But how exactly can one go on expressing gratitude to friends or professors at college when there isn’t much stuffing in the bank account? College students have a plethora of people to show gratitude toward: friends, family, professors, advisors, mentors, bosses, and so on. And when short on both time and cash, finding meaningful ways to express appreciation can be tricky.

However, when thinking about how much to spend on the endeavor, sometimes a mere thank you seems to be the best option when money is tight. While simply verbalizing your gratitude can be nice, there are many other more tangible ways of showing gratitude to friends and other people in your life without breaking the bank. With a little ingenuity, intentionality, and personalization, the inexpensive ideas below will be a way for expressing your gratitude for half of the price.

CLEP tests are an underrated tool to bypass some of the basic courses needed for many college degrees, saving students money and time. Figuring out the CLEP process and debating whether or not it’s the right time to take one can be confusing, especially when starting college as there are a million other things on your mind. To prevent this headache, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to taking CLEP tests with super useful tips and tricks on everything like when to take the tests or how can a CLEP exam save students time and money.

So you got off to a rough start. It happens to the best of us. But a rough start doesn’t have to be your undoing. If you find yourself partway through the semester wondering how the semester got so out of hand, here are some guidelines to help you turn things around. 

Once you realize you need to get back on track the First thing you’ll want to do is get organized. Gather the syllabi for all of your classes, plus any other schedules that you need (e.g. your work schedule, or if you play a team sport, the schedule for your games and practices for the rest of the semester). go through each calendar and syllabus and add important dates to your personal calendar. For most students, an app like Google Calendar works well, but others may prefer an actual physical calendar or a planner. Make sure to note all of your exams, deadlines for projects and papers, and due dates for anything else that could affect your grade. Make sure you also include personal events (like birthday parties or other social events you plan to attend) on the calendar, because you need to take these things into account when you plan your studying. Otherwise, you may continue pushing off your studies when fun events pop up. 

Once you have everything in your calendar, your second step is to prioritize. To help you prioritize, we suggest checking your grades in all of your classes. In most cases, you should be able to do this online or by looking back at the grades you received on assignments and exams that have been handed back to you. With an awareness of your grades in mind, you can figure out if you’re struggling equally in all of your classes or if you are only having trouble in one or two. 

In addition to your current grade, you also need to consider how much of your grade is already set. Some classes have many of the graded assignments loaded in the second half of the semester, so even though you might be almost halfway through the course, you might still have 70% of your grade left to earn. Other classes heavily weigh midterms or papers due early in the course. If you only have a few assignments left to turn in, you will need to excel on those in order to pull your grade up. additionally, consider the grade that you need (or want) to get in each course. Often, you need better grades in courses that count toward your major than you do for general elective courses. If that is the case, you may need to prioritize the work for your major classes over work for your other classes. It may help to use a grade calculator like this one in order to determine what you need to earn on remaining assignments to get the grade you want.

Now that you have gone through your calendar and syllabi, you should have a good idea of what you need to do going forward. Maybe the situation isn’t as bad as you thought, or perhaps you have found that you are really in dire straits in one or more of your courses. If you find yourself in the second situation, pour yourself another cup of coffee (or crack open another Red Bull) because you have some more things to think about. If you are failing a class and at the moment it seems mathematically impossible to pass or to achieve the grade you need, the first thing you need to do is to thoroughly read through your syllabus. You may notice something you overlooked before – such as a section about extra credit opportunities. If the syllabus doesn’t mention extra credit, it’s time to visit your professor’s office hours (which should be conveniently listed on your syllabus). You only need to visit office hours if you are struggling to figure out how to pass the class on your own. If you know that you just need to study more and party less and it’s well within your ability to succeed in the class, a visit to office hours is likely unnecessary.

