Tips for Academic Success.

Use these tips and techniques to improve your academic performance and optimize your learning experience
1. Attend classes regularly
Remember that no one makes you attend class, but with UC San Diego's
fast-paced quarter system, you miss valuable information if you skip a
class session.
2. Get to know your instructors and
TAs and instructors are here to help you and want to see you succeed.
Find out your instructors' office hours and plan to visit at least once
when the quarter begins.
- Introduce yourself and establish direct contact so you'll feel more
comfortable going to your instructors with questions or problems.
- Use free meal vouchers provided by theto share lunch and conversation with your professor at the Faculty Club.
3 .Get to know your academic advisors
To find academic advisors by department or program, contact To find academic advisors by college,
4. Academic advisors can:
- Direct you to specific resources on campus.
- Help you explore different majors and career paths.
- Assist you in choosing courses each quarter.
5. See if your department offers free tutoring
Many departments provide free tutoring or study programs to students:
- Check to see if there's help offered for your particular class or department.
- Ask your instructor, TA, or department head about available tutoring programs or bulletin board to see if regular tutoring or study table sessions are offered.
each quarter.
6. Consider choosing a study partner for each of your classes
Ask a classmate to act as a study partner to compare notes and discuss concepts.
- Agree that if one of you must miss a class, the other will take notes and share them.
- Consider meeting regularly with your study partner to review concepts and quiz each other on materials.
7. Schedule adequate study time for each of your classes
Plan to spend a
minimum of 2 hours studying outside
class for each hour you spend in class. For example, if you attend 12
hours of class each week, plan for at least 24 hours outside class to
study.
8. Take notes, and use them wisely
In addition to taking detailed notes in class, always
recopy your notes; that is, copy them completely over again, as soon after class as possible.
It's one of the most important strategies to help you fully
comprehend the information provided in each class lecture, fix the
information firmly in your memory, and discover the concepts you don't
fully understand.
9. Use course handouts provided by your instructors
Course handout materials, including lecture outlines, objectives and
practice exams, are designed to help you organize and learn the material
being presented in class. Make use of them as much as possible.
Instructors usually provide assigned readings in the course syllabus
or other handouts. Spend 10 to 15 minutes before class and skim the
assigned pages. This will familiarize you with the basic concepts and
terminology for that lecture and prepare you to take more organized
notes.