We are into the fourth week of the school year, the first home football game has come and gone, and students are starting to solidify social groups. Another important milestone happens around week three and four of the school year – courses start dishing out the first tests. While some students breeze through these academic trials, others find the first test result to be a large disappointment.
If you are not succeeding in your classes get help now. You may think you have another 11 weeks to improve your grades – excluding finals week. However any professor will tell you it is much easier to dictate your final grade in the beginning of the semester than the end.
Here’s one of the great parts about the University of Idaho, they can help you through difficult courses with a range of resources. There is the Academic Support and Access Program, which offers personal tutors and study skills classes to assist struggling students. There is the Assistive Technology Program that gives students access to things such as computer labs and printers, along with specialized technology to fit the student’s needs.
Students can receive one on one writing instruction through the Writing Center, which provides help with everything from an English 102 essay to a large-scale research paper. Like many resources at UI, they are put in place to help you succeed.
Students should not be afraid of asking for help due to pride, because everybody has – or will have – a difficult class where they need outside help to succeed. It is one of the shared experiences of a university that challenges its students.
What students should be afraid of is if they are failing in multiple classes and do not understand course content. This could be a strong indicator that their study habits are ineffective, and need to change to be successful.
This is especially important if a student is struggling in a course related to their major, as information in one course will often be required knowledge in subsequent courses.
With an average of 22.3 percent of freshmen dropping out within their first year over the past 10 years, statistics suggest freshmen are prone to these academic struggles.
Many freshmen have a difficult time transitioning to college level courses, but instead of struggling they should take advantage of the multiple resources offered.
The first test is not the final decider of your course grade, but it is a gut check to see how well you are keeping up.
Ryan Tarinelli
can be reached at