Jack Pejsa offers the following 10 tips if you should find yourself falling behind in a course:

1. Evaluate your own performance and identify your weak areas.

Never compare your classroom performance with the performance other students. Instead, evaluate yourself based on your best effort.

2. Get help from your professor (immediately).

I couldn’t agree with Jack more. As a professor, there’s nothing more aggravating than a student waiting until the end of the semester to ask for help concerning a course. Get help and get help early.

3. Schedule more minimum daily study time for your weak courses.

Your strengths will always remain your strengths, but your weaknesses demand immediate attention. In other words, major in majors, not minors.

4. Find a study partner.

Need I repeat the saying that two heads are better than one? Enough said.

5. Check to see if your college has a study or academic skills center.

You might as well, because even if you don’t know where the center is, you’re probably paying for it anyway. Try to use all of the services that are available to you; they’re supposed to be "FREE."

6. Put away the TV until you’re back on track.

Neither Oprah, ER, nor Jerry Springer is ever going to help you ace college; so stay focused on your goals, not the TV Guide. Jack says that you shouldn’t just turn off the TV, but unplug it and put it in your closet somewhere.

7. Check your bookstore for study guides.

Better yet, check out the RealWorld University Success Bookstore. I’m sure we have something to meet your academic needs.

8. Find someone who aced the course.

This is the only tip in which I would have to disagree with Jack. Although it’s a good idea to talk to a student who has aced the course, I think a better person to talk to would be the instructor herself. Ask her what she would do if she was in your shoes. The answer would be much more reliable coming from the instructor rather than another student.

9. Find a tutor.

This should also be done immediately.

10. Hire a tutor (if you can afford it).

How is this tip different from #9? This tutor should be a professional who will be able to guarantee you results. Of course it will cost you.