Here are some tips for discussing your grade with your professor during office hours. Note: A face-to-face visit is preferable, but if you can’t make it to office hours, send an email. Most of the tips below apply to email as well. In addition, make sure you proofread (or have a friend proofread) for clarity and typos:

• Read the syllabus before you go. Professors HATE when you don’t read the syllabus, and when you sit in their office hours and ask them questions that are very clearly answered in the syllabus, it makes them annoyed. You want the professor on your side, so you should show that you are trying by being familiar with the syllabus.  Also, the syllabus is your guide to how to succeed in the class, so you should read it anyway.
• Use basic etiquette. Unless your professor has explicitly told you to call them by their first name, refer to them as Professor Last Name, or if they have a doctorate, Dr. Last Name. If you’re not sure, stick with Professor – that’s always okay. In addition, make sure your phone is on silent and abstain from looking at your phone while in their office. 
• Be honest. Professors hear mountains of excuses about bad grades. Do not invent an excuse to explain your poor performance in the classroom. If there is something going on in your life that genuinely relates to your academic performance (e.g. you are caring for a sick parent, or you are struggling with a mental health condition), you can bring that up to your professor if you feel comfortable doing so. If the reason for your poor performance is that you have been spending a lot of time partying, it’s better to say something vague like, “I am not pleased with my performance in this class so far. I am trying to turn things around academically, and I wanted to talk to you about study strategies and other ways to improve my grade.” Whatever you say,  stick to the truth. Your professors are human beings and they dislike being lied to just like you do.
• Take responsibility. You might think that the class is hard or confusing, but at the end of the day, you are the one responsible for your grade. Professors will likely be more receptive and willing to help if you take ownership of your grade rather than accusing them of high expectations or overly rigorous standards.
• Write down notes. If your professor is sitting across the desk, rattling off a list of resources you can use to improve your grade, write them down. This accomplishes two goals – it gives you a written record so you can remember their useful advice later on, and it shows your professor that you are listening and trying to improve.
• Emphasize that you have a plan to improve on future assignments (e.g. “I have joined a study group for this class,” or “I blocked off some time to study 30 minutes every day.”) and then ask about extra credit. If the syllabus explicitly mentioned that you can’t get extra credit in the class, address that to show that you did read the syllabus (e.g. “I know from the syllabus that you don’t typically offer extra credit, but I was wondering if you make any exceptions.”)
• Thank your professor for their time at the end of the meeting. An even better way to show your gratitude is to actually follow through on the suggestions they gave you. If they advised you to visit the Writing Center before turning in your next paper, actually do that. 

After you’ve visited your professor, you will know if it’s mathematically possible to pull your grade up. If you are certainly going to fail, you could look into withdrawing from the class, which will leave you with a W instead of an F on your transcripts. However, before you do that, you need to talk to the registrar about how that would affect you – some financial aid only goes to full-time students, so withdrawing to less than a full course load could impact your financial aid. 

Even if you are nearly positive you’re going to fail, it can be a good idea to keep going to class and giving it your all. It’s possible that if you get close to passing, your professor might have mercy and round up or offer you extra credit. But even if that doesn’t happen, you might have to take the class again in the future, and the best way to pass it next time is to learn everything you can the first time around. After all, you’ve already paid for it!

If it is mathematically possible to get your grades to where they need to be, now you have to actually do the work. If you’ve been slacking and just need to step it up, it’s a good idea to schedule your study time. Mark it out on your calendar and actually stick to it. Go somewhere conducive to studying, like the library or a coffee shop. You might be the type of person who has a hard time focusing without getting distracted by things like social media. If that’s the case, consider trying an app like AppBlock, which blocks certain apps and their accompanying notifications (like those from Instagram and Facebook) for a set period of time so you won’t be tempted to wander. It may also be helpful to structure your studying or writing using the Pomodoro Technique, which basically requires short periods (~25 minutes) of focused work, punctuated by shorter breaks. 

