I recently read a short article about making the most of your university experience. I thought it contained some good points, and so here are my notes for that article.
Meet the faculty#
- Aim to get to know one faculty member reasonably well every term.
- By the end of your undergrad, you’ll have 8 people who can write reference letters for you.
- You’ll feel more connected to the university.
- “The most satisfied students in the Harvard interviews sought detailed feedback and asked specific questions of professors and advisors.”
Take a mixture of courses#
- Don’t just take required courses – take courses that interest you.
- Also, smaller classes (15 or fewer) were significantly correlated with overall engagement and good grades.
Study in groups#
- Students who study in groups understood the material better and were more engaged in class.
Write, write, write#
- “In all of Professor Light’s research, no factor was more important to engagement and good grades than the amount of writing a student did.”
- Courses with more writing assignments give you more opportunity to improve between assignments.
Speak another language#
- Language classes were most frequently mentioned among “favourite classes”.
Consider time#
- Students who spent more time studying, unsurprisingly, did better.
Get involved#
- Students who got involved in extracurricular activities were happier than those who didn’t.