn't a day in college that I didn't study. And no, I didn't spend hours and hours in the library. And yes I did have a social life. When I say "study" I don't mean staring at your textbook for hours. That doesn't work. 

Instead, I developed a habit of getting to every class at least 10 minutes early. During that time I would review the notes I'd taken so far in that class, as well as scan the reading.  

During these short reviews if there was something that wasn't easy for me to grasp I'd make a note of it and schedule time during my professor's office hours to ask about the concept.

That kind of studying never took more than one hour each day, and it made studying for the exams the week  before test week almost feel too easy.

2) Meet with a study group
Study groups aren't for everyone, but they were huge for me. The biggest mistake students make with study groups is thinking they will get major "studying" done during that time. 

The best study groups are the ones where you've already done all your studying before meeting with others. I would meet with a study group usually the day before a test. I'd often create flash cards or make up some sort of game we could play.

Then we would test each other and essentially "talk out" the test concepts. I loved it because it gave me an opportunity to reiterate what I knew and boost my confidence. As a social learner it also helped me to talk it out (but again, that depends on your learning style, this is just mine). 

Often others in my study group hadn't studied a lot before the meeting, which gave me the chance to be "teacher" which really helped. One of the best ways to embed the information is to teach it to someone else. 

3) Relax the day of the tests
Cramming for a test does not really work. If you've spread out your studying over the semester you should be set up for a relatively relaxing test day.

Intensify your studying the week before the test and schedule time in the library every day to study. And again, don't just stare at the book. Create practice tests for yourself, use Quizlet.com when relevant, and build activities for yourself to test your knowledge so you can check what you know and what you still need to work on. 

Study early enough so that you have time to talk with your professor and/or go to the tutoring center for any concepts you're struggling with. 

It's vital to do all this BEFORE the day of the tests. 

On the day of it's best to let your brain relax so you're not stressed; you've done all the work and test day is just the time to reap the benefits.

Get at least eight hours of sleep. Eat a big, healthy breakfast. Take a walk or do some stretching. Listen to your favorite music as you drive or walk to the class. Arrive a few minutes early. And don't take out your notes that day.

Just sit in class and breathe as you wait for the exam to be passed out. You'll see everyone else frantically scanning their notes, and you'll be able to sit peacefully, knowing you're ready.

It's one of the best feelings in school. 

Good luck!! You can be a test master.