You also need to think about how you got here. Ask yourself why your semester got derailed. You might have to do some soul-searching to get to the bottom of it, but this is an important step. If you don’t know why you’re having trouble in the first place, it will be hard to avoid having trouble in the future. You need to address the underlying problem. If there’s something in your life causing you stress, think about how you might mitigate that stress. Are you getting sick a lot and missing classes? That can easily result in falling behind. If that’s the case, try to tweak your lifestyle a little – get more sleep, get some exercise, and eat more fruits and vegetables. If you’re having mental health challenges, talk to a therapist – many colleges offer this service to their students for free or at a reduced cost. If you know you’ve been spending too much time socializing or partying, recognize that you are going to have to cut back so that you can get your degree. Try to deal directly with the problem getting in the way of your academic success.

It’s important to have fun in college, but make sure to take the time you need to study.

When you fall behind early in the semester, sometimes it can be hard to catch back up because the material builds on itself gradually. This is especially common in math and science courses – you can’t understand a polymerase chain reaction without first understanding a nucleotide, for example. When you find yourself continuing to have trouble despite increased and consistent studying efforts, it’s wise to ask for help. See if you can join a study group, visit your campus’s Tutoring Center or hire an online tutor, or write down the things that are confusing you and go to your Teaching Assistant’s or professor’s office hours. Read this article for more ideas on how to utilize campus and other resources to help you succeed.

Just because your semester got off to a rocky start doesn’t mean you have to end it the same way. With some planning and more time hitting the books, you can get your academic life back on track. Good luck!

This article was written by BookScouter contributor Crystal Koenig.

Crystal Koenig is a freelance writer and adjunct college instructor based in Southern Utah. She holds a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis.

Taking a college tour is an excellent way to see if a college is a good fit for you. The standard tours are helpful for getting an idea of the campus’s hot spots. But if you’re savvy, you can get more out of your tour by following these tips: 

1. Schedule your visit during the school year. 

If possible, schedule your tour during the regular academic year, at a time when school is in session. Campuses have a very different vibe when the students are present. You want to get a feel for what the school will be like if you attend it, and it’s hard to know what it’s like if you visit during the summer when the campus may be used for other purposes like youth soccer camps. You can look at a school’s website for their academic calendar to ensure that you do not visit on a school holiday. Do not assume that college will be in session at the same time as high school – colleges have different breaks (e.g. often a four-day “Fall Break” in October) and don’t always follow public holiday schedules. You can also call the campus to see the best times they suggest visiting.

Get the most out of your college tour by visiting while students are on campus.

2. Meet with a professor. 

If you have a potential major or several major options identified, see if you can meet with one or more of the professors teaching in those departments. You can get a lot of information from the department’s website. Usually, this will include professors’ office locations and office hours. If there is a professor you would really like to speak with, line up your campus tour to make it convenient for you to attend their office hours. If you’re having trouble locating the information you need, call the departmental or campus visit phone number (usually under the “Contact Us” tab on the department’s website). Typically a departmental administrative assistant will be able to connect you with the information you need. If you meet with a professor, remember that their time is valuable. Go to your meeting with questions prepared. Here are some suggestions:

• Are there opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with research?
• Are there funding opportunities for undergraduates to do their own research or attend professional conferences?
• Is there a student organization or club associated with the department (e.g. a Psychology Club or an honor society like Psi Chi?)
• Are there any regular departmental gatherings or events that undergraduates can get involved in (e.g. some departments have yearly research competitions, others have casual events like weekly happy hour or monthly pizza parties)?
• If the institution has graduate students, how common is it for graduate students to teach courses? 
• Are there any scholarships specifically designated for students pursuing studies in this field?
• What types of jobs are graduates of this department getting? Does the department compile statistics on job placement rates?

There may be other things that are important to you. If you’re worried about whether your questions are appropriate to ask a college professor, run them by your high school guidance counselor first. If you are unsure about your major, you could meet with a professor in a field that you are considering, or if you are deciding between a couple of majors, you could set up meetings in both departments. Maybe you really don’t know what you want to focus on in college – if so, don’t sweat it – meeting with a professor is totally optional and is more informative for those with an idea of the field they want to enter. If that’s not you, skip this step or talk with a faculty member who teaches a general education class you’ll likely have to take at that college. If you do sit down to chat with a professor, take the time to send them a thank you email afterward (professional pro tip: make sure your email address and display name are appropriate – you shouldn’t be sending work or school-related emails from an immature or inappropriate email address).

