1. Adopt a 9-to-5 Mentality
There is no simpler or more powerful college success tip. Get up and be "at work" by 9:00 a.m. - don't stop studying until dinner, regardless of your class schedule. You were in high school eight hours per day, Monday through Friday. That same effort in college will produce 20+ study hours every week and produce better results for you than any other single thing you can do. If you plan to work during the day, schedule study hours at the beginning of the week and follow the schedule religiously. College is the job that will keep you from doing the burger flippin' job for the next 40 years!
2. Get Organized
In high school, teachers talk to each other and spread tests and major assignments over the semester. In college, it will be you, not your teachers who will manage your schedule. Start by copying key dates from each of your syllabi (schedules given to you by each professor) in chronological order into a planner. The only way to avoid getting crushed when you have two exams and two major papers due in a given week is to know they're coming several weeks in advance. Budget your workload accordingly.
3. Seek Out a Study Spot
It should be quiet and isolated. A dorm room is a clear loser for this objective. Your roommate, his or her favorite new CD, and the repeated question "what are we going to do tonight?" will have a severely negative effect on your efforts. Student unions are typically losers as well, as they are crowded, noisy, and full of people who want to tell you how many days they have gone sleepless preparing for a test. Even if you venture to the library, all sections of the library are not created equal. Some are better for getting a date, some are better for finding people to borrow notes from, and some are better for high intensity, productive studying. If you're going to put in the time, make the most of it.
4. Sit in the "Worst" Seat in Every Class
Sit front and center. If you sit up front, you'll be forced to pay attention, no matter how boring you may find the lecture. If you have a question, you'll also be more likely to ask it from the third row than from the back row. Finally, if you sit in the front, the professor will get to know your face and your name. This is a good thing for a number of reasons. If you are "on the bubble" between two grades and want to plead your case for the higher grade, or if you need to negotiate on a test score (which can work), you'll be much more effective if the professor knows who you are. The professor could also be a big help later on in the internship or job search if he or she knows you and thinks you're a star.
5. Write Down Your Goals
Something about putting your objectives to paper helps make them happen. Make a list on paper of all the goals you would like to accomplish in college. Break the goals into academics, extracurriculars, and work experience. If you make the commitment to write down those goals (and look at them occasionally throughout the year), twelve months from now you'll be amazed at how effective you were at reaching the objectives you were willing to commit to paper.
This article originally appeared on MakingItCount.com.
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