Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College

by Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman

Book Overview

The Professors' Guide to Getting Good Grades in College is the first book to reveal the insider secrets about how professors really grade. The book offers high-value, practical tips about how to succeed at each of the five grade-bearing moments of the semester: (1) The Start (2) The Class (3) The Exam (4) The Paper and (5) The Last Month of the Semester. Fast-paced, entertaining, and easy-to-follow, the Professors' Guide will help you get truly...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060879084
• ISBN13: 9780060879082
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Collins Reference
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

great.

just had a copy, good instruction on how to success in each course..and advise on how to pick courses to boast g.p.a

Thoroughly 'user friendly' and an invaluable self-help manual

The collaborative effort of Lyn F. Jacobs (Associate Professor of Art History, University of Arkansas) and academician Jeremy s. Hyman (who manages 'Professors' Guide' projects), "Professors' Guide To Getting Good Grades In College" shows college and university students on how to pick courses with an eye to good grades; ten tips on effectively taking lecture notes; successful test-preparation and test-taking strategies; strategies and tactics for staying academically motivated; and perhaps most importantly - how to get the most from classroom and seminar professors. Of special note is the section on 'The 4 Hazards of the Last Month of the Semester". Especially recommended for students new to college, as well as university students needing to improve their scholastic performance, "Professors' Guide To Getting Good Grades In College" is thoroughly 'user friendly' and an invaluable self-help manual for securing a successful academic performance.

How to do college

This book is one I wish all my students would read. This isn't paternalism, but rather self-interest, at work. I'd be reading higher-quality work, and wouldn't be dogged as much with the suspicion that my students are not working to anywhere near their potential. The book is clearly written, transparently organized, and thoroughly engaging--it moves along briskly and efficiently, is dotted with numbered tips and illustrative anecdotes; its tone is light but not frivolous, prescriptive but not preachy. There's nothing in it that a reasonably serious and observant student blessed with a generous helping of common sense couldn't arrive at by the end of her or his senior year in college--in other words, too late to put into practice. For those who'd like to know how to get good grades while they're still in college, the book is a great guide. Through its thorough and systematic treatment of such topics as lecture attendance and participation, notetaking, test taking, doing research and writing papers, and strategies for that crucial last part of the course, it encourages students to adopt a thoughtful and methodical approach to their coursework. This is not a book with shortcuts for achieving educational results, and grades, without doing all the work. Instead, it encourages students to maximize their learning, and shows them exactly how to go about achieving this goal, which has the attendant benefit of boosting the GPA. If they put the program of this book into practice, they won't work any less hard, but they'll work smart. This is a great graduation gift to any college-bound high school seniors or an any-occasion gift to students in college, and it's a gift that keeps on giving, since the professors and teaching assistants with whom these students will study will also greatly, if indirectly, benefit. (I said it was self-interest at work.)

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Perfect for those already in college, those getting ready to attend a university, or even teens who are beginning to think about which college they'd like to attend, the PROFESSORS' GUIDE TO GETTING GOOD GRADES IN COLLEGE is a must-have! This is a book filled not just with advice, but with actual facts on how to take good notes during a lecture, how professors grade papers, and even how to prepare for tests and exams. The book is broken down into five parts, with additional chapters in each: Part 1: The Start--10 Common Myths About Grades in College; How Do Professors Grade, Anyway?; and FAQs About Picking Courses with an Eye to Grades. Part 2: The Class--Your Action Plan for the First Week of Class; Top 10 Tips for Taking Excellent Lecture Notes; and Why Prepare? Why Attend? Why Participate? Part 3: The Exam--13 Best Ideas for A+ Test-Preparation; Acing Exams by Adjusting Your Attitudes; and The Hidden Value in Going Over Your Test. Part 4 The Paper--Understanding the Assignment; Doing the Analysis, Doing the Research; Do's and Don't's for Going to See the Professor; and Top 10 Tips for Constructing the Perfect Paper. Part 5: The Last Month--The 4 Hazards of the Last Month of the Semester; and 17 Strategies for Acing the Final. With great mini-quizzes, notes from visiting professors, and checklists to keep track of your strategies, this is a book perfect for any older teen. If everyone had a copy of the PROFESSORS' GUIDE TO GETTING GOOD GRADES IN COLLEGE before setting off for that first semester, college would be a whole lot less stressful! Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

GREAT, CONCISE ADVICE FROM INSIDERS

Why didn't anybody think of this before? There are dozens of guides on how to get into college, but the publishing world has left millions marooned there once they get in. And it can be quite bewildering. Finally, these two extremely well informed and clear-headed professors have demystified the art of staying in college and doing well there. Once, such advice was available only to a lucky and privileged few with personal or family ties to faculty members. Too many bright and capable students figure out how to do well over four years--they only learn the ropes by the time it's too late. Their overall college record suffers unnecessarily because nobody bothers to tell them what this book finally makes clear is so simple and straightforward. In particular, this book's advice on writing papers will give its readers a huge advantage, and get them on track to success in college right from the start. The authors know all the tricks of the trade and explain them clearly without any intimidating jargon or preaching. They want you to do well and lay out the path toward doing well step by step. You could not spend your money more wisely at the start of your college career than on this book--I only wish it had been available earlier. I have been teaching college at a major state university for l4 years--I will recommend this book to my students, which will save them-- and me--a lot of time and unnecessary grief.