Hello everyone:

While students across the nation go back to school at various times, our students in Maryland are starting back tomorrow. Here are some tips to help smooth your transition.

Stay in touch with the instructor. If you have a question, please ask. But, when you ask, make sure that you communicate with the professor the way he or she prefers. One of the colleges where I teach has  a means of communication that goes right through the class page. It is horrid. Every term, I ask students to use my email address and every term only half of them listen to me asking them to never send anything through the class web page. Since I teach multiple sections or multiple classes, and because the system works so poorly, if I get your message at all, it will be difficult for me to figure out which class you are taking.

If you are taking more than one class with an instructor in the same term, do not think that it’s okay to submit the same work twice. That is self-plagiarism and will get you in big trouble. Yes, we will notice. I had that very thing happen just this afternoon. When they self-plagiarize, some students don’t even bother to change the course name on the cover page. Bad idea. One time, a student handed in a paper that was marked up. It was also graded by a colleague of mine. Come on! Was the kid really so lazy he didn’t think I’d notice? I noticed and so did the honor board.

Have a great semester. Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hi everyone:

Most folks who are in school are getting ready to start their fall classes, if they haven’t done so already. Here are so helpful tips as you put the books in the backpack and head back to school or college.

First, show up. I am one week into teaching an eight-week course and some of the students just showed up yesterday for the first time. Are you kidding me? I have eight weeks to make you a better writer and now you are giving me seven weeks? Buddy, you have already missed three discussion board posting deadlines and two first-assignment deadlines. You are behind before you even start.

My face-to-face classes start next week and I can already bet you that about 1/5 of the class won’t show up the first day. Too bad- I start lecturing at the first class, I get to know you a little, and I give you a homework assignment that is due at the second class. I do not post that assignment online. You have to be there to hear about it. Welcome to college! I will not give you my notes  and I will not repeat the class lecture just so you can hear it. I will have already given it by the time you deign to attend.

Next, keep up with the work. If you have a problem ask sooner, rather than later. I check my email on a daily basis, and am available immediately before and after class. I am very happy to answer questions if there is anything unclear or uncertain. However, do not email me four times in a single day because you didn’t get an answer yet. I check my email once a day, about mid-afternoon, and your adding to my in-box will not get you the answer any faster. Again, keep up with the work and DO NOT wait until the last minute to ask a question you should have asked weeks ago.

If you get an answer you don’t like, do not report your instructor to his or her boss. That will not win you any Brownie points and it puts you on a list that you don’t want your teacher to put you on. Need I say more?

If your instructor is obviously trying hard to help you, do not go over his or her head right after you talk to the instructor. It is not a good thing to be on a first-name basis with the Dean of the college, unless you are a personal friend. This is another Brownie points moment, if you are such a complainer that the Dean knows your name.

Finally, communicate. Be involved with the class. Ask questions, but don’t ask questions on every slide of your professor’s Power Point.  Your job is not to slow down the professor’s presentation, but to be actively involved. There are limits….a few semesters back, I had a student who asked a question about every point on every slide. It was irritating to say the least and she was a pariah to her classmates, who just wanted to get through the lecture so we could do some of the activities I had planned.

Have a great term!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

Some folks are getting ready to start back to college, perhaps for the first time in a long time or maybe for the first time ever. Perchance you are a returning student who was just there last semester. You may all have one thing in common: the failure to read the syllabus and/or the announcement page.

As an instructor, I use both to inform you about class policies. I don’t write them to be mean or to make your life unpleasant. Instead, I utilize this form of communication so you will know exactly how I am conducting the class so that your grades can be better. Maybe you’ve been in business for half of forever and you know exactly how I should do things. That’s nice. When we’re at your company, we’ll do things your way. When you are in my class, you’ll do them my way.

When I was an undergraduate a few years back (2001-2006) I had already been in business for myself for 16 years. I knew how to run a business and was happy to share the information with anyone who asked. But I found out very quickly that my professors, whose business I had entered metaphorically by coming into his or her classroom, had his or her own way of doing things and I’d better adjust. Fast.

Same thing for you. If you want to do well, really well, and have the professor in your corner, do things the way he or she wants. Do that by reading all of the announcements AND the syllabus.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

Sometimes folks think that a college education is like reaching for the stars: a wonderful idea but not achievable. Folks, let me tell you right now- you can do it!

