College students nowadays have a lot on their plates. From making good grades to determining what they should major in, college students do not have it easy. Everyone needs some excellent advice from time to time, especially college students. Continue reading for some solid tips on how to get through those college years successfully.
One tip that can help you study in college is to make yourself flash cards when you have an exam coming up. Flash cards are easy to make. Your can buy inexpensive index cards and write questions on one side and answers on the other. You and a classmate can then use them to study together.
Saying no to things that make you uncomfortable is just as important in college as it was when you lived with your parents. Many students experiment with alcohol or sex during their college years, but if you don’t want to do these things, don’t let anyone pressure you into them. Your college experience should be about having fun, exploring who you are and preparing for your future via your classes–not about doing things you don’t truly want to do.
Start every exam day with a healthy breakfast. A healthy snack can give you the vitamins that you need without making you feel groggy. Hunger pangs are devastating to your test performance. Eating a good breakfast will prevent you from feeling hungry, boost your energy levels and help you to maintain focus during your test.
You should be respectful of your roommate’s wishes. You need to learn how to work with him or her so that it makes your time easier. Sit down when you first get to school and find out what you both expect out of a roommate so you can both be happy.
As a college student, you will have access to many different jobs on campus. If you do not already have a good job, you should look for a job on campus. You should choose a job that will allow you to acquire some new skills and meet some interesting people.
You should always keep up on a routine if you are in college. If you do not do this it will be far too easy just to skip out on study sessions. You need to be self disciplined and if it is study time, do it. Do not skip out so you can go out to a party with your friends. There is plenty of time for that.
You should take advantage of all the resources you have available to you on the college campus, especially when it comes to academics. There are most likely plenty of study spaces, computer labs, etc. that you can go to get some peace and quiet and quality study time in.
Know your limits – don’t overwhelm yourself with too many courses. It may seem like a great idea to take as many courses that you can, but if you take too many, you may fail a few in the process. This totally defeats the time saving you were trying to accomplish!
Do not overdo it when you schedule classes, especially your first year. It is tempting to overload yourself and find you are struggling later. Be realistic. It is easy to burn yourself out and not do well at any of them. Try choosing one or two hard classes and three easier ones.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you feel overwhelmed, stressed out or depressed during your freshman year. Most colleges offer free therapy or counseling to students; take advantage if you need it. Adjusting to college can be difficult and stressful, so don’t be ashamed to admit you can’t handle it as well as you thought you would.
If you feel your schedule can handle it, take an additional class during each semester. Many students can easily handle the average class load, which means that adding in one more class will be a minor burden at best. This can allow you to shorten your time in college enough to graduate a little earlier.
Sleep a full eight hours before a big exam. If you deny yourself sleep, you’ll find that you are groggy and your brain won’t process all the information you need to remember in an efficient way. Your more than likely then to fail the exam, so don’t think you are doing yourself any favors with an all-nighter!
Take short breaks when you study for exams. You need to take breaks to let your mind rest, but you don’t want them to be brief. Taking long breaks can thwart the best of studying efforts. They make it harder to get back to work, and they make it hard to work up the needed momentum. Keeping breaks short is the way to go.
When it comes to final exams, plan out the studying schedule weeks in advance so that you are not overwhelmed on that particular week. Studying in advance will help you to soak up the material better, so that you are not trying to cram months of information on a few consecutive nights.
Try to attend some school sponsored events like football games, etc. Some of the most fun that people have in college is routing for their sporting teams at their college. It is always a great time to get together with your fellow classmates in the student section and scream your head off for your college!
Carefully choose what you want to major in. Do not pick a major just because it is popular, or it is what your parents want you to study. You need to choose a market that you can see yourself in for years to come, as choosing the wrong major could lead to unhappiness.