Reflection of my first year- Classes
 I know everyone else has made these but Iâm hoping to hit on things others may have missed.
1) Find an alternate way to your class.Â
Construction happens, doors get blocked off, big crowds. Have at least one alternate route through the building.
2) Time it.Â
Whatever mode of transportation youâll usually be taking, time it and add 5 minutes, because things happen.Â
3) If youâre taking the bus. Take the one before the one you think you need. (I.e. âThereâs a bus that comes around 8:30 and then 8:50. if I take the 8:50 Iâll make it just in timeâ take the 8:30.)
4) Genuinely think about if going to class is helpful.Â
I know everyone says to go to class but, for your first year at least, if you genuinely believe going to class isnât helpful at all, you donât have to go. Thereâs no reason to sit in class being 100% confused if the lecture isnât helping.
5) That said, if thatâs the case, you still have to find another way to learn the material.
6) Talk to people in your classes, get numbers or contact info if you can.Â
Itâs saved me so much stress having at least a couple of people that I can study with and get notes from if Iâm late or have simple questions.Â
note: Donât be that person that never goes to class but always begs for someones elseâs notes. A couple of times is fine but know that itâs really annoying to constantly be asked for notes.Â
Professors 8) Theyâre really a mixed bag.Â
During my first year, I had an amazing professor and a not so good one. Both for a maths class, really nice people who you can tell care about their students. However, nice and a good teacher are different things.
9) Find out how to address them, it tells you a lot. Most of my professors just went by their first name but I have met one or two that are sticklers for their title of âProfessorâ or âDr.â Just find out what they prefer and stick to it.
10) Remember: Not all professors have Doctorates. If youâre unsure just address them as âProfessorâ.
11) They arenât kidding when they say no one goes to office hours. Itâs basically one on one help which is amazing if your professor is.
12) Explore other options
 If a professor just isnât doing it for you donât be afraid to seek out someone (or something) else. The internet is a thing that exists, so is your book. Maybe your prof is just a bad lecturer, maybe their style just isnât for you. If the classes are big enough, try and see if you can sit in on another class. (Just donât be a dick)
13) Your AIs (Assistant Instructors) are not the end all be all.Â
So be okay with asking your professor for further confirmation. My first-semester maths AI would never cover relevant information for tests and I ended up emailing the professor to be sure that none of what the AI covered would be on the test.
14) Thank your professors at the end of the semester.Â
If youâve just had an amazing professor that really stood out to you and helped you TELL THEM. I emailed my professors at the end of the semester and the ones that wrote back said they were happy to hear the impact theyâve made.
Feel free to add more! Happy to clarify anything in the post or just have a chat.
All the best,
-E






















