It’s easy to wonder how college is different from high school. When I started my college career in 2005, I had no idea what was going on with me. There was no one to do my homework, no one to keep me on track, no one to set a curfew or any real rules. It is unfair to think of it this way, but the lack of rules and direction at all can be enough of an energy for a young person who is on his own for the first time. Another silly idea is that lack of direction can hurt a person, right? Well it can. As a mentor, mentor and friend, I have seen many college students physically hurt; mentally, emotionally, or financially through a lack of direction. However, by following a few simple tips, you can protect yourself in every way and be successful in your pursuit of higher education.
1) Imulate other people who success. When in college, it is easy to spot the people who live with you or who live around you in the dorms or even in that class who are successful students or who are not good students. By seeing what good students are doing in life, you will be able to get a good idea of what you should do. For example, maybe you don’t want to be like those guys down the hall who skip all their classes in favor of playing video games all day…but maybe you want to follow that guy’s lead. in your class who is sticking to the schedule. You need to look at what someone is doing, and if it will work for you, if not, tell them what you need.
2) Don’t procrastinate. This is probably the number one thing that hurt my grades the most when I was a freshman. I would always put off my work until the last minute, thinking that I had time to do it, and then something would come up and it couldn’t be done, or I would rush and take the wrong step. Procrastination has always left me feeling so stressed that I couldn’t have if I knew in the back of my mind that I had a pile of work to do. It wasn’t until I was a sophomore that I figured out what to do on a schedule and stuck to it so I learned to live a less stressful college experience.
3) Make a schedule. When you start making a schedule, list all the waking hours of the day (for example, 7am-11pm if you watch these times. Next things in the schedule that are written in stone, such as classes and hours of work. After this, you can see more clearly when you have time to sit and do homework, when you have time for personal things like sleeping, spraying, etc. You have time for games Most students open one day a week to play only, like Saturdays.
4) Study consistently. That is, there is no evidence of cramming. While cramming the night before the test will get you through the test the next day, the information won’t be in your long-term memory of that final at the end of the term. Instead of waiting until you cram a little before the test, try to study a little bit each day. One thing that has worked for me is to read the assigned lesson during the week, going over important concepts and vocabulary. Then, a few days before the actual exam, I just skim over the clear material and go over it until I’m confident I know it.
5) Know what kind of learner you are. Do you learn best by listening? Doing? by memory? Everyone learns differently. Some may never register, and get all the way through school A. Some need to take in large amounts of notes, while others need to do or repeat verbally to learn information clearly. Choose the style of learning that works best for you, and stick to it.
6) Know the teaching of the professor. Ask those who have had a professor before how they teach and how they experience it. Some professors will tell you to buy a $100 book, but you will never ask a single test question from the book. Others will give you tons of notes, but they will never prove it. Some professors care if you come to class, others don’t. Although the professors are attending or not, some of them do it in secret and call it “participation” degrees. Knowing how your professor teaches and grades will definitely help you. My favorite professor at school was the one who never got tested from the book. As long as we were in the marking class, we were A’s on the test.
7) Make sure you are in class. Most people in every category have a straight back room. The best way, however, is to sit in the first or second row in front. Believe it or not this can impact your grade in many ways. He always sat before because I didn’t have glasses and sat front and center to read the notes on the board, but it was a secondary effect that the doctors they knew who I was and always saw me in class. If you sit in the front, the professors will think you are interested in the subject. They see you all the way. Even if you leave, they recall all the times they’ve seen you before, and when it comes time to post grades, this can be the difference between a big B or a bad A. If you’re two. For points from A, the professor is more likely to give you an A, because from their perspective you were one of the students who were always there before (even if you weren’t there every day). Raising your hand and answering questions and surveys in general also helps in this scoring effort. The president also tends to keep students in the office because they are less likely to be working on their notes or chatting with their neighbors. Standing in front of you forces you to pay attention.
8) Stay safe. This is a famous place for both men and women. It’s easy to forget simple safety tips when you’re on your own. You are aware of your surroundings, especially if you are at night. Campus Safety officers are usually on duty to escort students across campus in the dark or to their cars. Also know the type of people you are around. In fine, you should be careful of the people you want to be friends with, until you make sure they don’t do you any harm. Remember, a true friend always has the best heart for you. If they don’t, it probably won’t work for you.
