The instructor-student relationship is very important. How well students get along with their instructors, how well students understand the lessons their instructors are trying to impart and how well instructors understand the needs of their students is essential, especially at the career college level.

Some people may have the misconception that career college instructors don?t care as much about their students as professors at four-year universities do. There is also a misconception that career college instructors are not as open to communication from their students as four-year college professors are. This is partly because most four-year professors consider teaching their only career while career college instructors are often active experts in their field.

These misconceptions are inaccurate. Career college instructors care a great deal about their students? growth and education. Here are some tips on how to have a good relationship with your instructors.

First, always feel free to ask questions, be it before, during or after class. Certainly keep in mind that your instructor may have somewhere to go after class, so be reasonable. But never feel afraid or intimidated to ask questions. You are paying to learn. If you don?t understand a concept, ask that it be explained further.

Second, ask if your instructors offer an easy way to contact them outside of class. Many teachers put their home or cell phone numbers or their e-mail addresses on their syllabus. If your teachers have not done so, ask them if there is a good way to talk to them if you need help between classes.

Third, treat your instructors with respect and participate in their classes. Sit toward the front of the class. Don?t speak while they are speaking. Answer their questions if they pose questions to the class. Stay alert ? don?t slump in your seat or doze off. If you give respect to and communicate with your teachers, they will likely do the same for you.

Remember ? great communicators are often great listeners and vice versa. If you show your instructor respect they will usually show you the same respect.

For many high school graduates, entering college as a freshman can be a very scary time. They might not know what to expect. They may feel as if they are being pushed from an airplane without a parachute or walking a tightrope without a net.

And frankly, the dreaded freshman year can be a scary time. The homework can be harder than ever before; familiar friends may be few and far between; and being the newbie is rarely fun or comfortable.

But freshman year can also be an exciting time. A new start, a chance at a great future, the beginning of an exciting journey. Below are some helpful tips for incoming freshmen that will hopefully ease the transition.

Don?t enter college with any expectations.
Honestly, you don?t know what it is going to be like. Anything you?ve been told is coming from the experiences of others. Gain your own experiences and form your own opinions and wisdom. Whatever you expect will likely either fall short or be exceeded. So expect nothing ? just wait and see what it is actually like.

Be yourself and keep an open mind.
Yes, it is a cliché. But it is great advice. Don?t do anything you don?t want to do (well, except maybe homework). You?re going to meet a great deal of new people; don?t dismiss any of these people or different ideas. But don?t let anyone tell you what to do or who you should be. You can only be yourself, and your circle of friends will accept you for who you are.

Don?t forget why you are there.
Believe it or not: you are not just there to party. Certainly make time to have fun, but don?t allow your new social connections to bog down your schoolwork. You may regret it later when you are closer to graduating ? or when you are sharing your grades with your parents.

But have some fun!
College is your stepping stone to the rest of your life. Don?t let the experience pass you by! Join a club, go to some parties, have some fun! It is important to do well in school. It is why you are there. But you also don?t want to look back at your college experience and say, ?I wish I had done that.?

So there you go. Four tips that, while they may seem obvious, are very important, and it is nice to reinforce them. Be yourself, remember why you are there, have no expectations, and have some fun. Don?t worry ? some of the best times of your life can happen during college!

For more tips for freshmen, check out the following books:

The Naked Roomate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College

Confessions of a College Freshman: A Survival Guide for Dorm Life, Biology Lab, the Cafeteria, and Other First-Year Adventures

101 Things A College Girl Should Know

The Everything College Survival Book; From Social Life to Study Skills-Everything You Need To Know To Fit Right In-Before You’re a Senior!

College can be a stressful time for students. Freshmen can be overwhelmed by their new environment and new study habits, seniors can be stressed by their impending graduation and all of the requirements that come with that momentous occasion, and everyone in between can feel pressured by the general rigors of college.

There are many ways students can deal with this stress, but the important thing is that they do deal with it. It is unhealthy for students to bottle their stress up or let it eat at them all of the time.

So what can a student do to deal with the stress that comes with attending college? Extracurricular activities can truly help students relieve the stress they feel. Most colleges offer a wide variety of extracurricular activities to participate in. Below, we will describe a number of these activities so you can judge which (if any) of these events may interest you.

Athletics
Sports are an excellent way to work off stress and calories. They can help you stay fit and relieve pressure by being physical. While most colleges don?t allow students to participate in school sporting events without a scholarship or athletic background, most schools do offer intramural athletics that anyone can partake in. Also, students can organize their own leagues and games at a recreational center.

Student Media
Being a member of the school?s newspaper staff, television crew or radio crew can be extremely fun and can make the student feel like part of the university community. Most newspapers and television/radio stations have positions open that don?t require a major in this field. These options can also make students feel like they are helping people and making a difference.

