College can be expensive, and since it’s an investment in yourself, your mind, and your life, you want to get the most out of it. Each class you take at McDaniel (and at most colleges) only meets three hours a week, so you’ll want to make sure you do what you can to make sure your class time counts. Here are some tips for paying attention in class.
1. Turn your phone OFF.
If texting, surfing the web, and playing games on your cell phone or smart phone is a problem, turn it off before class! This is a great way to avoid the temptation of your phone. Playing with your phone during class will definitely distract you and it will probably distract others too. (I know that I get distracted when my classmates use their phones when they shouldn’t.)
2. Don’t do homework in class.
Doing homework in class might be something you got away with in high school, and if it was, you should probably get out of the habit of it in college. While you may be in college to make friends and have fun, which is perfectly okay, the number one reason you’re in college is to attend class, learn, and get an education. A typical McDaniel student only has class for 12 hours a week. If you’re getting eight hours of sleep each night (which amounts to 56 hours of sleep per week), you still have 100 hours per week to squeeze in your homework into your busy life — plenty of time.
3. Take handwritten notes.
Some professors at McDaniel will let you use your laptop in class and others will not. Even if laptops are okay with your professor, you may want to stick to pen and pencil when you take notes (unless your handwriting is an abomination). This will prevent you from being distracted by social networks, online gaming and shopping, and other glories the internet has to offer. If you want a digital copy of your notes, you can always use the photocopier in the library to scan your notes to your email address–at no cost to you.
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Paying attention in class pays off. You’ll know what’s going on, what you’re learning about, when and what things are due, and so much more. Goofing off and doing homework in class is disrespectful to your professors and your peers, so turn off your electronic devices if need be and be prepared to focus, learn, and get the most out of your college education!
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