Professor Carney's Tips for Successs

1. Attend class on time, every day. Class readings and class discussions do not duplicate each other. They work together. If you do not attend, you will certainly miss something crucial. Even arriving five minutes late may cause you to miss a crucial announcement.
2. If you must arrive late, grab copies of any handouts you might have missed. Don't ask for them; just find them. Not having the handouts means you will fall further behind. I almost always distribute a handout at the beginning of class.
3. If you must miss class, do not rely on classmates or friends to explain what you have missed. Even the best of friends have a way of not explaining things very carefully. If you absolutely cannot be in class, consider asking a classmate to record the class (audio or video).
4. Keep up with the readings. Classroom discussions and exercises depend on your having a good understanding of the readings. If the readings seem too difficult for you, consider forming a study group with several of your classmates.
5. Ask a lot of questions. You may have the impression that asking questions is a sign of weakness or foolishness. This is not true. Active participation in class is an excellent way to learn. Studies indicate that if you sit in class like a vegetable, you probably won't learn much. If you really care about your education, you will ask a lot of questions and take an active role in discussions and other activities. Teaching is my responsibility. Learning is yours.
6. Be prepared to challenge a lot of your deepest assumptions about yourself, life, and the way the universe works. College does not exist to rubber-stamp what you think you know. It exists to give you new things to think about and, sometimes, new ways of thinking.
7. Get to know your instructor. A big part of my job is to help you discover ways to improve the quality of your work. Come to see me often. If my door is closed, knock. If I'm not available, come back. And be sure to see me BEFORE you begin work on a project, while there's still opportunity to affect the outcome. If you don't like a grade, come by and ask me to explain how we can use this as an opportunity to learn something for the NEXT project.
8. Give yourself plenty of time to revise your writing assignments. You are probably in a writing class, or a class in which writing plays a very large role. If you put the writing off until the last minute, you're defeating the whole purpose of being in the class. You might as well go home. (I mean it!) If you really want to succeed, start thinking about each project as soon as you get the assignment. Compose a rough draft as early as possible. Set it aside for a while and then come back to make improvements with a fresh mind. Make sure your work represents the best you are capable of. In my experience, students who put work off until the last minute are deliberately creating excuses for failure.
9. Get extra help with your writing projects. Trained writing tutors are available in the Writing Lab (149 Humanities) for help with your essays. Seeking tutorial help is a self managed part of the regular English curriculum. Tutoring hours are posted by the Writing Lab. The tutors who work there are paid to help you improve your writing. That's all they do! And they're pretty good at it. Ideally, you should visit a tutor at the drafting and revision stages of EACH project.
10. NEVER ask for extra credit. Do what you're supposed to do. Do it on time. And do it as well as you can.
11. Do not let friends or family bully you into missing class time. The day before a vacation is still a regular school day. If your college vacations do not align with those of your siblings, tough. Stay in school. Vacations are short-lived. Bad grades are forever.
12. Schedule ckeck-ups and other regular doctors' visits for times when you will not miss school. Do not expect any professor to excuse you from class because you have to get your braces tightened. Academic calendars are published a year in advance.
13. Be realistic about the way you integrate college with the rest of your life. Do not expect to take a full load of classes, have a job, meet family obligations, and enjoy a rich social life all at the same time. You will have to make choices, and some of them may hurt. You should also prepare for the unexpected. People get sick, suffer injuries, and die. Employers demand extra hours. Babysitters fail to show up. This is life. Plan for such emergencies. Expect them to happen.
14. If the absolute worst happens, and you must leave school for more than a week, it may be impossible for you to catch up when you return. The college and your instructors are willing to help, but we quickly reach a point where helping one student means diverting our attention from a hundred students. You also may reach a point where playing catch up means you can't really learn anything. Sometimes the best choice is leaving school for a semester. You should be prepared for this possibility.
15. Above all else, remember this: college is not high school. Being here is a CHOICE. If you really want to be here, you should do everything possible to succeed. Anything less is a waste of time, cash, and energy.