We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share their tips for succeeding in college. Here are the best ones.
1. Add experience to your résumé.
"It's never too early to add experience to your résumé — join clubs, get a part time job, get to know your professors. This will help tons when you graduate!"
2. Go to your professor's office hours.
"If your teacher/professor offers extra help, SI sessions, test reviews, or whatever they call it, GO TO THEM. It forces you to look at the material, be with other students who may have the same questions you do, and gives you a chance to ask questions. Teachers also look at who goes to them, and may consider that when it comes time for grading."
3. Utilize provided health and counseling services.
"Don't be afraid to utilize the counseling and mental health services your school offers! I didn't reach out until things had hit rock bottom, and it wasn't until then that I learned about group therapy, relaxation rooms, and other day-to-day resources that would've made my first two years a lot easier!"
4. Track your degree requirements.
"Keep a copy of your degree requirements with you at all times and cross off classes as you take them. See what classes for your major fill core class requirements and take those. That way, you know what you still need to take and it keeps you on course."
5. Create strong study habits.
"Get in the groove of going straight to the library after your classes to get your work done. If you go back to your dorm, chances are you’ll get distracted and it will be difficult to motivate yourself back into study mode."
6. Get to know your classmates.
"Befriend classmates! Get at least 2–3 people’s contact info in case you’re sick and need notes, a study buddy, have a question, or to find out what you missed in class."
7. Find power in the flash card.
"Make flash cards! For every course! It’s an awesome way to relearn the material and also study. I just tie them all together with a rubber band and take them everywhere. The trick is to slowly learn them and then keeping the familiar ones in the front of the pile — that way the material becomes even more comfortable little by little as you go over it a trillion times."
8. Be honest with your professors.
"Communicate with your professors! I went through a lot of rough times my freshman year — my parents split up, I was in four shows, and I played a team sport. There were times when it all became too much, and I reached out to my professors. All of them were willing to give me the extensions, extra support, and help that I needed to survive those tough times. It can be scary, but there’s no need to suffer unnecessarily."
9. Be persistent with your planner.
"Get a planner, and the day you get your syllabus, write the deadlines in there and plan backward. If your first paper is due Oct. 1, write down that your first draft is due a week before, and then you aren't up the night before it's due."
10. Study a major that interests you.
"Choose a major that interests you! When something interests you, it makes [it] a lot easier to study and encourages you to learn the material. As for [the] inevitable classes you don't care about, create a study group. Everyone grasps concepts differently, so there is bound to be at least one person who understands and can."