How's it goin'? No really.

At this point in a typical term on Planet College things have usually distilled down to a daily grind. Amidst this daily grind mid-terms, tests, projects, presentations have come and probably gone. Mid-term is a good time to pause and review your progress. So. How's it goin'? Ok? No, really, this time "How's it goin'", doesn't call for they typical, "OK, Same ol' same ol' " response of a glancing social interchange. Mid-Terms and actually the resultant grades can be a useful measurement of how the now day-to-day grind really is going. Or what your efforts are actually producing.

This simple procedure can provide a beacon in the daily fog that Planet College often produces. Ask your self which has been your most difficult class. Are you doing better than you excepted in some class you were dreading? Are you doing worse? Right now the results of you effort are available. They are the grade on you mid-terms. What grades have you actually received? A? F? Incomplete? C? If you have a class or classes which are proving more challenging it is time to get some help. There still can be tutors available at the tutoring center. Make use of them, they are probably free.

And one other thing. Talk to your instructor. If you haven't spoken with her before you may have to introduce your self. Tell her which course and which of her sections you are enrolled in. Track her down somewhere, before class, after class, her office if she has one. Find her and tell her, " I want to do as well as I can in your class. And I'm finding the class more difficult than I thought." She may have some suggestions. She may not. The important thing is you have made contact and she can see you are at least interested. If she does have a few pointers take care to look like you are listening while she's speaking. This simple step, making contact with the instructor, can be really helpful around final grade time. You now have some guidelines for the rest of the term. Be sure and follow through as best as you can on these tips. Also, as noted, the instructor has seen that you are really interested in passing her course. This too can work in your favor.

Remember you want to graduate someday and until then you are entitled to all the help you can get. A lot of that help you can provide for yourself.

Take a look around.

By this time on Planet College your work order for most classes is pretty well established. Special projects have been assigned, small groups are now established and even mid-terms are looming. ( No, not mid-terms. Yes, mid-terms) At this point it is a good time to take a look around your classes. Just pick one. Remember the first day? Every desk was full and there were students standing along the walls hoping to add. Where are those students now? Well, maybe they couldn't fit the class into their schedule. Who knows. But. They are not there. They are not in your class. So they have no hope of passing this class. You now are in the class. Every meeting? Well mostly. And this simple fact is the key to your eventual graduation. Attend. Attend and participate. Attend and participate and contribute. Repeat until graduation.