If you are a first generation college student, then you may find it more challenging, but take some tips from me (even if you aren’t a first generation college student!):

Take things seriously from the very first day.

Check your class’ web page as soon as you have access. Most colleges offer you a one-week lead on this, while others offer a one month lead-in before the class begins. Who is your teacher? What is his or her background? What is he or she asking you to do for the first day of class? I always ask my students to print off the syllabus that is in the course page and bring it to class. Less than one-half of my students do this. Congrats, folks, you are already behind. I ask students to read the first chapter before they come to class. Some students haven’t even bought or rented the book yet.

Review the book before the class begins. As soon as you get the textbook, look at the chapters and their in-depth listing of what you will cover. This is your preview of what to expect.

Some colleges, like mine, require the instructors to lecture on the first day. Don’t skip class the first day or the first week. If you do, you’re already behind. Bring paper and pen to class to take notes.

You are not allowed to use your laptop in my class because studies have shown that you will make better grades if you hand-write notes. My personal experience has shown that students with laptops check their email, look at Facebook or Instagram, or whatever. Then they get mad at me when they fail the exam because they weren’t paying attention. No, I won’t send you my Power Point slides because then we can guarantee that you won’t pay attention.

Look over your notes that evening and fix or fill in anything you missed. You can fill in missing information by looking at your textbook. No, you can’t make it through the class without a book.

Yes, you really can do this! Reach for the stars because they can be grasped, just like the concepts you learn about in college.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

I was chatting informally with a college student yesterday and she shared with me about her frustration with a brand new professor at her college. It was the first semester for both of them. The student was a freshman and her prof was a recently-graduated master’s degree recipient who had never taught anything before.

That was a recipe for disaster. The prof, not having a clue what to do, spent the entire semester reading the textbook to the students during class. Her exams were very picky, as she asked some of the most absurd questions. No one passed the exams, which led to the prof expressing her anger at the students she was attempting to teach. Not a good start for any of them.

What is a student to do? Well, understand where the prof is coming from. First, this person is most likely an adjunct. This means that the prof has no office, no desk, and no phone and is looked down upon by his or her full time colleagues. Second, this person obviously did not have a mentor to teach him or her the ropes on teaching in college. Third, this person may have only gotten assigned the class the week before the semester began. (I was hired for my first college faculty position on a Thursday. I was handed three different books for three different classes and told I would have three classes, beginning on Monday. Yes, less than a week later, I was expected to be the “sage on the stage.” I survived and so did my students. It wasn’t pretty.) Fourth, this person is horribly underpaid and has absolutely no benefits. Fifth, this person will be reminded of facts 1-4 every time a full timer comes in the room.

Now, those issues are not your fault, but there are some ways to work through this mess in such a way that you will both benefit from your time together. First, be very nice (not Eddie Haskell nice, but kind) to this person. Many adjuncts do what they do because they love teaching and helping students prosper. Second, make an appointment to talk with your professor. Be on time and take cookies. (I was serious about the first part of that last sentence and kidding about the second half.) [Note, however, that I am allergic to chocolate.]

Second, ask the professor how you can be better prepared for his or her class. This may include offering to give a presentation on an upcoming topic that you are very familiar with. (I once took a real estate course and had been a title insurance settlement agent for several years. I offered to teach the class on real estate closings. The professor, who was a very boring man, agreed and gave me the entire hour to make the presentation. He told the class that he “would correct anything she said that was wrong and summarize her comments when she is finished.” When my presentation was complete, he complimented me on what I had presented and told the class that class was dismissed for the night. He turned to me and said, “You just aced this course.”)

Third, be attentive and contribute to the class whenever you can. Do not correct the instructor but do add to the discussion he or she should be having. If you approach this nicely, you will have the gratitude of the prof, who may just be trying to fill time. It happens.

Was this your problem? Nope, it’s a problem that the college has. But you can work towards a viable solution that will help you pass the course. Then you can pray you won’t have the same prof again….

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hi everyone:

How do you prepare for an upcoming exam in the most time-efficient way possible?

Don’t wait till the last minute is one idea. Studying smarter is another.

How do you study smarter?  When you have an assignment to read a chapter in your textbook, don’t read it from beginning to end until you do the following:

Look at the chapter summaries (they are located at the end of the chapter).

