When you think about it, college can be overwhelming to a new student. Such big changes, in every area of your life–at college those changes happen all at once. It’s important to have guidance and help. That’s why this article contains some college tips to make sure you’re a success.
When you are about to take a big exam, make sure you eat an adequate breakfast but keep it a little light. Don’t go into a test hungry, or you’ll have a lot of trouble concentrating. Do not overeat either; however, so you don’t have to deal with an upset stomach.
A great tip that will help you succeed in college is to carefully plan out your course load each semester. You don’t want to get overzealous and pick way too many hard classes at once. You’ll barely be able to keep up, and you won’t be capable of submitting your best work.
Familiarize yourself with your schedule and where your classes are before the first day of school. Find out how much time it takes to get from one class to another, and plan your route accordingly. Make note of the bathrooms and other places you will need to go.
Make sure to make time for both socializing and academics. Some students spend all their times in their dorm rooms studying, which can be depressing and lonely, while others are so social that their coursework suffers. You should get out of your room and do something fun at least once a week and devote at least an hour a night to studying for each of your classes to help you stay balanced.
Know as much as you can about the career you’d like to get into before even applying for college. This will allow you to know what college has the classes you must take so you’re able to get a degree that gets you into the field of your choice. If you are unsure, talk with an admissions counselor.
Prepare yourself on important testing days by getting a good breakfast beforehand. You can even eat light; try some fruit or yogurt. If you are hungry while taking a test, it is unlikely that you will do well. At least eat something small to keep from being distracted.
If you can you should open up a bank account at a bank that also has branches in your home town. This way it will be easier for your parents to put money into your account and it be available right away instead of having to wait 3-5 business days.
When thinking about housing arrangements for college, be sure to give careful consideration to whether or not you will need your vehicle. If the area is highly populated, free parking may be at a premium. There are expenses that are involved with maintaining a car, and due to your studies, it might not even be affordable to have one.
If you are looking to go back to college, but it has been a while since you were in school, consider attending evening classes. The instructors usually actively work in their fields during the daytime, and teach at night. This helps to bring a different element of real-life experience to the classroom.
Develop a system with your roommate for studying. Decide on certain quiet times each day for your dorm room so that it can be used for studying completely. If you or your roommate know these times, you can make the conscious choice to stick around or leave the room.
A great tip if you’re just starting out in college is to take a wide variety of classes. Sometimes you just have no idea what you want to do, and taking a wide variety of classes will open you up to many different subjects, subjects you never knew you’d be interested in.
Make contacts while you are in school that you can use when you get out. If you really enjoy a particular professor’s class, make an effort to get to know that professor in addition to pushing yourself to become an outstanding student. The contacts you make now will help you establish and move forward in your career in the years to come.
Understand plagiarism and avoid it. College is full of paper-writing. Pay attention to citations. Your instructor will specify what citation resource to use, though MLA is most common. Proper citations help you avoid plagiarism. Many professors use special software programs to check all student submissions for plagiarism. Don’t risk it!
Never submit the first draft of a paper. Always revise your first draft and make improvements. Create a whole new draft instead of proofing what you wrote. Carefully proofread what you have written and then perfect it. This can reduce any errors and help distinguish the points that you want to get across.
Eat well. You may have heard of the ‘freshman fifteen’, or the 15 pounds that many college freshmen gain when their moms are not watching their diets! Remember that good food makes you feel alert and energetic, and the wrong foods will make you tired and hinder your performance. Eat right!
Join study groups. Even if you are not having trouble with a class, a study group can help ensure you stay on task and don’t fall behind. It can be easy to fall into the trap of procrastination, and a study group can help provide accountability. In addition, helping others understand the coursework can help it stay fresh in your mind.
It is important that you know about your classes’ workload before you even begin attending classes. You will be able to better prepare yourself for what is to come for each semester by reading the courses’ syllabus. Here, you will know what your homework assignments, tests and overall class will be like.
