Ultimate Success Tips For College Students
Going to college is a fun and exciting time for many people, and it's usually the first step for complete independence for young adults. However, there is also a great responsibility that comes along with this, and our success tips for college students can help.
We'll outline the best things you can do to start and keep your college career on track.
Take Control
For many students; they experience culture shock when they transition from high school to college. In college, there's no one to hover over you and tell you what to do. Whether you do well or poorly falls entirely to you. Getting to class on time, doing your homework, and turning everything in before the deadlines are something you have to do without a teacher or parent there to remind you. Step up and take responsibility from the first day. This can stop you from getting overwhelmed halfway through.
Delegate Your Writing Projects
If you take a full course load, the papers you have to write can seem endless. If you get overwhelmed and behind, consider hiring a professional essay writer to help you. They can take on some of your smaller essays, and this frees up your time to concentrate on the longer and more in-depth essays you have due dates looming for. This ensures that your quality doesn't slip and your grades don't suffer from scrambling to finish them all at once.
Go to Class
This one may seem like common sense. You're paying for your classes, so you should make an effort to go to all of them. Many students think that they can miss a set number of classes without a problem. They miss four, five, six, seven, or eight classes over the course of a semester and think that they can just get the notes. But, if you only have 35 classes per semester and you miss 7, you're missing 20% of the content. This can hurt your grade and GPA.
Make an Effort to Study
When you go to college, be prepared to study. Most of your work will take place outside of the classroom. The general rule is that you'll have two hours of studying to do for every hour of lecturing you sit through. As soon as the semester starts, find yourself a quiet area and block off time to study. Getting any e-readings, copying notes, and listening to the lecture again isn't studying and shouldn't count for your study time.
Take Tests Twice
Pre-tests are a big part of college life, especially if you use them like you would an actual test. If your instructor doesn't give you a pre-test, you can draw one up using your course materials. Once you have it, take it like you would a normal test under the same conditions. Have a time limit, don't look at the book unless you can on the test itself, and grade honestly. This will outline where you need to improve before you take the test again for an actual class grade.
Take Advantage of Office Hours
Most professors offer generous office hours during the week and even on weekends. They also have teacher assistants (TAs) on hand to help. At the very least, universities and colleges require professors to be available to students at least two to four hours every week. Email them, drop by, or use Skype to get answers to your questions. They can also use this time to give you extra guidance about the course in general.
Always Answer the Exact Question
Always answer the exact question on a test or paper. More students lose more points by deviating from the question and failing to answer it than giving the incorrect answer in the first place. Your professors go to great lengths to write out exact questions and sub-questions. They expect exact answers to the question rather than generalized answers or a rambling explanation of everything you may know about a topic.
Make a Point to Participate
It's easy to get lost in a sea of students, especially if you go to larger lecture halls. It's a good idea to introduce yourself. You want to make a point to participate during lectures. Ask questions if it pertains to the subject or class in general. It's very likely that other people wonder the same thing. If it's not directly related to the class material, send your professor an email. or visit them during their office hours.
Turn in Everything
Even if you hand an assignment in late, docking a few points instead of getting a zero is much easier on your GPA. If you find yourself struggling, you can talk to the profession, talk to the TA, or take advantage of your college's tutoring services. Try to do this in advance, so you don't turn in your assignments way past the due date.
Learn How to Cite Sources
Plagiarizing content can be grounds for immediate disciplinary actions if you get caught. No matter if you're writing out a paper or giving a presentation, you have to cite your sources. You can run your paper through Copyscape if you're worried about plagiarizing, and make sure you ask before you turn it in if you're not sure.
Improve Your Writing
Even though you're in college, your professors can still rate you on your writing quality and style. Learn how to use semi-colons and commas. Your college usually has a writing lab that you can drop by and ask if you have questions. You want to make a point to learn to use homonyms correctly because they have very different meanings even if they sound the same. Also, take time to proofread everything once or twice before you turn it in.
See Also: Effective Tips for Writing Assignments You Probably Didn’t Know About
These 11 quick success tips for college students can help to make your transition easier. You won't get so overwhelmed, and you can have a seamless experience from the first to the last year.
