Let's get one thing straight: College is not like high school. It is a completely different environment. Students have a lot more freedom at college than they did home, they have a new environment to discover, and that have a lot more studying to do. In high school, you may have had six or seven tests per class, lots of papers, and countless homework assignments. You usually did pretty well on all of these because high school was easy. Even if you forgot to do an assignment, turned a paper in late or bombed a test, it didn't really matter because you could always do better on the next one. However, in college courses you only have a few assignments and exams so if you fail one, your grade is really going to suffer. Nonetheless, it is completely possible to get good grades in college and make the deans list. You just have to buckle down, focus, and modify those study habits so they will work with difficult material.
Actually Go to Class
This is an easy one, just go to your classes. I know, waking up for an 8am chemistry class may not be the most appealing thing in the world but it will all pay off. Even if your tired or have "something better to do," it is crucial that you go to class and learn the material that is going to eventually be on the exam. Just reading the book will not be enough in college, you will understand the material a lot better if you hear it right from your professor.
Take Good Notes
Taking good notes is another simple thing you can do in order to do well in college classes. Make sure your notes are organized and easy to read. It will also be helpful to star or highlight concepts that your professor says more than once because more often than not, these will show up again on an exam. Also, make sure you're not just taking down the words on the powerpoint, make sure you know what everything means and write down specific examples that your professor mentions. College tests don't just ask for key definitions or key words, they are designed to test your knowledge on the specifics.
Start Studying Early
Again, this isn't high school anymore. You won't be able to start studying the night before an exam and expect to get an A (or even a B). You need to begin reviewing material at least five days before the exam. College level exams have a vast amount of information in them that cannot be learned in a short amount of time. Additionally, make sure you are actively studying; Don't just go over your notes. Instead, make flash cards, re-write your notes, teach another student the information, or study with a group of classmates. These methods will allow you to better learn the information and get a good grade on the exam.
Talk to your Professors
Your professors are there to help you. If you're struggling or are unsure of something, talk to them! Go to their office hours, or schedule a personal appointment, you won't regret it. Sometimes, professors will even hint to you what will be on the exam. They don't want you to spend hours studying something if they don't feel its important for you to know. Another reason why its important to build good relationships with your professors is that they could end up recommending you for a job or graduate school in the future.
Get at least 6 Hours of Sleep Each Night
This one isn't so easy. Between academics, friends, cool events on and off campus, and athletics, it can be pretty hard to get a full nights rest every night. Sometimes you might even have to pull an all-nighter in order to finish a paper. That's totally okay as long as you are able to nap the next day or make up for that lost rest later in the week. It's also proven that you are able to remember more information if you get an adequate amount of sleep.
If you follow these tips and take care of yourself, you will succeed in college. In fact, you may even find that its really not that hard to get good grades while maintaining a social life at school. How well you do is all up to you but putting in extra effort will definitely put you in a better position when graduation time comes.
