Make the most of your time in the classroom
Love them or hate them, lectures make up a significant portion of your time spent in university. You may also spend a great deal of time reading books and working on assignments, but your lectures could very well teach you some of the most valuable information (at least to pass the course).
Actually attend your lectures
It may seem like common sense, but sometimes pulling yourself out of bed for an 8 a.m. lecture can seem like the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. Once you get into the habit of skipping lectures, the guilt tends to wear off a little each time.
Look at it from a financial perspective. Each course you take makes up a certain percentage of your tuition. When it is all paid in one lump sum, it is harder to see the individual price tag on each lecture. If you are paying approximately $4000 per semester, let’s take away $700 for student and university fees, and let’s assume you are taking five weekly lecture courses. With 12 weeks in a semester, each individual lecture costs about $55. That’s money wasted every time you skip class.
You may also encounter courses that seem like they can be learned straight from the textbook, however, instructors often drop hints or emphasize certain points during their lectures that could be very helpful when exam season rolls around. Hearing first-hand what your instructor thinks is important for you to know can make the difference between two pages of study notes versus 20.
Come early, come prepared
When you do decide to come to class, come a few minutes early. Scope out your favourite spot, whether you prefer to sit near the back, right up front, or somewhere in the middle. Showing up for class early on a regular basis demonstrates that you are eager to learn and your instructors might take notice of your efforts. Stumbling into the lecture 20 minutes late with a coffee in one hand and a sandwich in the other doesn’t exactly give the best first impression.
Showing up early also gives you a chance to meet your classmates and get to know them before the start of each lecture. Making friends in your classes gives you something to look forward to each week and it certainly helps if you ever need to share notes or find a study buddy.
Check the syllabus ahead of time and try to complete any required reading before the lecture starts. Many instructors will expect students to be prepared to discuss the assigned reading during class, so knowing what key terms mean ahead of time could be a lifesaver if you are ever called upon to answer questions.
Put away the electronics and take notes by hand
While laptops can make taking notes faster and easier, a recent psychological study by Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer shows that taking notes by hand can be more effective when it comes to remembering information.
Their study acknowledges that using a laptop allows students to type faster and make verbatim notes of everything the instructor says. However, taking notes by hand forces students to be more selective about the information they write down and actively process the material.
By taking handwritten notes, students also tend to listen more intently and are less distracted by social media and other apps on their computer screens. The modern university lecture hall has become a proverbial sea of laptops, making the student-teacher connection very difficult to achieve.
Gregor Campbell, an English professor at the University of Guelph, notes that the lack of eye contact from students is one of his reasons for enforcing a “computer-free” rule in his classroom.
“A good teacher speaks face to face with each and every student,” explained Professor Campbell in an email to The Ontarion. “Devices are altering our brains, senses, and sociability. The classroom is a place to think about the world around us, not to be a part of it.”
Once you’ve made the effort to get out of bed and show up early to your lecture, why not make the most of it while you are there? When possible, leave the electronics at home and live in the moment. You may find that you actually enjoy it.