Check out these 7 great tips (many of the them suggested by prior Dean Ritter recipients) to help you succeed in college:

• Communicate with your professor right away.  Let them know that you have a hearing impairment and ask for any accommodations you may require to succeed in their class.  College is much different than high school, and college professors are not usually given a list of students who need accommodations from the college or university.  It will be up to you to ask for what you need.
• Sit in a seat with an unobstructed view of where the professor usually stands.  Don’t always assume this will be the front of the classroom or lecture hall.  Pay close attention the first few classes to see where the professor likes to stand and where they lecture from.
• Find a “buddy” in class the first week.  It will become apparent right away which students are serious and which students are not.  Get the cell phone number of one of the “serious” students during the first week.  See if you can get in a study group with them, and ask them if you can make copies of their notes if you miss anything.
• Use GarageBand (on a Mac) to record lectures. Utilize GarageBand or a similar recording device so you can go back and listen to the lectures later on if needed. (A great tip from a 2014 scholarship recipient!!!)
• Utilize your professor’s office hours. They have them for a reason. If you miss anything during a lecture, class, or lab, or you don’t understand something, make sure you get to their office hours.  This small group/one-on-one setting can be a more distraction-free environment for extra explanation and extra help.
• Find a balance between school work and social time. College is a great time for you to grow academically and socially.  Setting a schedule of where and when you will study can help keep your social and academic lives in balance.
• Find a distraction free place to study (this includes social media free) – College is full of distractions.  Turn that ten hour paper into a four hour paper by going to a quite place (maybe the library, coffee house, or academic building) and turing off your social media updates. That SnapChat story, Twitter mention, or Instagram picture will be there when you are done, and you will be able to fully dedicate your time to it!

 

If you have any more suggestions that may be helpful to Dean Ritter Scholarship Recipients and Enthusiasts, email heather@deanritter.org, or post them in the comments section below.  Your suggestions could help others tremendously!