Last updated:
Disclaimer:
|
POL 101 - American Government Advice (from former students) for Success
Here is some (unedited) advice from former students of this class:
Try not to lose your textbook under a desk somewhere! Also, Mr. Pettus is very easy to talk to if you should ever have a problem. Everything you need to know is in the syllabus. Also: I think that this class is more fun than Mr. Pettus let's on!
To be successful in this class you must make sure you read chapters in the text and keep up with the study guide. Also don't skip class or wait till the last minute to do the writing assignments or the research paper. Basically if you come to class, read chapters in the text and do the study guide and research paper you'll get an A.
I would tell you to do the study guides. All of them. Make sure to stay awake and pay attention during the lectures. Also when doing the study guide read the chapter then go back and answer the questions. Do not try to answer the study guide questions by trying to pick out the answers. It does not work.
There are two types of classes in college. The lecture then test and the accumulation of points. Part of your success as a student depends on which style of teaching that you like. I personally like the accumulation of points method. The lecture and test method leave you hanging if you do not test well. I appreciated the opportunity to do well in this class. The A was obtainable. Thanks for a great semester!!
Treat your study guide as you would treat your most treasured objects. It is your lifeline in this class. Do the study guide before quizzes and tests and check them with the answer book in the ACE center. Read your study guide - he has hidden messages in there, so if you read you get bonus points. Show up for class, especially on Friday. Your attendance alone is worth 25 percent of the grade. If you have no clue what to write on an essay on a test, make it up, he's not really a tough grader. This is a great class. Mr. Pettus also gives bonus points for washing his car, so volunteer!
My first advice to everybody that takes this class is to keep up to date on your study guides. The study guide is like a gift from God in this class. Answer all the questions and you will do great in this class. The other advice I have is do the research paper. You have to do one in this class to get an A. In this class everybody can get an A, so shoot for an A all semester. Also, be prepared to have fun in class, so don't skip. You get points for attending and double points for Friday.
I would highly recommend you use all the resources that he offers you . Study your study guide and answer the questions. They will be of great help to you when you go to take your quizzes and exams. Oh, and do the research paper he gives you.
My advice for someone would be to do the study guide questions every night. Don't fall behind on that. Do the bonus assignments that he hands out. Basically if you keep up with the work you will do fine. This a fun class. It is not one of those classes that make you flip out because you have so much stuff to do.
Professor Pettus is an extremely helpful teacher. Use this to your advantage. He provides every student with all the necessary tools to perform well in this class. By completing his wonderful (yet error prone) study guide, you'll in a sense, have the exam at your fingertips. The Internet assignments are interesting and an easy way to receive bonus points. The optional research paper is also a way that professor Pettus aides his students. In the end, follow professor Pettus' lead and he will help you achieve your goals in this class.
Do the study guide before class. Any answers you don't get ask questions! The tests, quizzes, and lectures all revolve around the study guide, so do it. It's interesting how much more you understand spending 20-30 minutes on a study guide that has questions in order. Pettus is by far one of the best professors you'll have, I guarantee it!
Attend class regularly and listen closely to lectures. Complete the quiz and study them prior to class quizzes.
You should not wait until the last minute to do all of the Internet assignments. They take longer than you think they do. Using the ACE Center helps you with study guide questions was also very helpful. So, if I found a question that I couldn't answer I could go there when it was convenient for me. Also, it would be a good idea to research the subject you're going to write your paper on before you write the paper. That way you know you have enough info to write about.
I try to be a very organized person and sometimes it works. This class is great because you know from day one what to expect. For future students I would tell them use the syllabus with others from other classes and prepare time for the study guide. The tests and quizzes are not hard if you study for them. I did not always have my study guide done on quiz day, so I would advise future students to do so. Overall this class is very well structured.
If you take this class just do your study guide and study from it because all questions on test and quizzes come from it. Don't slack off at the end of the semester like I did because I had a low A now probably it's a low C . Also do the bonus assignments. They are easy and they do help your grade but other than that good luck.
The things that need to be done in this class aren't really that hard to follow. As long as the work is getting done you should be OK. The biggest problem I had was keeping up with the study guide as long as you complete the study guide and all of the writing assignments you should be OK. I felt that this class was easy yet I did learn a lot.
- do the study guides
This is a fairly easy class as long as you do well on the quizzes. A sure-fire way to do that is by doing the study guides for all the chapters. For the test on your index cards write down all the short and long essays. This makes it a lot easier during the test. Do the study guides!!
The best that I could give would be to do your study guide. Mr. Pettus makes this class as easy as possible. Take time to complete your Internet assignments. But most importantly do show up. You get points just for coming to his class. How much easier could you ask for. And you learn stuff to! In your other class's you have to stress out and by the end of the semester you don't remember anything you learned.
My advice in this class is to take advantage of the many bonus assignments that Mr. Pettus hands out. Always show up on Friday, and do the assignment for the A if time allows. If not little shame follows a B.
Advice in general
Don't miss Friday. Fill in study guides. Those are two things I wish I had realized a little earlier. Also, copy the essay Review sheets on your note cards for use on test. I did do that and it really helped. I would like to be more detailed/candid/specific but that is all I can think of. There is no way to do all of your Internet writing assignments in one night like I am going to have to do tonight. Actually I will probably put that off a couple more days.
I didn't show up to class all that much. And it ended up hurting me in the long run. I got behind on a lot of things including my Internet assignments. So I highly recommend showing up to class. Also turning in assignments on time.
You need to show up for class. You also need to do the homework and you'll do fine.