3. Ask questions. 

Have questions prepared for your tour guide. Tour guides are typically well-involved students, so they are often knowledgeable about what’s going on around campus. Some suggestions for questions to ask your tour guide:

• What is the event that students get most excited about?
• Do most students live on campus? Are there restrictions for first-years regarding where they can live?
• What makes this campus or community unique?
• What’s the best piece of advice a faculty member has given you? (This is a good question because it gives you some insight into whether students have good access to faculty members – if your tour guide isn’t able to come up with any response, or if they say they don’t really have individual conversations with their professors, this could be a red flag).
• Do most students stay on campus over the weekend, or do most students leave?
• Is it safe to walk around campus at night? What about the areas surrounding campus?
• What’s the favorite off-campus hangout for students?
• If you have an hour between classes, where are you most likely to hang out?
• How ethnically diverse is campus?
• Is Greek life (i.e. fraternities and sororities) a big part of campus life?

These are just some examples – this article has 118 suggested questions to ask on a campus tour. The important thing is to focus on questions that matter to you – if you’ve always dreamt of joining a sorority, it’s a good idea to make sure Greek Life is an active part of campus culture. If you identify as a minority and you want to make sure there will be a strong community of others like you, ask those questions.

If your parents are attending campus tours with you, it can be tempting to let them take the lead and ask all the questions. While they may have some great questions, remember that this is about YOUR college experience. Don’t be shy! Be bold and ask questions yourself. This gives you a chance to focus on the things you really care about and allows you to make the experience your own – after all, the college experience will be all yours. Start off by owning it on the college tour!

4. Explore more of the campus. 

Give yourself extra time after the tour to explore the campus. For obvious reasons, campus tours tend to focus on the best features of the campus – the recently renovated dorm, the best dining hall, the photogenic quad, or the academic building with state-of-the-art laboratories. Wander around campus and check things out for yourself. Think about the places you would be likely to spend your time – dining halls, the library, the larger dorms or those that house first-year students – and make sure to stop by those places. You can also personally explore campus before your tour so that way on the tour you can ask your tour guide for more information about places that aren’t typically highlighted. 

Exploring the campus on your own can help you get an authentic feel for student life on campus.

5. Talk with an admissions counselor. 

Swing by the campus’s admissions office to chat with an admissions counselor. The people working in admissions offices are excellent resources – they are experts on college admissions, so they have loads of information about scholarships, getting into college, and the campuses where they work. They will be happy to answer any questions that you didn’t get a chance to ask your tour guide, or that your guide was uncertain about. Some schools offer the opportunity for formal admissions interviews. If this is a possibility and you are serious about the school, you should take advantage of the opportunity. An admissions interview will make you more memorable. If you do schedule an interview, be prepared with questions, dress professionally (business casual is typically sufficient), and practice answering questions without fillers like “ummm” and “like.”

6. Learn about extracurricular activities. 

Do you have a hobby that you intend to pursue in college? See if the campus has the resources to support you in pursuit of all your interests. For example, if you love to play basketball but you aren’t going to be on the college team, see if there are opportunities for intramural sports. You can ask your tour guide or an admissions counselor about this. The college might also have a list of clubs and organizations for you to get involved with on their website. Interested in an opportunity listed? Ask for more information about that organization or to meet with the faculty advisor or student leader.

7. Explore places off-campus. 

As the name implies, campus tours are generally restricted to the campus itself. However, as a college student, you will probably spend a lot of time in the area around campus as well. Ask your tour guide (or any other students you come into contact with) where they like to hang out off-campus. Then check out their suggestion and the area surrounding campus – does it have good restaurants and places to hang out? Do you feel comfortable there or could you see yourself hanging out in some of those spots as a student? If the surrounding area gives off a bad vibe, that’s something important to consider as well.

