As a student, I have struggled a lot throughout my academic career. I will admit…I have always been one to procrastinate, and I mean seriously procrastinate. I guess just never really found the motivation to try my hardest in school. Luckily for me, I began to thrive my senior year. I began starting projects 2 weeks early, studying for tests 3 days before rather than 3 hours before, participating in group discussions, etc.; something clicked.
Believe it or not, even the best students in high school struggle in college. Regardless of your performance in high school, college is your chance to start over. When I was introduced to my first paper in English, I was terrified to say the least. 2,000 words, 6 pages, and way too much research… where do I even begin? Being on your own without the ability to take 5 steps into the other room and ask your parents for help is a tough adjustment, but 100% possible.
So here are some tips for all you seniors:
1) Do take responsibility for your failures. Understand what went wrong, and fix it. You are on your own in college, meaning your success is up to you. The harder you try in class and the more you participate in discussions, the greater your chance of reaching academic success.
2) Don't wait until the last second. Teachers assign work in advance for a reason. They are trying to help you by basically saying the assignment will take longer than you think to complete. Get a head start on everything.
3) Do buy a planner/agenda book and actually use it. I can't stress enough how important organization is in college. My first semester I had a planner and opened it maybe 3 times; huge mistake on my part. I was taking 17 hours.. 4 classes a day… how was I supposed to remember every single assignment? It is best to avoid those embarrassing conversations with your professors regarding those 5 missing assignments. If you find it difficult to keep up with a planner, developing a separate method to keep you on track will be just as helpful!
4) Don't expect your college professors to be your friend. You are in a class of 200 people… do you honestly think your teacher will seriously care about your performance? Nope. I make it a point to speak to each of my professors early in the semester to establish some sort of relationship with them. If they see you are determined to do well in the class, they will help you out as much as they can!
5) Don't skip class. This is by far the most important tip I have. You are in college to get an education and prepare yourself for the challenges and responsibilities you will face in the future. If you go up to your professor and complain about your grade and he/she pulls up your profile to see you have missed 4+ classes…….. do you really think they will help you? Skipping class will get you no where. So be smart, go to class, do your work, and I promise college will be the best 4 years of your life.
Well I hope you take my advice and run with it! Remember that it is a privilege to be in school, not a right! That is a motto my high school goes by. College is what you make of it; you call the shots now.