Fraternal Organizations
Greek life ? being a member of a fraternity or sorority ? can offer a sense of kinship, bonding and fun. Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters often participate in charitable events and usually find time for rest, relaxation and parties as well. This is a good way to feel like a member of a group, and it?s a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Performing Arts
Many colleges offer creative types the opportunity to join singing groups, bands or drama clubs. These are all great options for the creatively inclined, and they can be exciting, fun and rewarding. Aside from allowing students the opportunity to be creative, these groups also offer students the chance to meet new people and make friends with similar interests.

There are many off-the-beaten-path groups for people with particular interests or who are just not interested in any of the traditional groups listed above. These groups include metalwork, needlework, debate team, woodwork, pottery, poetry, photography and many more.

The list of groups students can join to relieve stress is virtually endless. There are so many options for students; they shouldn?t hesitate to join one of these groups. What is there to lose? Not much. What is there to gain? Friendships that can last a lifetime, fun times they will never forget and the opportunity to blow off some school-related steam ? that is why these groups exist in the first place.

When you take time out of your busy schedule to put energy towards a new class or degree, it?s very easy to feel like you?re taking on more than you can handle. It may help you to know that many people in your new classes will feel this way as well.

A simple solution to easing your concerns is forming a study group once a week with some of your fellow classmates. As of now, you may be thinking, ?but I already have plenty to do for this class and so little free time. How will this help?? Don?t panic.

There are many reasons why putting a little extra effort in gathering a few people for some quick study will help. When you participate in study groups, you gain extra skills, knowledge, and a broader understanding of yourself and the world around you. And because of this, you can find concrete ways to make a difference in other areas of your classes and in your life.

What is a study group?
A study group:

• is a small, diverse group of 4 to 12 participants.
• meets regularly to address important topics and issues discussed in class.
• sets its own ground rules for a respectful, productive conversation.
• can be led by an impartial facilitator, who manages the conversation but is not an ?expert? in the traditional sense.
• considers an issue from many points of view.
• offers an opportunity to move from talk to action revolving around class projects and research.

How does a study group help?
Study groups:

• offer a different way of talking and listening.
• expand understanding of a lesson beyond one?s own view.
• help promote critical thinking.
• build relationships and bridges among all kinds of participants.
• connect classroom students to the broader world.
• help classmates solve problems and take part in solutions.

A few more things to remember about study groups
The best study group discussion topics are simple and straightforward and tied to lessons from the class. Try to keep social talk and gossip to a minimum and stay focused. The goal is to move the conversation along, keep it engaging, and help participants examine a class lesson from many points of view. In some cases, study groups with your fellow classmates start with questions, then brainstorming and other group exercises to help shape the lesson.

You should also feel free to bring in articles from other sources that help with framing your lesson in a different way. A related newspaper or magazine story, a website or book can help your study group make connections from the classroom to the world in interesting ways. And when you make more connections, you retain more when you study, which helps you do better in class.

As mentioned before ? don?t let the fear of spending more time focused on a class prevent you from forming a study group. The time you spend will make a difference in your grades and in your life.

In years past, high school graduates had to choose from one of two paths: either enter the world of higher education by going to college, or put education aside and enter the workforce. Now a third option is emerging: entering the workforce only to attend college years later as a non-traditional student.

The percentage of non-traditional students is rising across the nation, as more and more adults decide to continue their education. Non-traditional students nearly equal traditional students among U.S. undergraduates today according to the National Center of Education Statistics.

The reasons these adults become non-traditional students vary. Some are laid off from their jobs and must acquire new skills to enter a new career. Some are retired or divorced and seeking to start a new chapter in their lives. Some simply do it for themselves, seeking to enrich their lives in new and rewarding ways.

For some adults, going back to school can be a scary time. They can be afraid of entering classrooms with much younger classmates who are just out of high school. They can have self-doubts as to whether or not they can accomplish their goal of getting a degree. They can be nervous about term papers, pop quizzes, tests and final exams. They can worry about where this new adventure is going to take them.

For these reasons, here is a list of the top five tips for adults as non-traditional students:

5. People are inherently good. Your classmates, even if they are younger, will likely be willing to help you study and will explain concepts you don’t understand. Teachers may be authority figures in the classroom, but most are happy to take their own time to help students with the subjects they are studying.

4. Develop a college support network. Make sure your friends and family understand why you are returning to college and why you feel this is something that will be a healthy new adventure for you. They will form a great support group around you, and you may need to lean on a shoulder every now and again.

3. Financial aid is out there. School is expensive - there’s no way around that. No one is trying to tell you it isn’t. But with a little investigation (including phone calls to your university), you will likely find there are scholarships available for non-traditional students. Don’t think twice about calling the financial aid office; it’s what they are there for.

2. Time management is key. Non-traditional students typically have spouses, children and jobs to worry about in addition to their school work. Make yourself a schedule and follow it religiously. Make sure you have back-up plans in place in case you need to juggle multiple activities (homework and picking the kids up for soccer practice, for example).

1. Be yourself and have fun. Teachers don’t want to educate drones. Speak up in class. Share your valuable life experience with younger students. Challenge ideas that you may question. Remember, you are paying for your education. You will only get out of it what you put in.