8. Stay on campus. 

If you have the opportunity to schedule an overnight visit at a place you are seriously considering, give it a try.  Staying on campus overnight can be very informative since you’ll spend some time hanging out with actual students and getting more familiar with the campus. However, if your overnight visit doesn’t go well, think about why – did you dislike the campus, or were you mismatched with your host? If your host had dramatically different interests than you, it could have negatively impacted your experience. Keep perspective about your overnight experience as you make your decision about the college.

9. Take notes. 

If you’re scheduling multiple campus tours, the tours will quickly start to blur together in your mind. To remind yourself of relevant features of each campus and things you liked and disliked, jot down some notes immediately after your visit that will jog your memory later on. If you know some of the qualities you want in your college experience, make a list of the specific features. As you visit each college make note of which schools have what you’re looking for. Consider this the start of a pros and cons list, which will help you make your decision later on.

Touring a second time can help you know with more certainty if the college is a great choice for you.

10. Take a second tour. 

Did you have mixed feelings about the campus and you can’t quite figure out why? Sometimes extraneous factors can have an impact on your opinion – maybe you visited campus on a gloomy day, sat in on a class when a professor was lecturing on a boring or difficult topic, had an inexperienced tour guide or an overnight host you didn’t connect with, or just visited on a day when you were in a bad mood. If you can’t quite figure out what was off and you’re trying to decide whether to attend the school, consider scheduling an additional campus visit. Another try might help you sort out those feelings. 

In addition to making the most of your tour while you’re on it, make sure you go on several tours for comparison purposes. Because campus tours tend to focus on the best parts of campus, it’s natural to be wowed by a tour. Schedule a few tours at different campuses to get a better view of the big picture. It’s also helpful to tour several different types of colleges (large state schools, small private universities, etc.) to get a better idea of what will be accessible to you at the different types of schools. 

If you have chosen a “safety school,” tour that too. Touring your safety school will help you get familiar with it and excited about the resources it has to offer. Then, if you end up at your safety school, at least you’ll have some specific things to be enthusiastic about when you consider attending your backup school.

Above all, remember to enjoy yourself. Campus tours are a great way to get excited about attending college and entering this new phase of your life!

This article was written by BookScouter contributor Crystal Koenig.

Crystal Koenig is a freelance writer and adjunct college instructor based in Southern Utah. She holds a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis.

Although this time of year is often defined by falling leaves, it can be easy to also let your midterm motivation fall. This mid-semester slump can cause major problems for college students who become burnt out from the continuous cycle of studying. This slump can result in slipping grades and reduced effort overall.

Dropping out is a huge decision with far-reaching consequences. You should consider the ramifications carefully before moving forward. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you decide if now is the time to drop out of college.

How do you know if dropping out is the right decision? 

How do you know if dropping out of college is the best decision for you?

Start with Why. 

Why do you want to drop out of college? It’s possible that your problem is fixable with a less drastic solution. For instance, if you have decided that you’re on the wrong career path, you may just need to change your major rather than quitting school entirely. If you’re really unhappy with your institution, look into transferring to a school with an atmosphere that suits you better. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut and you can afford school, try a semester abroad or a semester-long internship away from campus. If you are facing a difficult problem in your personal life, see if you can take a leave of absence rather than dropping out. Some schools allow students to take a semester off and then resume where they left off without any penalties. If you’re thinking of quitting school just because it’s harder than you expected it to be, it’s unlikely that quitting is your best option. Being successful in the real world without a college degree will likely present even more challenging obstacles. If you are overwhelmed by the difficulty of college, check out this article about adjusting to college life, or this article full of resources to help you succeed in college. 

Of course, sometimes dropping out is the right decision. 

Maybe your parents always wanted you to go to school, but you never wanted to. If you truly have no desire to be in college – any college – then it might not be for you. Or perhaps you are already employed and a college degree is unnecessary in your industry. If that’s the case, before you make a decision about dropping out, talk with others in your industry – especially successful people whose careers you would like to emulate – and ask them if they have college degrees, or whether they think that the industry is moving in a direction where college degrees will be necessary in the next few decades. If you are confident that you will be able to succeed in your chosen industry and that your lack of a degree will not impact your career aspirations or your earning potential, then dropping out might be the right decision for you. 

