6 ways to prevent academic difficulty

Like procrastination, just the thought of being in academic difficulty (my nice way of saying "being at risk of failing out of college") brings up feelings of inadequacy, anxiousness, and guilt for most first generation and low income college students.To ward off these feelings, the best thing you can do is be proactive to prevent being in academic difficulty.

Here are 6 ways you can prevent academic difficulty:

Talk to an on-campus advisor. It's time to realize that this is going to be one of my broken record rants. You absolutely have to talk to someone on your campus for the campus-specific information you need to prevent academic difficulty.

Go to office hours. This is going to be another of my broken record rants. Talking to your professor about the class material and assignments is one of the easiest ways to prevent academic difficulty. It gives you have the opportunity to ask questions and get intimate with the material. Don't waste this chance.

Ask for help as soon as possible. I know it can be tough for first generation and low income college students to ask for help, but you have to do it to prevent academic difficulty. I hate asking for help, but if I can suck it up and ask, you can too! And because you've been taking your butt to office hours regularly, it should be easier to ask your professor for their advice to get additional support.

Set up a study plan. Don't just study when you feel like it, actually plan ahead when, where, and what you are going to do study. But, if your study plan is not working for your, think about your study habits and plan and consider changing them if needed. You might also want to plan for extra study time on the things you are struggling most with. And remember, trial and error is ok.

Form study groups. Consider this an extension of your study plan. At the start of the semester or quarter, ask your professor if you can make an announcement in front of class and pitch your study group. Or pass around a sheet of paper as a sign up list. Take it to Facebook or use your class email listserv to get a group started. Chances are you are not the only one wanting to study together.

Get a tutor, if available. This is yet another extension of your study plan. If your campus offers free or cheap tutoring, always try to sign up before you think you'll need it. If they don't offer tutoring for the class that you need, check with the department for tutoring options. (I wouldn't recommend paying for tutoring unless you absolutely can afford it and can't get it any other way.)

There is no magic pill you can take to prevent academic difficulty, but these 6 steps are not insane. In fact they can help you have a great day--then week, quarter or semester, and year--of academic achievement.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.