Getting to Know UCSB

At UCSB, students will be challenged by the amount of information and variety of course subjects available to them. The college classroom and academic demands are different and student academic performance generally reflects this period of adjustment. Students confront a new routine and class schedule, in addition to heightened expectations in the classroom that places them directly responsible for their individual actions and choices. It is not uncommon to find such activities as viewing a film, attending an evening lecture, or participating in a weekend excursion as part of the mandatory requirements for a class. Learning in college is a process that involves both in and out-of-class experiences.

Grades

Perhaps one of the most eye-opening (and important) experiences of any new college student rests in their discovery that the effort expended in high school for top grades does not produce the same results in college. Students often become disappointed and experience periods of uncertain ability when faced with this reality.

What factors affect students’ first quarter/first year academic performance?

First of all, students will find themselves in competition with other successful students. Grades depend upon much more than class attendance and completion of assignments. At the college level, students must assume more responsibility for their education and learn that follow through with course work is left to them. College level courses seek to provide a level of mastery of academic subjects and contain an increased amount of material. The amount of material covered in one quarter in a freshman level course may be equivalent to that contained in a year-long high school class.

In addition, grades in most college courses are determined through relatively few means of evaluation. The student accustomed to a series of assignments and tests in determination of a grade may be faced with only two exams and a final to determine a course grade. The pressure this places on students is often reflected in grade performance.

It is common for a student’s first quarter/year grades to be lower than high school grades, but this trend does not generally continue. As students become accustomed to college demands and adjust their study habits, grades rise as students move past their initial academic concerns. In addition, it is important to remind students that grades by no means measure all a student has learned in a particular course or quarter.

Homework and Studying

As mentioned, college courses place increased demands on students outside the classroom and the workload can be overwhelming. The proportion of time spent preparing for lectures, reading course texts and completing written assignments is much greater than that in high school. A general rule of thumb states, students should plan three hours of preparation for each hour of class time.

This will vary depending upon subject matter. For students with a full course load, this may mean 12 hours (12 units) of class time and 36 hours of study time each week. Academic demands can be deceptive to the new student and parent, who may view fewer class hours and a great deal of free time as being “easier.”

Many new college students must really learn to be students and develop their test-taking, note-taking, reading and writing skills throughout their college career. Learning how to study and how to learn effectively will mean students discover the effects last minute cramming, lack of sleep, exercise and diet have on performance. Students learn that their own requirements for study may be different than those of a roommate or an old high school friend as individual aptitudes surface.

Seeking Assistance

Long range assignments and course goals call for planning and self-discipline skills that are new to many college freshmen. Students can easily fall behind with the pace of a 10-week college quarter. It’s important for students to be encouraged to seek assistance from instructors, advisors, or resources such as the Educational Opportunity Program when they encounter difficulty. In addition to an increased amount of material, the nature of studying will require attention to analyzing, organizing, synthesizing and memorizing the information presented in the classroom and in texts. Students will find, in many cases, that the essence of what is learned will be called for as they demonstrate understanding and practical application of the concepts presented in courses.

Taking advantage of campus services such as peer mentoring and/or tutoring is a privilege offered for free to students. At the college level, seeking assistance for the benefit of being able to succeed is an expectation by most students. Tutorial service is not equated with remedial assistance, so it is important that you encourage your student to seek the assistance being provided by Campus Assistance Learning Services (CLAS) if academic difficulty occurs.

Again, the college environment is a process for student’s self-discovery. The academic environment challenges students to look at the broader picture and to provide them the tools that will increase their knowledge to develop and create new ways of thinking and problem-solving skills. Experimentation is a hallmark of the freshman year as they are exposed to new values and behaviors. So the demands are vastly different than that of the high school experience.