Trying to define what makes one student more successful than another is a rather difficult task. Success can be attributed to a number of factors; hard work, perseverance, stamina, high intellect, diet (yes, diet) and sometimes, even pure luck.
Trying to define what makes one student more successful than another is a rather difficult task. Success can be attributed to a number of factors; hard work, perseverance, stamina, high intellect, diet (yes, diet) and sometimes, even pure luck.
Here’s the thing though. As the saying goes, what’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander. In other words, what works for one person, doesn’t always necessarily work for another.
So here are what we consider to be 7 tips on what could help you become a successful college student.
1. Focus. Focus. Focus.
Establish what your goal is. Understand what it is that you are trying to achieve. Then focus on attaining what you want. Rein your attention in and focus on every class and every assignment or project that you are given to complete. This is not to say that you shouldn’t be having fun during your undergraduate years. It’s as equally important. But focus on finding the right balance so that the distractions don’t override your drive to being a successful student.
2. Get Involved.
Engage in conversation with your professor, tutor and other students as well. Ask questions. Discuss content material. Participate. Communicate. You’d be amazed at how much more can be learnt simply by listening to another point of view. Moreso, through increased interaction, you may also discover the importance of particular ideas and information that you would have otherwise not even considered.
3. Listen To Feedback.
Analyse graded papers and exams. Don’t ignore them. Read the feedback. Learning through your mistakes is key in understanding where you went wrong in the first place. So don’t be deterred by a low score or wrong answers. Rather, work on improving the areas that you are perhaps a little weaker in so that you will be more equipped to do better next time. Persist and your efforts will pay off. Never bury your head in the sand.
4. Prioritise
Education should be your top priority during college. This means putting a proper structure in place to accommodate your studying and any other activities you’d like to partake in. Ensure you prepare properly for assignments or exams. Don’t procrastinate. Break your time up into manageable chunks because leaving things for the last minute will hardly allow you to study efficiently. In the battle of studying for an exam at 2am the night before; chances are sleep will be the winner. So plan properly. Your academic success depends on it
5. Challenge yourself intellectually.
When you study, you really need to think actively and critically about what you reading, not just trying to memorize events and data. And when you write your papers, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. You need to try to probe more deeply into nuances of the issue and not just to state the obvious.
Above all, this process will help you be a better person and a better professional.
6. Rest. Sleep. Relax and Eat Well
Yes. Do all four. You need to take care of yourself when you are studying. This means being well rested by getting enough sleep. Staying up all night is never a good idea. The exhaustion that will ensue will impact your concentration levels. Lethargy will kick in and you simply won’t have the energy to study properly. So take a nap. It will be worth it. Diet is also as important as rest. You need to fuel the brain so that you can study better. This certainly doesn’t mean drinking copious amounts of caffeine or gobbling the worst of take-outs. It actually means eating the right kind of nutritious foods at regular intervals. This will keep your energy levels stable and stop you from giving into the temptation of calorie laden snacks.
7. Ask For Help.
We all have our limits. In order to succeed in college, you need to be able to feel that it’s okay to ask for help when necessary. College life can be a big transition for a lot of people, even adult students. So rather than stand the risk of falling behind because of the pressures that you may be experiencing as a student, speak to your professor, a tutor or even other students. Know that this may be necessary in becoming a successful student but guess what, it’s completely fine!
