Adjusting to college has definitely been a challenging experience, especially when it comes to the academics. My usual study habits in high school just weren’t cutting it for the rigorous classes I’m currently taking here at USF. After almost two months of school, I’ve finally figured out a few easy hacks to getting better grades and staying organized and on top of things in all of your classes.
1. Use a calendar.
This is probably the easiest hack for getting better grades. Simply map out all of your upcoming due dates, test dates, any school events or meetings - basically anything and everything going on in your life. Whether it’s a print out calendar on your desk or a digital version on Google Calendar, this will help you visualize what things you have going on. Having something like this to look out will let you map out what you need to do and when. Personally, this has reduced my stress because I have a better idea of when things are due and I’m not waiting until the last minute to do things.
2. Establish study habits for each of your classes.
One of my biggest mistakes was using the same study habits for all of my classes, even though each class is structured differently. Once you get the hang of how much reading you have to do each day and the format of the quizzes / tests, it’s easier to work around that and change your study habits accordingly.
3. Stay organized.
This might sound cliche, but I really believe that the more organized you are, the more you’ll succeed. Making sure the area where you do all your homework / study is clean and free of clutter will put you in a better head space. Also make sure you have designated binders / folders / etc. for each of your classes. This will make you less likely to misplace important assignments.
4. Get sleep.
I know I know, we’re all in college and sleep is something that we crave, but rarely ever get enough of. You may only have gotten four to five hours of sleep the night before, but even taking a quick power nap in between classes will freshen you up and make you more alert. There’s nothing worse than going to class when you’re extremely tired from the night before and incapable of retaining any information. Whenever you can, try to fit in a twenty to thirty minute nap in between classes.
5. Hide your phone will studying.
It’s so incredibly easy to check that one Snapchat notification you got and then immediately start scrolling through Instagram and Twitter and eventually lose all track of time. To avoid this, hide your phone or put your phone in your backpack while you’re studying or doing homework. Keep it out of sight that way you’re less tempted to check it.
Hope these tips help you achieving your goals this semester.
