It would be great if we could all get the college experience without actually having to study and get a degree. Imagine how sick it would be to live with your friends, study abroad, and go out every night without having to worry about submitting your assignments online by 11:59 p.m.?
Unfortunately, we are paying hella money to learn things and prepare ourselves to get a job after we grow up and graduate. I have made it onto the Dean’s List several times during my college career, but it is not, I repeat, not easy.
The biggest thing you have to do to get good grades in college is to train your mind to be organized and disciplined. You have to get a planner or a calendar and as soon as you know when due dates are, write them down. That’s the easy part, but it doesn’t stick with a lot of people and they set themselves up for C’s.
But having your due dates written down is not helpful if you only see them a few days before the assignment is due. I procrastinate so I can’t preach to get things done ahead of time if I don’t practice it myself.
Now there’s a blurred line when it comes to free time. If you have free time, just weigh the options of doing work or doing nothing. The answer is not always to do the work, because you’ll get burnt out if you never chill. You have to get your stuff done, or you don’t go out. It’s as simple as that.
Here’s a little tough love: If you can’t handle meeting deadlines before having fun now while you’re in college, it’s only going to get harder in the real work with work-life balance.
When you’re in class, just be in class. Try not to text the whole time, because your professor might have mentioned their policy on phones during syllabus week and you might end up with a bad participation grade.
I do not use my laptop in class because it’s distracting. Multitasking is a myth; you can’t comprehend a lecture and lurk around on the Internet at the same time.
Take notes in class because studies show your brain remembers information so much better when you use your hands to write (not type) things out with a pen on paper.
Finally, make your professors like you because most of them go easy on grading, especially if they know you and don’t have a problem with you. You don’t have to be buddy-buddy with them, but if you are that helps you with opportunities later on when you need internships and jobs.