Social Marketing Success at College

A little about me for just a sec:

I went to Florida State University. (Go Seminoles!)

I Triple-Majored as an undergraduate. That's 3 Degrees. I did them all in 3 years. Then I got my Master's. I knocked out that program in about 8 months.

So here's how I did it and some seriously good advice for you as well. And by the way if you know anyone starting school, print this and give it to them, they will thank you later.

First- What I Saw and What NOT to do:

During the summer before I started school I worked at a McDonalds and spent most of my time walking around campus and checking stuff out. I noticed one thing over and over. People were NOT prepared. They scrambled constantly. They pulled "all nighters". They copied. They crashed and burned. They dropped and added classes constantly. And some of them were an emotional wreck.

But more than ANYTHING, I heard this:

"Oh my gosh, I have FOUR finals next week and THREE papers to write, I am not going to get any sleep this week, this totally sucks! I should NEVER have signed up for BIO 2000, the professor sucks and I have a 30 page paper to write by next Wednesday. I wish I had never taken that class!"

I heard it all the time and it sort of freaked me out. I was like: How did they NOT know this was going to happen? But most importantly: How can I make sure this does not happen to me?

The problem is this: Everyone tells you HOW to GET INTO College But no one tells you how to DO College!

So I would have to learn it on my own. That's what I did. And that's what I will share with you now.

HOW TO DO COLLEGE:

1) Read your Bulletin. Cover to cover. Mine was 800 pages I think and wasn't available online. You must know what program requirements are. You must know what pre-requisites you will have to take. The first thing I learned was that some classes went towards multiple degrees. I also learned WHEN classes were offered. Some weren't taught in some semesters. And I started planning my first semester. Way before it started. We'll get back to why you need to plan your semester in number 5.

2) Interview your professors the semester BEFORE you take their class. (Follow this and you will write me a thank you email for sure!) Find out what your professors' office hours are. And around the end of a semester, drop by unannounced and say this:

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"Hi, Dr. Smith, my name is ____________ and I am taking your ___________ class next semester. I was wondering if you had the class syllabus available for next semester."

A) "You do? Fantastic! Can I get a copy so I can start planning now? Great, Dr. Smith, I really look forward to learning with you next semester."

B) "You don't? Oh, that's no problem. Could I just grab one from last semester or the last time you taught it so I can get an idea of what to expect and start planning my schedule?"

Get it, say thank you and leave.

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What have we accomplished so far?

A) Let's say you like what is required and you can make it work, NOW you know to sign up for the class.

B) Let's say the professor is an idiot or mean or seems BORING. You now know NOT to take the class.

C) You have set a precedent to be remembered. And that is the difference between an A- and a B+ any day of the week.

You do this with EVERY SINGLE ONE of your prospective classes. You need to know if they are going to fit with what you want. You need to make sure they are not boring, otherwise you may beinclined to skip.

3) Study that Syllabus you got as if your life depended on it. How many tests, how does he grade, midterm? Final? How much do these count? Can you find a teacher who only has the final count for 20% or less of your grade? That's good and I'll show you why in step 8. But right now, you are looking to see how tough the class will be and how it will mesh into your plans in step 1.

4) Call the professor. This follow up call is NO MORE than 2-3 days later. You have already read the Syllabus so you have had a chance to go to the bookstore and see the textbooks. Grab something relatively harmless but appealing to the genuine interest you have inthe subject. Now call the professor:

"Hello Dr. Smith? This is _____________, I stopped by on Monday to get the syllabus for next semester. I am really sorry to call but do you have just a moment (If no, set a time to call back). Great! You know I am not sure how to voice this exactly but it seems the thrust of your Just War Ethics Class is really based on a phenomenological approach, but I have a bias about the economics of warfare impacting its ability to be fought justly. I guess, if I am off base I don't want to take a class where you will kill me if I disagree. Do you have any thoughts on this?"

