Everyone has different techniques to become successful in college, but not all of them work for every student. Here are eight strategies to make you a better student.

1. Write your homework assignments down in a planner.

This is the biggest key to success in college. Professors give out numerous assignments that can all be due on the same day. The way to stay on top of all your assignments is to stay as organized as you possibly can.

2. Start papers as soon as possible.

When a professor gives out a writing assignment that is not due for a few weeks, start it as soon as possible. I know every college student always waits until the last minute, one time or another. This is just a recipe for disaster. Would you rather write one-page each day for six days or write six-pages in one night? I'm assuming it's the first answer. It will provide you with a better-written essay that is more thought out, etc. This goes for studying for exams as well. You will remember more if you space out your studying to, in example, 30-minutes per night for six nights rather than three hours of cramming the day before the exam.

3. Get involved on campus!

Whether it be a job, a club, an intramural sports team, or an athletic team, this is the number one way to make new friends! The most important part to staying happy and determined is to have distractions from things that you need to get your mind off of. Keeping yourself busy will prevent you from becoming homesick, etc.

4. Don't give up on yourself.

When you fail that first exam or you get your first bad grade on an assignment. Don't stress too much about it. Everyone has that bad grade at one time or another, but there will be other assignments and there will be other exams that you can crush the next time to cancel out that one bad grade. Don't stress the little things, when you can be focusing your energy on the things that genuinely matter.

5. Have fun!

Everyone knows that you go to college to obtain a career and become successful, but you're only young once. So live these next four, five, six, seven, or even eight years to the absolute fullest. Don't miss out on opportunities with your friends because you think one night will be your breaking point in achieving one point higher on that exam. There is time for studying and there is time for fun. You have to balance the two out, and that is the most important step in being successful in college.