Go to class. Seriously.
This may seem obvious, but many college freshmen start a bad habit of skipping classes. Once you start skipping, it can be hard to stop. You might start to make up excuses to yourself, like "oh the professor just reads off the slides anyway" or "it's too far" (seriously, that's a real quote from someone). Going to class is just the first step, but it's an important one. If you aren't in class, you may miss important things that your professor mentions, like "hey, study chapter 23 it might be on the quiz!" or they may take attendance and provide extra points to students who attend the majority of classes. Also, you or your parents are paying for these college classes, which we all know are NOT cheap. You are literally throwing money away by not attending your classes. There is just no downside to attending classes. P.S. some professor even automatically fail you if you miss more than a certain number of classes!
Take detailed notes.
Okay, again, this one is quite obvious. But I can't begin to tell you the number of students I see in my classes just sitting there, either just listening to the lecture, or playing on their laptops. Now this varies, because I know some students say that they are able to focus and listen better when they aren't trying to scramble and write everything down. There are also some students who are really just that smart, they don't need to write anything down. Get to know yourself a little bit, and figure out what learning style fits you the best. I personally have to take notes, first to help me when I am studying later, but it also helps me pay attention.
Go to any review session offered by your professor.
If your professor offers review sessions, whether they are in the class session before the test or a different day, they are extremely useful. Now, some professors vary in what they are willing to tell you about the test, but even if your professor just reads off the topics that you covered, it could still be beneficial to you. Some of the more lenient professors will literally tell you exactly what's going to be on the test, and those who don't attend those sessions are at a major disadvantage.
Utilize Google Calendar or another organization tool.
I cannot stress this enough, Google Calendar is a lifesaver. Even if you are the type that likes to use a physical planner, either one will work. I use both, but that may be a little repetitive for some people. As soon as you start your first semester, on your first day of class, take out each syllabus from each class and lay it out in front of you. Go through your planner or Google Calendar and put the dates of every assignment, exam, and quiz for each class and this will be very useful throughout the rest of the semester. I would also recommend updating your planner as often as possible, and check it often too. That way, you'll never be that person who freaks out in class saying, "We have a test today?!"
Make a study guide for each of your tests.
For every exam I have, I plan a few days ahead of time to make a study guide and fill it out before the test. Even just the act of making the study guide (I personally use Quizlet or plain paper to make summaries of topics) will help you retain the information a little bit and it forces you to go through the material. Obviously, the best route would be to complete the study guide and actually study it, but sometimes if you're on a time crunch just briefly going over the study guide after you made it on Quizlet will help you on the test.
