Do you spend a lot of time studying but still do not perform as well as you thought you would in class? Do you feel like you just aren’t smart enough? Does the thought of talking to your professor or TA for help make you break-out in a cold sweat?

These resources can help you develop a plan for how to talk to your instructors, create a schedule to keep you on task and support you in developing a growth mind-set.

Academic calendar

Not sure of the deadlines for dropping or withdrawing from classes or the last week for changing to S/U grading? OSU’s Academic Calendar has all the important dates.

Academic coaches

Academic coaches can assist you to reach your full potential and achieve optimal performance. Academic coaching is a series of conversations — focusing on time management, test preparation, stress reduction and other topics — designed to enhance your well-being and your academic performance. Coaching provides a partnership between students seeking to improve their study strategies and peer coaches who are trained to listen and ask thought-provoking questions.

Learn more about academic coaching and schedule an appointment.

Academic learning assistants

Academic learning assistants provide an array of services to support residential students in the adjustment to the academic rigors of Oregon State University. ALAs work to cultivate strong academic habits and college knowledge, promote engagement with university resources and assist students in navigating the university landscape. Services range from one-on-one meetings with students to hall-wide programming initiatives.

Contact your RA to meet with your resident hall’s academic learning assistant.

Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides support and services to help all students achieve their academic goals. ASC programs help students develop learning strategies and time management skills to excel in their coursework and stay on track to graduate.

The ASC offers a Learning Corner with resources for:

Time management

Are you able to do everything that you want, or does it feel like you need extra hours in the day, or a whole extra day in the week, in order to fit everything in?

These DIY time management resources may help you to balance all of the demands on your time.

Test better

Are you looking for new and effective ways to study for tests? Have you gone in to tests thinking you were prepared, but realized you weren’t once the test started? Do you struggle with test anxiety? Do you want to improve your performance on future exams?

These DIY test better resources offer tips on how approach the study towards, taking of, and debrief after tests, study actively to make your study work count, and help your prepare thoroughly even when you are out of time.

Study like a pro

Do you want to improve your study skills (reading, taking notes, preparing for tests), so you are a more effective learner? Do you feel lost during lectures or are not sure what to do with your notes after class? Do you feel like you don’t always remember what you study?

These DIY study resources can help you to concentrate while you study, improve your memory, and succeed in chemistry, math and physics.

Cultivate a growth mindset

Do you feel like you are not smart enough to be or capable of being successful in college? When you struggle or fail do you give up? You might have a fixed mindset. Cultivating a growth mindset can help you to acknowledge your failures and find inspiration to keep improving.

Getting a D on a paper is not the end-all of your college career. That D shows the potential for improvement and learning. The D might inspire you to work harder and seek out the resources and tools that will help you earn the grade you are capable of achieving. While the grade may be frustrating, your mindset will affect your response to either avoid the challenge or embrace the challenge and improve your work.

Learn 25 ways to cultivate a growth mindset.

Wondering if you should stay in a class?

Are you not doing as well in classes as you would like and wondering if you should stay in the class? This decision-making map (pdf) can walk you through the steps of deciding whether to change to S/U grading, withdraw from the course or stay and earn an A-F.

You may also request that your instructor give you an incomplete grade for a course, which would allow you to complete the course requirements after the end of the term. An incomplete may be granted if the course has not been completed, if the reasons for the incomplete are acceptable to the instructor and you are passing the course at the time of the request.

*Remember that courses required for CPHHS majors (including prerequisites) require a C- or better, require an A-F grade and can only be taken twice.