Your professors want to challenge you. That's why they like to pull little tricks on tests.

Some of the coolest and most successful students I have known started off with a bad semester, or had one along the way. What made them special was the way they picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and went after their goal of academic improvement with humor, creativity, and determination.

One student stands out in this regard. Sheila enrolled in my college skills course when she was on probation and in danger of being dropped from her program. I noticed her right away because she sat in the front row, took notes during my lectures, and participated cheerfully in all the class activities. During the semester I found out that Sheila had a painful and chronic physical condition. Because her condition limited how much she could do each day, Sheila became an expert at maximizing her productive hours. She became incredibly organized, responsible, and proactive—and it began paying off. Before long, Sheila was earning A’s and B’s in all of her courses, and serving as a role model to other students.

As a former English major, I know that stories are very boring if the main character does not face some obstacles. You will probably face some obstacles during your college career; some of them may be big ones. Just try to remember that challenges are par for the course, and that every difficulty gives you the opportunity to be a hero, like Sheila.

1. It meets in the afternoon, so you don’t have to drag yourself out of bed too early in the day.
2. All your friends are taking it—you can hang out together in the back of the lecture hall and have fun!
3. Your grade is based on one paper that isn’t due until the end of the semester. No problem; you can goof off all semester, then pull a few all-nighters at the end. A whole semester’s worth of credit for just a few days of work—what a deal!
4. You looked up the professor on that Rate My Professors Web site and he or she has a reputation of being a really easy grader. What else could you ask for?
5. The classroom is in the building right next to where you live.

This is a great problem to have, but it’s a problem nonetheless. There’s always a danger that you will graduate from college and realize that you took fascinating classes in a wide variety of areas, learned many interesting things, but never quite managed to put your selections together to make a coherent program: that’s like going to a wonderful restaurant and ordering all the appetizers or all the desserts. The goal is to have a balanced academic program, just as we all strive for a balanced diet.

Try to look at the big picture, and map out a possible plan for all your remaining semesters, not just the next one. Are there some gaps in your general knowledge that you would like to fill in? Consider some broad survey courses as well as specialized ones. Review your college’s general education requirements, and prepare a strategy for satisfying them with solid courses.

You don’t have to do this alone! Your academic advisor can be a big help, of course. So can your professors. Ask your family for suggestions as well. They may have just the outside perspective that you need. And finally, if you adore a particular professor, take as many courses with him or her as you can. You will probably get more out of the experience than if you had taken just one course.

If you’re a visual learner, you can really have some fun with your class notes. Try these tips for creating notes that are mini works of art—and help you learn.

1. Use different colors of ink for different kinds of information. For example, if you’re taking a philosophy class and learning about several great thinkers, assign each one a different color. You’ll find that you remember the concepts much more easily, and you won’t confuse the philosophers with one another. Study