Number one thing is to go to the ACE Center and check your answers with the teacher's edition. Without that I would have failed! The study guide was my prize possession in this class. Number two is do the Internet assignments as soon as you get them. They were not hard so it is an easy 25 points! Number Three is do the paper by steps as it is in the syllabus. It makes a lot easier to complete!
I would recommend that people read the assigned reading and listen to the lectures. The thing I think helped me out greatly was the study guide. If people answer the questions in the study guide and look over them, they should do fine in this course. The index card is also great to have for use on test. The class activity games were also a great way for you to take the knowledge you learned in class and apply it.
The one thing that stands out the most was going to every class. Going to every class help because the teacher made old history and turned it to what is going on today and that helped with learning things a lot easier. Do all the assignments and bonus assignments. It helps your grade out a lot and it does not take long to finish them.
The biggest thing is the study guide. If you do all the study guides, this will help your grade out the most. All of your quizzes and tests come from it. Do the Internet assignments. If you just do the assignments given you will be just fine. Come to class all the time because of the points per day.
The main thing that I wished I would have done for this class is the study guide. I felt that because I took American government in high school just a couple of months ago I would do OK. Now I'm struggling to do OK. The last thing that I would stress is to stay up to date on the Internet assignments and the research paper. It was very easy for me to fall behind.
The information needed to ace this class is given to you on a silver platter. All you have to do this study it.
The only advice I can give is to do the Chapter review questions. This is something I didn't do enough. I feel that it would have really helped me if I do more of them. TAKE THE TIME TO DO IT.
Take advantage of the study guide answer book in the ACE Center. Pay attention to the question of the day. These questions are on tests/quizzes.
Stay on top of your assignments. Read everything. Enjoy the classes you have to be there anyway. I really like the teacher Ron Pettus. Try and get him if you can.
At the beginning of the class I kind of lacked reading chapters and answering the study guide questions however with the result of my grade. I began doing the study guide questions and found that the test was easy if I knew the study guide. My advice that I would give to you would be to stay ahead of the game in this class and you'll do fine.
Don't wait to the last day to write your research paper. That's what I did and I got really overwhelmed with work and I lost a lot of sleep.
Some advice that I would offer would be to ALWAYS do the study guide questions. They would be the best thing to do. By doing the study guide questions and actually studying them there is no way to fail. Another thing is to do the Internet assignments. They're not very hard to do either. They can sometimes be tedious but he puts everything down that he wants. If you have everything you get a good grade. The last thing is to do the research assignment. It can take up a long amount of time but it can be a good experience to learn some interesting things.
Don't take the teacher's leniency for granted! You just get behind. Do the bonus assignments-it really helps. The research project may not be a must but doing it substantially helps the grade.
I think some very important advice is to read the textbook and complete the study guide questions. Take the instructors advice about going to the ACE Center to see if you have answers to the questions correctly before the next class period. Make sure you get right on the Internet assignments and bonus assignments because there will be another one due shortly after that one. Listen in class because Mr. Pettus is very, very interesting and full of good information about the course.
Students need to do the study guide and study the questions. The writing assignments are not too difficult but are required and the assignments are extremely easy. You might as well do them. Easy points for doing a bonus assignments. I did all of these things and I have an A in this class. This class is not very difficult. Students need to take the time to do the work. If you don't do the study guide it to will be extremely hard to pass this class.
I didn't leave enough time to finish the research project. So even though I aced every test, quiz, and assignment, I still get a B.
Make sure you come to class as much as possible that is a big help. Do the study guide so you will know the answers on the quizzes and tests. Don't put off the final paper because we all know towards the end of the year teachers give so much work as if their class is the only one you're taking. And do all the bonus assignments as well as the Internet. Those are worth so many points. And bonus assignments are free points so you better do them.
Do:
Make sure you know every question in the study guide. And if you can't find every answer in the book, there is an answer key in the ACE Center.
Don't slack off. Even though we were offered more time to complete work and it was not a big deal if papers were late, don't take it for granted. Everything we did in here (assignments, study guide, extra credit) pertained to a quiz, test, or something else important. Also, don't wait until the last minute to do your paper. It will be so much better for you.
1. Go to class on Friday, it's worth more points.
I think coming to class really helps out. It's OK if you miss a couple of days. If you come to class, questions that you have about the study guide can and will be answered. The study guide is also a lot of help. It prepares you for the test and quizzes. I hardly read the book, but sometimes I wish I would have because I would have a better understanding of the class lectures.
- do the study guide and study for the quizzes.
Stay ahead on all of the study guide questions. I was not very accurate on keeping up on the study guide, therefore it was more difficult for me on quizzes. Also keep up on the readings in the book, because you will be amazed what you remember. A lot is learned by paying attention in class lectures and activities.
Make sure you do all the study guide, take advantage of the ACE Center. Make sure you study and memorize the questions for every quiz because it makes it a lot easier when the test/final comes because you know all the answers already and all you have to do is refresh your memory. Essays on the test-write out all the essays completely on the note card as you would write it on the test. It makes it a lot easier and a lot faster.
Take extra time for this class-the semester goes by so fast, it can be hard to keep up with. I found it helpful to spend more time reading chapters and answering the study guide questions along with it. It made memorizing the answers for quizzes and tests so much easier-and actually saved me time in the long run. If you do the research paper get a headstart on it so you don't get bogged down during the rest of the semester.
Actually doing the study guide ahead of class time helps greatly. I would advise to not procrastinate. . . that gets one in trouble. Take advantage of the note card.
Don't worry about the class too much. Make sure to complete/study the study guide. Try to complete all assignments on time but if you can't don't stress. He is pretty lenient.
Read and fill out study guide. Then go to ACE Center and check answers so you don't memorize wrong ones. Then study answers. You'll get an A on test. Instead of research paper due presentation.
Return To My Home Page
|