Bakersfield College offers college level courses as well as courses that help students reach the college level.

Yet, many students overlook these courses and feel that they can just take any course without preparing for it.

Oh, how wrong they are.

Unqualified students make their way into classes that they are just not ready for, causing frustration to their classmates, professors and themselves.

Unqualified students believe that they can show up at a class and hit the ground running when the rest of the class is sprinting.

They’re just not going to catch up. They should do themselves a favor and drop the high level course and take remedial courses that will benefit them in the long run.

Academic development and student development courses are offered because students need them.

Take advantage of the classes, and save yourself the frustration and above all the humiliation of having to sit through a class where everybody knows you’re not prepared for it.

College education isn’t based on how many high-level courses you take, but on how much you learn and how well prepared you are.

Basic skills such as note taking, computer literacy, and basic classroom behavior are skills that students need to obtain in order to be successful in a college atmosphere.

If you’re struggling in a math class because you don’t have the basic skills or basic knowledge, then drop it.

Find out what knowledge you do have and build off that.

Don’t take a creative writing class, knowing your English skills won’t allow you to be successful. Bad grammar and poor sentence structure is not creative writing.

Don’t sign up for a class when you know you haven’t completed the recommendations or requirements.

For example to be on the school newspaper, you have to have some knowledge of journalism.

Two classes offered that can prepare a student to be on the newspaper are Media and Society and Beginning Reporting.

Some students who do not take these courses generally have a very difficult time keeping up with those who have taken the classes.

This is just an example that we can all learn from.

Build off what you know not what you pretend to know. Prepare yourself with the basics and your overall success will be much greater than failure.