How I managed to survive college without doing much work

College is hard, and it takes a lot of hard work to succeed. You need to buckle down and put all the free time you have into doing the work and doing it well. Well, that’s what they want you to believe anyway. In reality, college is easy, if you know how to get by and you don’t mind a few C’s.
Now first, let’s get something straight. While I am just a naturally laid-back person, aka lazy, I do also have some other issues that have affected my schooling in a negative way. I’m bipolar and suffer from a heart condition. Seeing as how sometimes those things prevent me from getting out the door, and decrease my motivation to zero, I learned a few things about how to get by in school.
The truth is, doing as little as possible requires an initial time investment. You need to know your teachers, read all the syllabi and be aware of the class schedule. With these things in mind, let’s go into a bit more detail.
The first thing is very important. Get to know your teachers. This is really the only step that takes some effort. Attempt to answer questions in class, sit in the front and be known. This helps near the end of the semester if you’re really struggling. If professors can put a name to a face, and it’s one they like, that helps.
The next thing to do is know the syllabus. Read it, and find all the loopholes you can. Dropped quizzes? You can miss a few. Homework with no late penalty? Perfection! The only thing that will really put a kink in your plans is a teacher that requires attendance. That will mean you actually have to show up, and at that point, all you can rely on is being a little lazy on homework and messing up on a few quizzes.
All of your preparation will be for nothing if you miss a test, so know your schedule. Most teachers give a detailed schedule of what will be covered and when, and it would be helpful to attend class every once in a while to make sure you’re aware of any schedule changes. Know what the class will be discussing on the days you show up, and it will help you look like you know what’s going on.
The last part is probably the most difficult. Know what’s going on before you skip classes, and start getting lazy. My physical issues and chemical imbalances have hindered me in school, but I spend a lot of time in my head, so I generally get a good grasp of things when they’re explained to me. I know what’s going on, so missing a few classes doesn’t hurt. I still understand what’s being taught.
The simple truth is that college is hard. I have been pretty lucky, and occasionally you will be too. You just need to know how to play the college game, and sometimes, you actually have to work. Not all the time though, if you play it right.