So here's the thing: We are often told the advice "Go to school, and get good grades!" which seems obvious yet rather clishe...but what else should we be actively doing with the 24 hours of the day we have? There has to be a secret to the good, balanced life as a college student other than being in school and trying to get a high GPA. Many people have anxiety about the future and what it holds, because being in college is sometimes not enough. Therefore, it is important that you get ahead in all aspects of life. Here are five ways to be at the top of your game in and outside of the classroom:

1. Take your major seriously.

Realistically, do you actually know how many students at your university, and across the United States, are competing for the exact same job position/career as you? What advantage do you have over them? What are the criteria that top leaders in your industry usually have? And, who are the top leaders at your university who may have the connections/knowledge necessary to help you get ahead? These are hard questions to answer, but once you figure them out, you will have more knowledge than your competition-aka the other college students in your major. You can talk to professors/administrators with experience in your major, and get there advice on who to network with and what steps to take that will have you hit the ground running before you even get your diploma. You can go to sleep rest assured that you'll have more clarity in life than you did before.

2. Pick three habits to develop. - Work on personal goals outside of class, school isn’t enough.

Again, while college is awesome, and studying should be something you do on a daily basis, what are you doing outside of your college education to help you excel in life? Exercising, reading, meditating, visualizing, drinking a gallon of water, eating clean/healthy, journaling- these are all great habits to develop that have little to do with getting a good grade in a class, but will significantly improve the quality of your life. Discipline works wonders, and while we all wish we could have insanely productive and perfect lives, picking 3 realistic yet simple habits will set you on the right track and motivate you to reach those other goals that you've always wanted to reach.

3. Save your money like your life depends on it (because it does).

It is no surprise that many of us fall under the phrase, "Broke College Student" and for good reason. On top of back-breaking student loan debt, we have clothes we want to buy, restaurants we want to try out, places we want to experience, concerts we want to attend, etc. That is why, on top of all of this, we need to make sure we are saving at least 10% of our money. It may seem impossible, but buying that $60 Express shirt that you don't need can actually be put in a savings account that you don't touch until you're out of college. (At least) As the popular saying goes, "you reap what you sow." If you start to save now, future you will want to jump back into this moment and give you a huge hug. Do yourself a favor and save your hard earned money. Every time you receive a paycheck/money, routinely put 10% of it into an account you cannot touch. You won't even notice the money is not there to spend.

4. Read a book that you don’t have to read.

Are you one of those people that is guilty of ONLY studying/reading when it is required to in order to get a good grade in a class? Our generation kiiiiind of has a negative connotation towards books, due to some of the uninteresting, mundane reading material we have been given throughout the years. However, I can personally attest that reading books written by successful people, people who have what you want, can and will literally change your life. Personal development books, as they are often called, do just that- they personally develop you. Here are 3 amazing books that I've had the opportunity to read that are a good place to start :

7 Habits of Highly Successful People; How to Stop Worrying and Start Living; Think and Grow Rich.

5. Work hard during the week so you can have fun during the weekend.

Now this mayyyy seem slightly paradoxical to these last points, but whoever told you that life should be taken very seriously, or that partying and having fun is bad, LIED TO YOU!! Life truly is about balance, and you cannot achieve happiness if you have constant anxiety about your future, with no focus on the present moment. Live and breathe everything you do- if you give 100% in your studies, you can give 100% when having fun, and not have all your worries floating in the back of your mind as you're trying to enjoy yourself. Life IS about balance. Find what balance means to you, and make sure you go all in to achieve it.