Look at the self-tests and see what they cover (they are a good way for the instructor to not have to re-invent the wheel. Some test questions may come directly from these already-written self-tests).

Look at the terms used and find out what they mean.

Now you read the chapter.

The preview you have given yourself means that the terms and ideas being used therein are not totally foreign to you.  It’s also a good idea to read the chapter before you get to class, so that the teacher isn’t speaking a foreign language when he or she gives the lecture.

Good luck on your exams! Now you are better prepared.

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

Can you imagine what it will be like on the day you graduate from college? Maybe you are going for an undergraduate degree or a master’s or a Ph.D. What an amazing time that will be!

You have worked hard (hopefully) for four or six or more years that you can count. The day has arrived. Your family is waiting to watch you cross that stage in your cap and gown. This is the day you have been anticipating for so long.

Or not. A few years from now, you will be a few years older. Will you have your degree or will you still be wishing on a star? My friend, you are not getting any younger. Today is the youngest you will be for the rest of your life. Why not do it now?

When I got my Ph.D. a few years ago (three, to be exact), I was probably the oldest graduating student in the group. (Okay, so I was!) I had hoped to complete my degree while my folks were still alive, but my mother had passed at age 90 just a few months previously. Talking to a friend of mine about how proud she would have been brought me to tears. You don’t want that feeling, so do it now!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hello everyone:

I met a lady in my dentist office today who has always wanted to go back to college. Her kids have completed their college degrees and she’s wondering if now is her time to finish her education. What are you waiting for, my dear? Five years from now, you will be five years older. You will either have a degree or not. It’s your choice. I say, “go for it!”

Life is like strawberry ice cream. You lick it or you miss out. Don’t miss the boat here- you can do it! Yes, it will take some hours of work. It will take not giving up and it will demand perseverance. When you’re finished, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you made it.

To share a little of my own story, I was a high-school educated home schooling mom. I’d always wanted to get my college degree but family responsibilities always stood in the way. When my 15-year-old son was accepted as a concurrent student at UMCP, he was too young to drive. I applied, was accepted, and started college the same day he did. Yes, it was challenging, but I loved it so much that I went on to get my MBA and then my Ph.D.

Here’s the bottom line: If I did it (and I did), you can, too!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hi everyone:

So maybe you blew off the last semester. It’s summer right now and maybe you decided to go to the beach instead of going to your computer. It happens. Maybe you didn’t do a few Discussion Board Postings or you let a few rough drafts slip by undone. That happens.

Here’s the trick to handling that: don’t blame the professor. Get back on the horse that threw you and get your work done. Hey, if you really did poorly, you may have a second go at the class! If you mess up again, you may have the third opportunity to do the work. (This should not be your goal!)

Recently, I had the opportunity of realizing that one of my students was a serial liar. He would email me and I would respond, usually refusing his request. He would then post the document, thanking me for re-visiting his grade and allowing him to resubmit. (But, wait, I had said “no” to his request!) He apparently thought I had so many students that I would forget I’d said “no” and allow him multiple tries at his assignments. He was wrong. I take notes, including notes on whether or not a student lies to me. Oops! He hadn’t figured that into the equation.

So, here’s the deal. Do your work, do it on time, and (if you mess up) admit it and move on. Get things done and you will get your degree!

Best,

Dr. Sheri

Hi Everyone:

What are you waiting for? You’ve waited your whole life, up to now, wanting to get your college degree. Four years from now, you will be four years older, with or without it.

Folks, you aren’t getting any younger. You might as well go for it.

I’ve had folks in my classes who were older than I am (yes, they were THAT old!). You are no longer an odd ball if you show up for class and are as old as Methuselah.  In many ways, you will be respected for being there.  You will most likely have an advocate with the professor and your fellow students will treat you with kindness (though they may think you are hard of hearing and that they need to shout, depending on your age).

At the present time, I have senior citizens who have medical problems in my classes, young people with a boatload of responsibilities, and a student who is HIV positive (the individual posted it in the introductions section of our classroom, so everyone knows it). The one thing this mishmash of humanity has in common is that they are all making their dreams happen.

That’s why I’m telling you now- it’s fine to be a “nontraditional student” and you can do this! Go for it!

Best,

Dr. Sheri