Now get this. Your question was honest, from the heart, passionate and you REALLY want to know. The professor is going to love this. I promise. You have validated his/her existance. And you got noticed again. This question and your visit is the difference between and A and a B. It is human nature. The teacher will be on your side and if you ever need the rules bent in your favor, you have a good cahnce with our strategy.

5) Back to the Syllabus. Go see what the books look like that you will be required to read. Did the professor write any of the textbooks? (More phone ammunition if you want) How many pages total for that class will you have to read. Write it down. How difficult does the material seem to you? Write it down.

6) Revisit your Plan in Step 1. By now you have all of the syllabus (syllabi?) from all of your teachers, you know how much work, how much reading, how he/she will grade and how well you mesh with your teachers. It is Class choosing time! I know we told all of those professors we were taking their classes but we're not, okay?

What we need now is to find a balance of tough classes we must take and easier ones that are optional to balance the schedule. If you found most classes would be easier- simply take more. If they seemed harder- take less.

We also need to be looking at times. There is no proper method ie Tuesday and Thursday vs Monday, Wednesday and friday class meeting times. However, make SURE you aren't scheduling classes when you know you are likely to skip. For me I knew that a 1:15 class was suicide. I can't go to class right after lunch when I already was slepp deprived. So this was a "no no" and I only blew it once. SO be honest with yourself. If you are not a morning person, don't set yourself up to fail with an 8 am class.

7) Countdown: 1 week until you can choose your classes!

Okay here is where we start stacking the deck and there are two parts:

A) If there is any doubt that you will be able to take a class, if it is NOT a requirement for another class you need to take then skip it and wait. Here's why: My school gave seniority for Juniors and Seniors over Freshmen and Sophomores when choosing classes. So what I did was take all of the really high demand classes that were not part of my major and waited until I was a junior to do them. I got in without getting bumped and by now the teacher could see not only was I on top of it (I visited and called) but I was a junior in a freshman class.

AND as long as you know you will get the class you are choosing (You better be sitting down for this one.)

B) Write ALL of your papers NOW. I am serious. Write them ALL now. Everyone has just finished finals and is kicking back. Now is when you shine. Write all of your midterm and final papers if possible. Take this week and be the best student you have ever been. Just do it. Write ALL of them. I can't tell you how satisfying this is to have all of your papers done the day the class starts. Seriously if this is the one thing you get then jus DO IT!

8) Choosing Classes. Well. Isn't this neat. Everyone around you is scrambling and you are getting all the classes you want, no competition and guess what else? All your papers are done! So you know what? why not take an extra class or two? If I told you the numberof hours I took as an undergrad or even worse as a grad student you wouldn't believe me.

Now, one more tip on choosing classes. Remember back in Step 3 when you were checking to see how much the midterm, the papers, the final exam counted for as part of your grade? I ALWAYS leaned towards classes that were "light" on the exams. (The exams weren't as important as other stuff). I was really happy when I took a Poly Sci course that had a 5 page paper, a 10 page paper and a 15 page paper all for one stupid class. But guess what? That was 80% of the grade! I had ALL of the papers completed before my first week. Nice!

9) Class begins. Your job from here on out is to be noticed. Ask about what you are confused or interests you. Sit somewhere close but not too close. Don't overtalk or talk just to show how smart you are as you may alienate your teacher. Be a participant. Remember you are genuinely interested in the class and are simply insuring that the teacher knows this.

10) Review. Now you are cruising along taking your classes- Midterms are coming up and you have all the time in the world to study for them because your midterm papers are already finished. However, 2 weeks before midterms is the time to break out and edit your papers. Yes, this means edit the final as well. You will edit the final again 2 weeks before final exams and when your final paper is due.

Conclusion: You have learned to stack the schedule, your teachers, your classes and your papers all in your favor. Great Job! And if you made it this far, you get an "A"! I hope this helps some of you or you can give it as a gift to others who may need it. Please let me know your thoughts or ideas, I would love to hear them!