Let me ask you something:
Why did you decide to come to college?

 My guess is that you wanted to grow as a person, to provide more opportunities for yourself and for your family. That’s great! And City Tech is a great place to do that. According to a 2018 study by Stanford, the CUNY system is the best in the country for economic advancement.

Now here’s the catch: to get those rewards, you gotta do the work. In fact, while you’re a student, school is your JOB. I understand that you probably also have another job, as well as many other major obligations, but if you want to get an education from us, you’ll only get out as much as you put in. That’s just facts.

SCHOOL IS YOUR JOB

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Well, it means you come to class, pay attention and do the work, basically. In my experience, the people who do this do well, and the people who don’t, don’t (no matter how smart they are or what their grades were like in high school.)

What would happen if you always came to work 15 minutes late (for your hour and fifteen minute shift?) What would happen if, every time you talked to your boss or a customer, you were wearing headphones or texting (spoiler alert: your professor can ALWAYS see you, even if we don’t always say something.) What would happen if, the day of your big work presentation, you just didn’t show up and then emailed your boss a week later and said “oh I was sick?” but didn’t have a doctor’s note?

The answer is the same in every case: you’d get fired. And in school, you’ll fail! And there’s no reason to do that. The only person you’re hurting is yourself.

SO HOW DO I SUCCEED?

• Come to class–ON TIME!!
• Do your work.
• Know what’s expected of you (by reading the syllabus and by keeping up with the website, if your course has one, as this one does. You can also make friends with someone in the course and email them if you miss the course to ask what you’ve missed. You can also email your professor.)
• Be emotionally present. This means no texting, no headphones. Pay attention!
• Take notes!
• Treat yourself and your peers with respect.
• Develop a good relationship with your professor.

WHAT IF I MISS CLASS?

Of course, things may happen that are out of your control, and you might miss a class or two. Remember, you’re responsible for everything covered in your classes WHETHER OR NOT YOU’RE THERE, so you’ll want to make sure that you keep caught up. So how do you do that?

1. Check the course website or syllabus and catch up with homework and readings.
   2. Email a friend in class to ask what you missed.
   3. Only after doing those things, email your professor and ask INFORMED questions about the missed class.

Unfortunately, you might find yourself in a situation where you miss A LOT of class. If so, this might not be the time for you to be in school. That’s fine– we’re here for you when you have the time for us. Sometimes, you need to focus on work or family or your health. But you cannot succeed in college without giving it the time and work it deserves, even if you have the best reason in the world.