Office of Academic Support

Top Ten "Nots"
What are some of the mistakes of students who get low grades or fail academically?  What are they Not doing, causing them to struggle academically?

The Top Ten "Nots"...

The behaviors that most often lead to not doing well academically, getting low grades, or failing academically are:

1. Not managing time well

Students who do not have a system of time management, but instead work day to day and respond to pressures created by tests or assignments due the next day, often end up with poor grades. Many people believe that working at the last minute provides motivation. Some students even argue that they respond well to pressure and do their best work when they have time pressures. However, except in rare circumstances, work done at the last minute typically leads to lower grades than work done with time to do new drafts and get assistance from resources, such as the course instructor, peer tutors, and writing tutors.

2. Not going to class

Going to class is very important for many reasons. Except for illness or crisis, missing class is a bad decision. Irresponsible students don't go to class. Absence is a sign of disinterest in the class. You cannot be an active participant in class if you are absent, thus your participation grade will suffer. Missing class because you have not done the work is never an acceptable excuse. Your own notes are always better than copying the notes of someone else. And finally,many classes have attendance policies that deduct points for absences.

3. Not meeting with professors outside of class

Students who do poorly tend to avoid talking to professors outside of class. They typically do not know their professor's office hours. They only talk to their professors to challenge a grade. Even if their professor asks them to stop by to talk, they put it off, or try to "grab their professor for a minute" after class.

4. Not contributing to class discussion

Being quiet in class, never responding to questions posed by the professor, not participating in class discussion, or not volunteering comments or questions in response to a professor in class, can lead to poor grades. It can also be viewed as a sign of disinterest in the class.

Talking in class, particularly if the contributions are related to the course content and assignments, is typical of students who do well in college. If it is difficult for you to respond to a question, then plan ahead and ask a question from the reading or the previous class lecture.

5. Not doing the assigned reading before class

Not doing the assigned reading or homework before class is always a bad decision. Class lecture and discussion will be more difficult to follow if you have not done the reading. It will be more difficult to take notes if you do not know what aspects of the lecture connect to the reading. You will not perform well if you have a pop quiz or get called on in class. Getting behind on the reading can feel overwhelming when you try to catch up. People who are trying to catch-up on their reading before an exam cannot properly prepare for the exam.

6. Not taking notes on everything that happens in class

Don't just take notes when the professor writes something on the board. Take notes on everything that happens in class. Take notes on what is said by the professor and other students. Skimpy notes will not help you to prepare for an exam. A few words on a piece of paper without a broader context will be of little use. Sketchy notes will make it difficult to spot important patterns and themes that thread throughout the course.

7. Not asking for appropriate help

Students who do poorly rarely ask for assistance, avoid using campus resources, wait until the end of the semester to get assistance, or believe in that "surefire failure strategy"... "real students never need help, I can do this myself." The successful student knows how to ask for help and is willing to use resources that are in place to assist them.

8. Not communicating effectively with faculty

Successful students communicate with their professors.  It rarely makes a professor happy when students don't communicate with them or communicate at the last minute or communicate after the fact or ignore requests to stop by their office or start a conversation with "I've been trying to find you but..........." Thus responses such as, "Have you tried my office hours"? Or, "You know when my class meets," should come as no surprise.

After the fact excuses such as "Sorry I was not in class yesterday, but........" "I know this paper was due yesterday but....." are never as acceptable or as appropriate as talking with your professor regularly and ahead of time. Everyone has a time when they legitimately can't get something done. Contact the professor ahead of time to plan a strategy for completing the work. There might still be a penalty, but at least you've kept the lines of communication open.

9. Not keeping up with your work

Getting behind in your work, (late papers, not having reading done before class, catching up on your reading right before a test), all contribute to failure. Once you get into a hole, it gets more and more difficult to catch up, and it is easy for things to spiral out of control. Falling behind also increases stress, and being stressed can interfere with your ability to think clearly and concentrate. Additionally, work done at the last minute is never as good as work done with time to review and proofread. Work turned in late is not received as positively as work done on time.

10. Not observing deadlines and due dates

Students who miss deadlines, miss appointments, turn in work late, skip class the day an assignment is due, and are unprepared for presentations are rarely successful students.