Tips For College
A little back story on me. I attended college right out of high school for mechanical engineering. I was an AP student, good grades but I HATED school. Shortly into engineering school I dropped out because that wasn’t what I wanted at that point in my life. Long story short, I pursued another career (which I’m still happy I did). Eventually I decided to go back to school and quickly discovered I no longer hated school but in fact LOVED it! I’ve been able to maintain a 4.0 and continue to work. My goals are now to become a registered dietitian which requires a masters degree (and then after that I want my PhD in nutrition), at least a bachelors degree in Kinesiology, next semester I’ll be getting my associates in culinary arts 👩🏼🍳, and then maybe even a degree in photography because I’ve already taken a few classes. A few years ago I honestly thought I would always just be a college dropout, so it’s crazy to me that I now have these goals.
Here’s my tips on how to be successful in college
Show up to class!!!!!!! This is the most important tip I can possibly give. For a lot of students, college is their first time experiencing independence and not being forced to go to school. So they just don’t show up! Attendance can be part of your grade. Those are easy points that your missing out on if you don’t show up. Even if attendance isn’t counted (and more importantly) your missing out on info!! It’s way easier to just show up to class and listen, than to try and catch up on the info yourself. Plus a lot of professors while teaching will also hint at important info that may be on tests. I could go on and on but the point is just SHOW UP TO CLASS!
Don’t procrastinate. This ones obvious and I think we all already know that. At the very least, look at the parameters of the assignments because sometimes if you wait till last minute you’ll screw yourself if the assignment entails more than you thought.
Get organized. I like to color code everything. This means I have a colored binder for every class with a matching colored notebook. I use three ring binders and notebooks with 3 hole punches so I can put them in the notebook. Because I have classes from multiple majors it’s easy to look at “green” and know that Kinesiology, “black” culinary arts, “blue” photography, etc.
Take notes even if it’s not required. A lot of professors are insulted and get angry if you don’t take notes (which usually means more students take notes). But there’s also a lot of professors that don’t care, your grade and work ethic is on you. In those classes, most everyone just sits there and stares at the proffessor and never writes anything down. Taking notes is a great way to help retain information. Also, I use one of those 4 color pens. For me it’s just easier to look at notes where main points and sub points are in different colors. It helps me to find info faster when going over notes.
Get every point possible. I guess this one depends on your standards and expectations. For me, I’ve become a freak about my grades. I want the highest grade possible at all times! I think this is a good rule for any student though because you never know what’s going to happen! There’s times when you can be sittin pretty on an A and then boom a bad exam and you have a C now. The last thing you want is that to happen and you don’t pass the class. I also find that trying to get every point possible is a great way to alleviate stress during the finals. It gives you a little cushion so that your not borderline a grade you don’t want. So even the stupid little 5point assignments, do them! If extra credit is offered, do it even if you don’t need it. You never know.
Get to know your professors if possible!! I’m not saying kiss ass but be nice and talk to them. Theyre just people. Knowing your professors can open up a lot of doors and opportunities. Maybe down the road you need a letter or recommendation. It can also help with your grade. This last semester I got to know my photography professor and told him how I just enjoyed the class and was only taking it for fun. I also told him how I had a 4.0 and I was seriously stressing that the class was going to blow it for me because I had a B that seemed impossible to bring up. I did extra credit, I busted my ass, barely got it up to an A and he saw that. I definitely think that helped influence my grade on the final because if he had given me one point less, I would have gotten a B.
Figure out your professors teaching/testing style as fast as you can. Now this isn’t about getting to know them personally but figure out how they like to run their class. Every teacher has a system of how they like to grade and also how they like to present info. Are they getting test questions from the book, their power points, or things they say? There’s times where I don’t even bother with the book because professors create tests using only info in the power points.
Balance your schedule with easy classes and hard classes. This isn’t always possible but if you can don’t overload yourself. It’s super easy to do while your working on your initial general eds but harder to do once you get into your core classes
If there’s a study guide, DO IT! This seems so obvious to me but it always blows my mind how many students never do study guides.
(Especially if you work) try to give yourself a day off. This doesn’t have to mean don’t do anything including homework but just make sure there’s at least one day a week where you don’t have to go to school or work. This last semester I had basically no free time at all. It was horrible. I didn’t see friends or family hardly ever. Balance is key.