Like millions of others, you may also be worried about the debt you are incurring in order to get a college education. If this is one of your main concerns, then try to break down the numbers. Take a look at your loans and figure out how much you will have paid for your college education by the time it’s all paid off (student loan debt calculators like this one can help you). Now use the skills you’ve learned in college thus far and do some research – how much can you expect to make in your chosen career? Compare your earning potential with a degree in your field versus not having a degree in your field.  Is it worth the debt you will incur? If not, maybe there’s another reason that makes it worth it – like a passion for your field. If the numbers are not working in favor of staying in school and you don’t have another compelling reason to stick around, then dropping out maybe your best option.

Choosing to leave college is a big decision that could have major consequences. Use wisdom and take your time when making this decision.

What to do when dropping out of college is the right decision: 

What will you do when you drop out?

What will you do instead? It’s important that you have a plan. Consider how things in your life will change. You will no longer have student loans or scholarships available to cover your living expenses. Envision the short term – how will you pay your rent and other living expenses in the first year after dropping out of school? Also, consider the long term – what kind of career do you want to have? Maybe you plan to wait tables to pay your bills right away, but do you love waiting tables enough to keep doing it for the next several decades? If so, make sure that the income from that job will support the lifestyle that you want to have. If you have more of a short term plan, think about what you really want to be doing for your career. How will you get there? Does it require more of an education than you currently have (e.g. training from a trade school)? If so, how do you plan to get that education? 

If you think you want to quit but you’re also unsure of what you want to do once you’re free of the constraints of college life, consider taking a gap year. Year On (formerly known as UnCollege) offers gap year programs that combine service learning with skill-building and internships to help launch your career without a formal college education.

How will you share your plans? 

How will you go about letting everyone know about your plans? Communication is important, especially if your parents have been funding your education. When telling your parents, make sure you are clear about why you are quitting, and how you plan to get by after you leave school. You should also talk to your friends at school and let them know why and when you will be leaving…which brings up another important question!

Remember, that you shouldn’t make this decision in isolation. Even though sharing your plans can be tough, it is important to loop in people you highly respect and those who are important in your life before making a big decision.

When will you make your final decision? 

When will you make a final decision? Sometimes agonizing over a decision causes significant distress on its own. Making the decision can be a relief and allow you to start making concrete plans to move on with your life. Set a deadline for yourself and stick to it. The same principle applies for actually quitting – if you choose to leave school, when will you do that? If you decide early in the semester that you want to leave, you may be able to get a partial tuition refund. If you have gone far enough into the semester that you will not be able to get a refund, consider sticking around through the end of the semester. This has the advantage of giving you college credit for the classes you took and gives you the option of using the credits if you ever decide to return to college.

It is important that you not ponder these questions in total isolation. You should talk to people and let them know what you’re thinking. It’s a good idea to talk to a mental health professional, a trusted professor, someone who works in the industry you hope to work in, someone who has dropped out of college, and at least one person who knows you well. All of these people will have different perspectives and might be able to raise points that had not occurred to you. Also, think deeply about who you are and how you will fare without the structure of college life. People often tout the success stories of famous college dropouts to illustrate that college degrees are unnecessary. Sure, Steve Jobs and Coco Chanel dropped out of college, but do you have the internal motivation necessary to build an empire? If you are a motivated person who can forge a path on your own, then these might be excellent role models for you. If you tend toward late nights watching television and sleeping until noon when deprived of structure, then you should take that into account when making your decision. 

Whatever you choose to do, make sure it aligns with who you are and your goals.

Whether you complete your degree or not, forge your own path and tap into your internal motivation to achieve your dreams.

Know that you want to complete your degree, but struggling with some aspects of the college experience? Check out the article on How to Adjust to College Life.

This article was written by BookScouter contributor, Crystal Koenig. 

Crystal Koenig is a freelance writer and adjunct college instructor based in Southern Utah. She holds a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis.