One of the key steps towards being successful in college is to learn to avoid falling behind. It's really easy to fall behind but even a couple weeks can be disastrous when enrolled in a course in which topics build on the previous week's material. Always seek help early if a course seems too difficult to handle on your own. Classes in college may be quite large, making asking questions in class and getting a detailed explanation from the professor almost impossible. It may seem like the professor doesn’t care when your questions are rebuffed during class but with limited time available to cover the allotted material, this is not uncommon. Here are 5 things you can do to ensure that you get the help you need and don’t fall behind.

1. Take the best notes you can. During class or study time jot down any questions you may have in detail. As a tutor/teacher myself, there is nothing more annoying than when a student is unprepared and cannot remember exactly what they had problems with. Education professionals cannot help you understand the material if they cannot pinpoint the source of your confusion. You will find that your questions will be answered a lot quicker, if we know exactly what your questions are.
2. Take note of the professor’s office hours and use that time to have your questions answered. It is okay to ask questions during class because it may benefit other classmates but refrain from asking questions excessively. It becomes distracting to class members who understand the material and irritating to the professor. Take your list of detailed questions with you to the professor’s office hours. This shows that you are prepared and can earn you brownie points when your test is graded. Try to arrive early, especially when the course is difficult and the class is large as competition for the professor’s time may be steep. Most college courses have Teaching Assistants (TAs) who are generally available to supplement your professor's office hours and answer any questions you may have. Though it is true that TAs are sometimes disgruntled and stressed graduate students working in return for credits towards their degree, they are nonetheless a great resource as they give lectures when your professor is unavailable and more often than not they grade your assignments. Ask them to clarify any confusion or provide tips on what to study. 
3. Make use of tutoring and learning centers. Most educational institutions offer such services so that you can get help in the courses that are difficult to you. Be aware however that there may often be a limited number of tutors available so your wait time may be long and your allotted time short. Some such centers may accept appointments but the sessions may not be one-on-one. USF Project Trust Academic Center for example would schedule up to three students per session and during peak periods I would end up tutoring multiple groups per session. Track 2 Success is a paid tutoring service but the rates are low and your session guaranteed to be one-on-one unless you book a discounted group session.
4. Form a study group since the best source of help can be your peers. If there is an online bulletin board or forum for the course, create a post asking interested students to join you for a homework or study session. Even when I didn’t need help, I found that joining a study group was beneficial; your ability to explain a concept to a fellow student demonstrates and refines your level of understanding, helps retention and strengthens your ability to clearly answer questions at exam time. Be careful when going this route though. You want to choose classmates that are motivated so that you all help each other understand the material rather than provide unnecessary distraction. You also want to make sure that most of your group learns at the same pace else you may find yourself reviewing the same topic longer than you may like.
5. Find an alternative textbook or library resource. I’ve found that professors’ choice of textbook is not always ideal. Their criteria often differ vastly; some professors choose a textbook because they like the format while others choose based on ratings. If your particular textbook covers Calculus but is written in German, do a simple search online search. Book series such as the Demystified series and Schaum’s Guides provide textbooks aimed at explaining typically difficult topics in layman terms and we’ve found that they can be an invaluable resource when you find yourself being your own tutor. Our PERT math study guide began as a collection of notes and practice questions from my years of tutoring and grew into a textbook as more students started stopping by asking for the. It breaks down basic concepts like fractions which can be none too basic if you've been away from school for a while. All our guides follow the same format, are meant to supplement existing materials and are written for students who have problems reading typical textbooks.

These are all good habits to develop as early as high school. If you find yourself needing to miss classes for any reason, be sure to ask a classmate or the professor for the notes from the missed lectures. Even bad notes are better than no notes as they will at the very least let you know what topics were covered. Review them, read the related chapters then utilize the tips above to fill in the gaps.