College is one of the most important aspects of life for most of us. We get new opportunities, meet new people, and on top of it all, new-found adulthood is fun. We’re all on the constant run to prove ourselves and emerge as winners.
Of course, for each of us the path is different. However, no matter what we choose to do, the basic rules of being successful in college remains the same. There is a lot of groundwork, research and after-hours that must be met in order to earn yourself a spot on the list of winners. In fact, stats suggest that 6 out of 10 students entering community college must take remedial courses to make up for the material they did not learn in high school.
Remember, there is not a single, defined path to success. However, there are a few tried-and-tested tips that will help you make the best of your college life. Here are our 6 tips to maximize your college experience:
1. Start taking control of your life
The biggest difference between school life and college life is that now you don’t have parents telling you what to do and how to do it. It’s time to start taking control of your own life. Take initiative and start doing things on your own, whether it is submitting an assignment or participating in college debate. So the first thing you need to do once you start college is to take responsibility for your own life and work accordingly.
2. Stop visiting classes as a tourist
If you are sitting in lectures just for the sake of it, it will cost you big time. You should actively participate in your classes in order to gain knowledge. Be it with your teachers or with fellow classmates, you must start questioning everything that grabs your attention. Try to guess what the professor will teach next, try to tie various points together as well as interact with your professors after lectures too.
It won’t happen overnight but you must keep trying to improve your attention span. To do that, try things that improve your focus, such as reading more, since this skill will help you for the rest of your life.
3. Prioritize your life
As a freshman in college, you are responsible for a lot of things. You might be juggling between multiple activities including family, sports, or clubbing. Each of us has our own priorities. However, many times, learning falls down on that list, unbeknownst to us.
If you want to succeed, learning should be your top priority in college. Allocate your time in such a way that learning doesn’t get hampered. Create a plan that incorporates your current tasks and manage everything else accordingly.
4. Collaborate and cooperate
College life isn’t just about books, career, and focus. It’s also about your friends, classmates, and everyone else. It’s a place that teaches you how to function with others and accept different viewpoints. Hence during your college years, try getting help from an online tutor, building your own community, sharing knowledge, and growing together. In the long run, it’s only going to benefit you in multiple aspects.
In college, group studies were my favorite activity. I remember the times when we were preparing for standardized exams like SCAT and we would spend almost half of our day solving practice tests. Moreover, we used to assign different modules to different group members and then sit together to discuss the problems. It was a fun and productive way that helped me a lot with passing my SCAT exam.
5. Make friends who share the same interests as you
You will experience lots of ups and downs during your college years, but the best part is that you don’t have to go through them alone. In college, people often make friends for life, so you should do the same. Don’t limit yourself – break the ice, initiate a conversation and don’t shy away from talking to new people. You don’t know who you might meet.
College is also a great place to meet like-minded people, who will help you ace your exams as well as hang out with you during your off time. Remember, socializing is a very important aspect of college life.
6. Say no to a negative mindset
Sometimes it might feel impossible to ignore the negative thoughts that pop into your head. For starters, you must know that these negative thoughts are completely natural – they happen to all of us from time to time. While they cannot be controlled, you can certainly control their impact on you. Don’t let them get in your way and prevent you from reaching your potential.
College life doesn’t need to be stressful or terrifying. Success doesn’t mean you need to restrict or eliminate exciting parts of your life. It simply means prioritizing what’s important for you and your future.
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