Learn campus jargon

As a first generation or low income college student, you might not be aware of the language of college specific to your campus. This language of college is campus jargon, and it is so important that you understand it to be successful as a student.

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Basically, campus jargon is the way class names are abbreviated, what course numbers mean, names for different requirements, acronyms for campus offices (and higher education loves its acronyms!), and other things specific to your school.

How important is knowing your campus jargon? Well, try to decode this sentence: "Do you want to meet at the DC to study for ENG 101?" It could mean "Do you want to meet at the Dining Commons to study for our advanced electrical engineering class," or ""Do you want to meet at the Diversity Center to study for our basic English composition class," or any other number of things. It all depends on your campus jargon.

Not knowing campus jargon is like being in a foreign country and not speaking a lick of the language. Sure, you might be able to muster up basic communication, but knowing the language makes things a ton easier.

You can go about learning campus jargon by reading the general catalog, reviewing the campus website, and talking to a campus advisor. Knowing this language of college is just one step in the right direction.

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

Get the most out of Twitter, part 2

I am a fan of Twitter for first generation and low income students, but honestly, I am not using Twitter to its full potential... Don't be me.

Start learning about Twitter now and make the most of it as a student so that later on you can rule your world with it. And while you're at it, you might as well follow @AskanAdvisorOrg, too. (Yeah, that was some not-so-subtle shameless self-promotion)

Our friends over at CollegeScholarships.org have put together a list of 15 Twitter hashtags every college student should know. Don't know what a hashtag is? No worries, learn about them here.

Oh, the possibilities... Happy tweeting. 

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

Poor first semester grades and medical school

A reader writes:

"I just got my first semester grades today and I am really worried. I didn't do so well, like almost on academic probation but barely not. I'm pre-med and scared that I'll never get into medical school now. What should I do?"

I'm sorry to hear that you first semester didn't go as well as you would have liked. Unfortunately, this is a situation that a lot of first generation and low income college students find themselves in at the end of their first semester or quarter. I found myself in a similar boat after my first quarter in college, too.

But, don't fret, it's not the end of the world.  For medical school (or graduate or another professional school), one term of bad grades does not spell doom. When you experience bumps in the road like this, what a medical school is looking for is improvement the next semester or quarter.

So, don't worry too much about one less-than-desirable semester of grades. Instead, set you sights on how you can improve for the coming semester. Do you need to change your study habits, work on time management, or re-evaluate your commitments? Also, check out these tips for dealing with and preventing academic difficulty.

Taking these steps can help you put yourself in a better position for next semester. I'm wishing you a semester of academic achievement in the new year!

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