5 Things Your College Teachers Wish You Knew About the End of the Semester
Nearing the end of the semester, you’re exhausted and maybe feeling burnt out. You want the semester to be done. You want to say goodbye to studying for the summer, but you still have important assignments in front of you.
Believe it or not, your college teachers feel exhausted and slightly burnt out too. The semester has taken its toll on you and also your teachers. Though most teachers are too professional to directly say certain things to you, they wish you knew these 5 things about the end of the semester.
Your habits win out.
This might not seem true, but your habits do largely determine your grades. If you consistently put off big projects until the day before, you're setting yourself up to earn lower grades. If you procrastinate studying for most tests until the night before, your potential for earning higher grades will be limited.
So what bad habits are holding you back?
Choosing procrastination: Putting off a paper, a project, or another kind of assignment may pressure you into getting stuff done, but putting off work again and again almost never produces your best work (no matter what you feel is true).
Having poor sleep habits: Each person functions best with varying amounts of sleep. Some people can sleep 6 hrs. a night and have sufficient energy. Some people (like myself) need more sleep. The experts agree, however, that college students really need more sleep than the typical student gets. (To read more about improving your sleep, read this post.)
Ignoring instructions: Following instructions makes a major difference in your grades. You might respond to the previous sentence with a mental “duh,” but students often miss out on many points simply because they don’t read and follow the instructions.
Waiting until the last minute to get help: Your teachers want to help you if you’re feeling stuck or lost, but they can feel a little annoyed if a student who should’ve gotten help earlier waited until it’s almost too late. Asking early is better than asking the night before. If you can’t find the answer, send that email.
Your grades aren’t as in flux as you might think they are.
You can improve your grades with hard work, but your potential grades can be limited based on your performance on larger assignments. Once you reach past midterms in particular, your grades might be less fluid than you think. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still work hard, but it does help you set up your expectations to be more realistic.
What can you do to set realistic grade expectations?
Look at your course syllabus: If you look at your course syllabus, your professor has likely included a grade breakdown explaining how many points come from each type of assignment.
Check your course’s online gradebook: Your college provides an online portal that gives you access to course pages. (You likely use this site all the time.) You can see where your grades currently stand and often calculate what your highest potential grade can be on these pages as well.
Talk to your college teacher: Your teacher is one of your best resources when it comes to giving you direct feedback on how to improve. They likely have a clear picture of the mistakes you're making. They can also explain how you can remedy these errors.
The end of the semester is one of the worst times to contest grades.
This is probably one of the biggest things students misunderstand about the end of the semester: this is not the best time to contest a grade. Why? At this point, much of the damage is done.
Reassessing an assignment from months ago, your teacher isn’t likely to change their mind.
You’ve established a reputation from their teacher that sets the tone for how they view you as a student.
Your teacher is being bombarded by other students who also dislike their grades and, as a result, may be less understanding.
If you are going to contest a grade in the last month of the semester, avoid these bad arguments for better grades:
How much time you spent: To be blunt, the amount of time you spend isn’t extremely relevant. Some students have to work much longer than others. Some students have to work harder on certain subjects. What matters more is how the time was spent while studying.
What major you have: Being a premed major or an accounting major doesn’t qualify you for better grades. Instead, studying in a competitive field should incentivize you to work harder to earn better grades. Using your major as a reason you think you deserve grace, a higher grade, or bonus work is likely to come across as being entitled (not being deserving).
What your future plans are: If your plans are to go to medical school, that’s great but that plan doesn’t entitle you to better grades. Just like when someone states their major as a reason to get back points, stating your future graduate school or professional plans is more likely to make a teacher be harder on you.
How hard you tried: Your effort does matter, but effort doesn’t always earn you the grades you want. You can try harder than anyone else and still earn poorer grades. Caring about how you do can make a big difference, but how you work earns the grade.
They notice your behavior in class.
When I was a college freshman, I don’t think I realized that my teacher saw me. I thought I was more anonymous than I truly was. I thought they didn’t really see me as an individual student but as a general member of a mass.
Now as a teacher, I know that this notion isn’t true. I notice if a student is sleepy, discouraged, angry, confused, and more. I see them and read their nonverbal signals (e.g. eye contact, posture, facial expressions, etc.) even when they don’t talk much in class. Your teachers notice you too.
So what are some class habits you might think your teacher doesn’t notice that they do?
Texting: Your teacher sees you texting in class. It doesn’t go unnoticed. While some teachers may not be bothered by an occasional text throughout the semester, most teachers don’t care for it when a student is texting throughout class. Why? Texting can signal a lack of respect for the person speaking or a lack of appreciation for the time the teacher put into the class lecture.
Goofing off: In smaller classes, your teacher likely encourages some small group or peer discussion. If you tend to joke around during times when you should be working on a class-related topic, your teacher notices. (They might even be less patient or understanding when you are confused or lost in class.)
Using the internet for unrelated tasks: Scrolling through social media, googling a question, or sending an email—your teacher notices. If you consistently seem distracted or zoned-out, your teacher may assume the worst about you as a student.
Doing HW for other classes: While this seems like a good use of class, it actually communicates to a teacher that you don’t manage your time well or that you don’t respect their time. Neither assumption helps you make a good impression on your teacher.
They’re just as exhausted as you are.
Some teachers are better at hiding it than others, but all of your teachers are exhausted just like you are. They long for the upcoming break like you do, but they are typically more experienced at hiding their mental, physical, and emotional fatigue.
So how should you think about approaching an equally exhausted teacher?
Show gratitude: A small “thank you” goes a long way. Even if a teacher isn’t your favorite, you can still find something small to thank them for like just preparing lecture material for class.
Show kindness: A smile or even a head nod to show you’re following in class can make your teacher’s day. Kindness can help set up your teacher (who’s struggling with exhaustion) to help you be successful.
Show appreciation: Teachers are criticized a lot. Even though criticism comes with teaching (and often helps one become a better teacher), your teachers like to hear appreciative words just like you do.
Your teacher will likely never tell you these things directly, but these are things this college instructor sometimes wishes students understood. Understanding these 5 things can help you understand your teacher better and help you know how to better navigate your teacher-student relationships as you approach the end of your semester.