Staying safe also includes keeping your belongings safe. It is a good idea to purchase insurance on your valuables such as laptops, cell phones, and other personal items. Thefts happen all the time in dorms and even in rooms when people have over a new “friend” who then gets something.
You also need to be aware of your financial security. Many bench artists are targeting college campuses, advertising on bulletin boards and through campus email for “easy” jobs like envelopes or thickenings of the shape of the crucible. They usually ask you for a small fee to get started. Remember, any legitimate service will not ask you for money to start, or will not impose responsibility on you for possible damages or costs. When you are looking for work, start with the jobs campus, where they work around your schedule, and then expand to others. businesses in the area.
9) Don’t wait until it’s too late to ask for help. There is generally free coverage available through each college for whatever the college offers. Also, most professors are usually willing to self appointments to help you if you don’t understand something in their class. The key to using free services is to ask for help right away when you need it. Don’t stay up until the night before your math test to get a tutor and try to cover two heads of material. This is followed with constant study and not procrastination. But if you know you need a tutor for math or writing or another subject, schedule regular tutoring several times a week. While tutors don’t cheat on you, and they don’t do your homework for you, they usually put a good tool in your learning arsenal.
This tip also includes extra time when needed. If you were sick or had family issues at home that needed homework on a subject before, don’t be afraid to ask your professor for an extension. Explain the matter, and ask politely, and the professors will be more than willing to let you try what you missed, or turn in the work late, especially if you know ahead of time that there will be overtime.
10) Live on campus for the first year. While sophomores and above, most people go off campus for cheap apartments a> or other cheap housing, it is always a good idea to live on campus for the first year. There are several reasons for this, all of which are beneficial to you.
First, living on campus is cheaper because the dorms are usually covered by financial aid. Living in the dorms on campus also eliminates gas costs because you can roll out of bed and walk to class instead of driving elsewhere in the city. After moving off campus I sure miss those days of rolling out of bed ten minutes before class started and still making it on time.
The second reason for living on campus is good social networking for you. You will make more friends on campus than living on campus. Another bonus is that your friends live down the hall either on the next floor or in the next building, and even at 2 am there is usually someone to help you out or help you if you get stuck on a homework problem.
A third reason for living on campus is that most dorms offer free activities that you can’t participate in if you don’t live there. These activities include free movie-nights, free parties, ice cream socials, game nights, pumpkin carving around Halloween, gingerbread home around Christmas time, self-defense exercises, capture the flag at night, pool tournaments, video game tournaments and other fun activities, most of which include free food.
11) Enter. Colleges are always involved with frequent clubs. If you are not interested in a club, then start one. Most college funds are sanctioned for each club. If you’re not into clubs, try sports, theater, dance, or other activities offered on campus. For one reason or another, getting involved with clubs actually helps your grades. It helps to establish a social network and often teaches invaluable life skills.
12) The should use the resources in the field. Is there free health care at college health clinics, tutoring, free skills workshops, clubs, or career services, use them in any way you can. You get all these free services that you can use right away. Go to a health clinic if you don’t feel bad, use the support services when you need help, join clubs, find work through career services, and make sure you get well in any way you can. Benefit from your professor’s knowledge, and your supervisor’s knowledge of how things work in college and in the working world. Technically, they all work for you and are there for your benefit. There is no reason not to use the services out there for you if they will help you get them.
13) Go to graduation. Even if you don’t have friends graduating, go to graduation and watch. I started graduation at every graduation I went to school, and it kept me on track. It’s easy to get distracted or fed up at school and the urge to give up and take a break. But going to graduation and seeing other people’s family and friends walking across the stage cheering, he was ready. I will go on stage in my life really gave me a reason to go.
By following these 13 tips, you can be a happy, healthy, successful, and safe college student. Above all else, follow your gut instincts, and take advantage of the activities there to help you. The main key to success in college is knowing where to find help and knowing how to use it and when.
