Attending and Participating in Classes

I will be the first to say how intimidating it is when people talk about volunteering in class, whether that be answering questions or reading out loud. Bottom line, it is a scary thing to do but it helps you get out of your comfort zone.

Participating in class is encouraged by professors a lot because they want you to get the most out of your education and of course learn a lot as well. Sometimes, they even make participation a part of your final grade and participation points are calculated into that grade and are easy points to receive just by interacting with the class.

Sometimes participation points can help you bring your grade up. If you are right on the edge between letter grades, once those participation points are added in it will help your grade for the better. Participating helps you gain confidence in speaking in front of people, taking your own personal thoughts and applying them out loud into the content, and of course understanding what you are learning in the class.

I will always recommend participating in classes because it helps students grow as a young professional. Professors are not looking for the right answer all the time, they are looking for who is on the right page and who is almost there. They want to hear feedback to know students are understanding the content because at the end of the day, we are the ones using what we know, what we practice, and applying it into the professional world.

- Shila