Key Takeaways
- Each student defines success in college differently.
- Maintaining a healthy balance between personal and academic obligations is crucial.
- Developing relationships in college can improve your academic performance and wellbeing.
Earning an associate’s or bachelor’s degree can be a difficult undertaking that calls for specific abilities acquired throughout college, and attending college might be frightening.
The move from high school to college might be daunting, but there is good guidance available.
Consider the following tips if you want to succeed in college: These four recommendations are not just for first-year students; they may be used by students at any point in their academic careers.
What Qualifies as an Effective College Learner?
Each student defines success in college differently. Nonetheless, the ability to take charge of one’s education is a characteristic shared by all successful students.
Tom Mullaney, a history professor at Stanford University in California and an academic influencer who offers guidance on social media, believes that students should realize that college may be a momentous occasion and that it is essential to be the “primary architect of that experience.”
The college experience is akin to a pearl necklace with the school, professors, and curriculum providing the pearls. However, it’s each student’s responsibility to create something great. The secret to success is having a solid educational foundation and a successful plan.
Show Inquisitiveness
Learning is a student’s job; therefore be inquisitive. According to experts, developing an inquisitive attitude is the first step toward a successful college career.
Students should ask “why,” according to Sara Beakley-Mercill, chair of the computer information systems department at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona and a full-time resident faculty member.
According to experts, a feeling of awe encourages pupils to take an active role in their education.
Beakley-Mercill continues, “I believe that curiosity, questioning, and an effort to understand are some of the mindsets I want students to have.” That alone gives kids the opportunity to try new things, but it’s not the only thing.
For college students, experimenting in a new setting brings up a world of opportunities. For example, enrolling in classes you might not often take could lead to the discovery of new hobbies and interests.
Boston College in Massachusetts’s dean of faculties and provost, David Quigley, advises “leaning into the possibilities and not only defaulting to something one is good at or knows.” Early college risk-taking has been shown to have disproportionately favorable long-term outcomes.
Manage your time well
With their new routines and ways of living, college students may feel overburdened, and that time is flying by.
“During those first months and weeks on campus, you realize you’re in charge of time,” Quigley says. You must figure out how to maximize all of that time.
Effective time management is crucial for college success. It’s crucial to strike a balance between your personal and academic obligations.
“Slumber. Rest. Spend some time taking care of yourself, advises Quigley. “I believe that the tendency to keep burning the candle at both ends doesn’t usually work out.”
According to experts, time should be taken into account both during the undergraduate experience and in the daily commotion of college.
Mullaney asserts that “If people merely passively believe that this 10- or 15-week program would change them, they are actually not setting themselves up for success.” “On the contrary, the life-changing events may require some time.”
Finding a constant focus in your studies is essential to becoming an expert time manager in college. Instead of breaking up your education according to the semester or quarter system, Mullaney argues that working on a long-term research study or project, or pursuing a passion, can produce a complete college experience.
Mullaney asserts that there must be a common thread or tissue that runs through the holidays of spring, Thanksgiving, winter, and summer. “That tissue is the foundation of a college experience.”
Attend the Office Hours of Your Professors
College instructors strongly advise students to attend their offices during the hours when they are available. It is the duty of every student to complete the assignment.
Mullaney says, “Make sure you attend office hours.” “Go 30% of the time, so go three times in ten weeks of classes.”
He goes on to say that there is a “sweet spot” of thirty percent between seeing your lecturer too infrequently and taking up too much time from both parties’ schedules.
Experts claim that office hours can help students learn more effectively in addition to strengthening their bonds with instructors. When students tell their teachers what they don’t know, they should receive wise counsel, Mullaney continues.
Create enduring connections
College, according to some, is a marathon rather than a sprint. Experts advise students to form a strong team because college is like a relay race.
Students’ academic experience and general well-being can be improved by the connections and interactions they make in college. Experts note that this network might serve as a support system.
One strategy to develop a solid network is to look for professors who share your academic objectives. Mullaney suggests enrolling in classes “based on some research of who the instructor is and whether or not you want them to help you”.
Personal relationships can help students cope with stress and burnout, as they foster lasting conversation partners. Quigley, who worked at a college switchboard, found that finding conversation partners across generations on campus was incredibly helpful in fostering support during moments of burnout.
Experts emphasize the importance of prioritizing family connections in college admissions. Beakley-Mercill advises students dropping classes for family reasons to not apologize, as success in college depends on addressing other responsibilities.
