Read newspapers daily
You may or may not be a news junkie and it might never be
your favorite thing to do but reading the newspaper and keeping up with the
news is important to your success in school and in life. Keeping up with the news will help you
connect with the info you are learning in class with what is going on in the
world. It also helps you look more informed and generally smart. Even if you only have time to keep up on the
headlines you will be ahead of the game.
We recommend reading the NY Times and the Washington Post but there are
many other reputable news sources that should be in your regular rotation. Look at CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Time
and Newsweek. No matter what you do just
make sure you are reading a variety of sources and that you are in tune with
what is happening in society.
Don’t be shocked when
you are asked to read through the entire textbook in a semester
I think this is one of the most shocking things you will
learn within the first few weeks of school.
In college you will go through a textbook that took you a whole year in
high school within a few weeks and also have to read supplemental
material. So be aware that college moves
fast and you cannot wait until the last minute to read the assigned
chapters. Some professors won’t even
reference the book in class but will expect you to speak about it in projects
and papers. So do yourself a favor and
make sure you read everything you are asked to.
Actually go to class
The temptation is certainly there to not go to class. Your mom isn’t there waking you up for class
and your dad isn’t there to drive you to school. It’s all up to you to get it together and
actually go to class. Sure you may not
need to go to class but then if you didn’t need to go to class then why are you
in college? You are there to learn from
your professors, classmates etc. So
going to class is an important tool in your success kit. Plus you or someone is paying for it and at
more that $1,000 per credit hour missing class ads up and then you aren’t
getting your money’s worth and college is way too expensive for that.
Do your assignments
on time
Given the short window you have in college to take classes
(a semester fly’s by) you will not have a lot of time to play catch up. In
college your professors are far less lenient on accepting late assignments. So getting your work done on time is
imperative to your success and will help you to graduate on time and keep your
stress down to a minimum. Also you will
have several classes you need to keep up with and if you fall behind in just one
it will be hard to keep up.
Get organized and get
a calendar.
Lastly, which may actually need to be your first objective
is to get a calendar. The syllabus you
receive is your contract with the class and it lists out every single date
something is due. Once you receive the syllabuses
put all of the dates into your Google calendar or write it down in your
planner. Doing this means there are no surprises. Realizing you have a 10 page paper due before
spring break and another research project that will take the entire semester to
write will allow you to prioritize your life and put your best foot
forward. Being
organized is something you should already be in the habit of doing but if you
aren’t that type of person you will need to become that type of person in order
to stay ahead in college.
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