Here's a few tips for your college years, simply because you can never have enough.
Meet with your professors.
Y'all, I cannot stress that enough. Sucking up to them when you're two points away from the next letter grade up comes in handy. At least meet with them and act like you care about your grade. C's do get degrees, but we'd all rather have that A or B, right?
Study ahead of time.
We have been told this since, what, middle school? Teachers tell us to study ahead of time every time we have a test or quiz coming, knowing we aren't going to study until the night before. But let me give an example of how studying ahead of time actually helps:
I'm in a sociology class this semester and failed my first exam. I mean, like, completely murdered that exam. The next exam he gave us a study guide, and I started studying a week before because there was so much information that was going to be on the exam. I memorized my notes, God only knows how I memorized it, but I did. I took that exam on a Friday and I knew I had passed it so I didn't worry about checking my blackboard. I received my score that Monday in class and I was four points away from a perfect score. Four points. So let me say that studying ahead of time is seriously worth your time.
Go to class, even if it's not mandatory.
At Pembroke, for our Gen Ed classes we're allowed to miss six days before points are taken off of our grades. Some professors are more lenient with that rule, but not all. It's a real good thing they have that set up though because I promise that you would never see me at my 8:00 am if attendance was not a part of my grade. For a class I had last semester, we would get extra credit simply for coming to class. That was a blessing.
Have a plan. Either for your day or your week; it helps.
Having a plan makes life easier. You know what you have to do and know when you have to do it by, but writing it down helps a lot. I'm slightly basic, but I have a Lilly planner. I think I mainly bought it because it was pretty, but now, I couldn't go a day without it. It has everything in it. My assignments are due, when I have Zeta events, when I have church events, and things I need to take care of by this or that date. A planner helps me stay organized. Even though it would be great to have a personal assistant to take of care of everything for me, this at least keeps my mind on track and reminds me, "oh hey, I have a quiz tomorrow in religion." Whether you have a planner or just have reminders set in your iPhone app, it helps. Just think of everything you would have forgotten by now if you wouldn't have had it written down or in your phone!
College is a lot. There's always something you need to be working on, something that you need to go do, or something that's probably past due. Why not take all the tips and help you can get? You only have four years of this craziness anyways.
