How to get an ‘A’ in Dr. Huntington’s Class
- Don’t Plagiarize! If I catch you
cheating, I will destroy you. Come on people, I give you the answers in
class if you just pay attention.
- Read your book. You have paid a lot
of money for your textbooks, and they aren’t doing you any good unless you
actually read them. Don’t read a textbook as if it were a novel either.
Instead, read it to understand what you’re reading: look up definitions,
read captions, take notes, etc. Do whatever you need to do to understand
the information in your textbook, because for the most part that’s what
I’ll be testing you on.
- Answer the questions that are asked.
You may know your stuff, and give me a really great answer, but if you
haven’t actually answered the question that was given I’m going to smack
you down for it.
- Points for essay questions are awarded
based on strength of argument. You may be right about the question, or
you may be very, very wrong. But if you do not support your opinion with
facts it won’t matter either way. So tell me why your answer is correct
(or why you think it is anyways). I really like examples. If you can cite
some examples that support your answer the chances of you passing the
course will improve.
- Type your assignments. If you have
to write something, type it. There was a time, not too long ago, when not
everyone on the planet had access to computers, word processors, or even
typewriters. But if you expect me to believe that you can’t find a
computer to do your assignment on, then why are you paying your university
technology fees every semester? Handwritten letters to your grandma show
that you care; a handwritten assignment to your professor shows that you
don’t care.
- Write like a professional. Look
people, I have just as big of a problem with spelling and grammar as the
rest of you, but that’s why we have Spell-Check. If Bill Gates thinks that
you may have misspelled something, go ahead and take another look at it
before you print it off. Also, I know that emoticons are cute and fun when
you’re sending instant messages and emails, but they really annoy me and
don’t look very professional on assignments. Do yourself a favor, and stop
using them now before you move into the job market.
- Staple your assignments. Yeah, you
could just write your name on every page and fold the corner over in a
neat little origami fold to keep them together. Sure, you could do that,
but again it shows that you just don’t care. Plus the odd page or two has
a habit of being shuffled around, and I’ve been known to lose them. So
please, take the extra three seconds to staple the pages together. I will
deduct points for unstapled assignments.
- Ask questions early. Everyone
waits until the last minute to do things, including me. That means that
everyone will be asking questions at the same time, and you will receive
better answers and in a more timely and friendly manner if you ask them
before everyone else does.
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