Keys to Success in College

• 1. Find and get to know one individual on campus who cares about your survival. It only takes one. It might be the leader of your orientation seminar or some other instructor, an academic advisor, someone at the career or counseling center, an advisor to a student organization or group, or someone where you have an on-campus job. You may have to take the initiative to establish this relationship--but it will be well worth it.
• 2. Learn what helping resources your campus offers and where they are located. Then use them. Most campuses have academic and personal support services that are free and confidential. Successful people seek help.
• 3. Understand why you are in college. Your college years will be much more productive if you identify specific goals. This chapter introduces you to a useful goal-setting process.
• 4. Set up a daily schedule and stick to it. If you can't do it alone, find someone on campus or at home who can help--perhaps someone in your academic skills or personal counseling center. Get a day-timer or "week-at-a-glance" calendar from your bookstore. Chapter 5 will get you started at assigning sufficient time for study, work, sleep, and recreation. If you have family or work obligations, find ways to balance them with academic demands. A serious talk with family members may be in order.
• 5. If you're attending classes full-time, try not to work more than 20 hours a week. Most people begin a downhill slide beyond 20 hours. If you need more money, talk to a financial aid officer. Also, try to work on campus. Students who work on campus tend to do better in classes and are more likely to stay enrolled than those working off campus. Visit someone in your college placement office.
• 6. Assess and improve your study habits. Develop a better understanding of your own learning style. If your campus has an academic skills center, pay a visit.
• 7. Join at least one study group. Study with a friend regularly and form a study group in a class. Studies have shown that students who study in groups often get the highest grades.
• 8. See your instructors outside class. It's okay to go for help. Studies have shown that students who interact with instructors outside class stay in college longer.
• 9. Choose teachers who involve you in the learning process. Take classes in which you can actively participate. Unfortunately, most students choose their classes based on what will fit best in their schedule, not on the instructor. Ask upper-class students who the best instructors are. If your student government publishes course/instructor evaluations, use them to select instructors who encourage discussion.
• 10. Know how to find information on your campus, including at the library. The library isn't as formidable as it might seem, and it offers a wealth of resources.
• 11. Improve your writing. Employers want graduates who can write. Write something every day--the more you write, the better you will write. Do the journal and other writing assignments in this book.
• 12. Develop critical thinking skills. Challenge. Ask why. Look for unusual solutions to ordinary problems and ordinary solutions to unusual problems. There are few absolutely right and wrong answers in life, but some answers come closer to the "truth" than others.
• 13. Find a great academic advisor or counselor. The right advisor can be an invaluable source of support, guidance, and insight throughout your college years.
• 14. Visit the career center early in your first term. Begin your career development now. See a career counselor before you get too far along in college. Even if you have chosen your academic major, the career center may offer valuable information about careers and about yourself.
• 15. Make at least one or two close friends among your peers. College is a chance to form new and lasting ties. Choose your friends for their own merits, not for what they can do for you. In college, as in life, you become like those with whom you associate.
• 16. If you're not assertive enough, take assertiveness training. Check at your counseling center for workshops and programs on assertiveness training. It's never too late to learn how to stand up for your rights in a way that respects the rights of others.
• 17. Get involved in campus activities. Visit the campus (or student) activities office--usually found in the student union. Work for the campus newspaper or radio station. Join a club or support group. Play intramural sports. Most campus organizations welcome newcomers--you're their lifeblood. Students who join even one group are more likely to stay in college, to prosper, and to graduate.
• 18. Take your health seriously. How much sleep you get, what you eat, whether you exercise, and what decisions you make about drugs, alcohol, and sex all contribute to how well or unwell you feel. Get into the habit of being good to yourself and you'll be happier and more successful.
• 19. If you can't avoid stress, learn how to live with it. There are healthy ways to deal with stress. Your counseling center can introduce you to techniques that will help you worry less and accomplish more.
• 20. Show up for class. When asked what they would do differently if they could do it all over again, most seniors say, "go to class." Instructors tend to test on what they discuss in class, as well as grade in part on the basis of class attendance and participation. Why abuse your new freedom? Being there is your responsibility. Simply attending class every day will go a long way toward helping you graduate.
• 21. Try to have realistic expectations. At first you may not make the grades you could be making or made in high school. If you were a star athlete in high school, you might not be in college.
• Source: Your College Experience Strategies for Success; Gardner, John, & Jewler, Jerome Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1995. (pg. 8-12)