Thursday, May 29, 2008

How To-17: How to Succeed in College



How to Succeed in College


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

"How to Succeed in College" seeks to guide incoming freshmen into the collegiate academic and social atmosphere soundly by revealing steps one should recognize. As an undergraduate finishing my first year, I have experienced and fortunately survived a most disastrous term and learned these rules first hand.
So if you want to SUCCEED in college, the steps I have outlined below should steer you away from some of the most common pitfalls first year students tend to overlook and into the right direction. Also included at the bottom is a fairly detailed list of ESSENTIAL THINGS YOU'LL NEED for your first year in college! Enjoy.

Steps

  1. The Golden Rule: Whatever you do, DO NOT procrastinate. College academics, especially in the first and second terms, is not meant to present itself as arbitrarily difficult. Unlike high school, college asks you to formulate your own understanding, rather than having a teacher feed you facts for later regurgitation. Keeping caught up with your professor's lesson plan, as well as the course material, will save later stress, anxiety, and feelings of intellectual inadequacy.
  2. Secondly, it is crucial to establish your personal, positive frame of mind in regards to your education. Take a moment to reflect on what you enjoy doing and studying, and what you're genuinely interested in. What are your goals? What are your plans? Knowing yourself, and your reason for being in college, will eliminate any tinge of self-doubt or emptiness that might arise due to an intense, seemingly cold and emotionless academic atmosphere.
  3. In addition to creating and maintaining a consistent mindset, you must also not develop an adversarial perception of learning and knowledge. Remember, you're not the only one who is beneficially affected from your college education. Besides making you a more informed, rational, and moral human being, receiving a higher education will also enrich the lives of your parents as they begin to feel accomplished by raising you into the knowledgeable and skilled person who you have become. A negative, apathetic, or adversarial attitude towards your education will only prove self-defeating in the long run. If you perceive learning as a chore, it will become a chore. So even if you are not interested in a subject or course, try to apply your strengths and academic preferences to it. For example, if you are an Economics major and hold a grudge against your college for requiring a physics GE, try to find ways you can apply that physics course to your own field of study.
  4. This fourth step pertains to your social life. Regardless of your perception of social situations, groups, or whether you like them or not, it is only to your benefit to establish as many friendships as possible. Only through surveying a wide range of associates will you find a few good friends to hold on to. Much to your surpise, a healthy relationship with new and old friends will provide a necessary support network as well as minimalize those moments of isolation or loneliness that may bring you down.
  5. Lastly, the fifth step deals with your personal finances. Depending on your financial situation, you can easily save yourself from making wasteful, excess purchases and potential money problems if you make a conscious decision to distinguish which resources, material goods, and services are NEEDs and which are merely WANTS. If the item you wish to buy is necessitated by a NEED, then by all means purchase it. But, if you find yourself easily swayed by a penchant for the extravagant pleasures and comforts of life, make sure you limit your spending on items of hedonistic WANT. If you happen to be in sound financial shape (i.e. through parental support, scholarships, grants, financial aid) then this should not be a major concern for you. Otherwise, a key piece of fiscal advice is to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!

Tips

  • Stay healthy by doing four things: 1.) Eat healthy, 2.) Exercise, 3.) Relax, and 4.) Smile and Laugh
  • Do as much as you are able to in college! The entire experience is about learning how to balance between academic responsibilties and more leisurely activities.
  • Buy books online or from fellow classmates who have taken the course to save at least $200 a quarter/semester on textbooks you might only study once.
  • If you are an easily side-tracked person, find ways to minimize distractions to optimize learning ability.
  • Do not rely on late night study sessions or cramming, unless you know for sure you can benefit from such actions.
  • Cramming and procrastination only work for a select few, who are innately equipped to handle the pressure of completing tasks at the last minute to a fair degree of quality. If you aren't able to deal with these demands, don't risk it.
  • Remember who you are, what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
  • Try to sit in a place where you are comfortable during class. Usually it is easier to stay focused when sitting up front.
  • Use old exams as study guides. Make sure that you can answer the questions that you got wrong correctly. The teacher obviously thought it was important enough to test you on - and you may see it again on another exam.
  • Read ahead. If you know the professor is going to cover a certain section, try to read about it ahead of time. This way, you will have a more thorough understanding and can ask questions in class.
  • Make your goal to learn the material, not just to get the homework done.
  • If you're having trouble understanding, ask for help! Ask your professor or a tutor to help you.
  • If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me!

Warnings

  • The steps and tips toward making your first year in college a successful one are based on overarching, basic and general principles that are constructed for ease of application. They are based on pure observation and first-hand experimentation; do not perceive these tips as pedagogical or idealistic admonishments meant to restrict your freewill to choice of action.
  • Everyone is different, and therefore no specific strategy will work across the board due to the variations from person to person.
  • The best course of action, but perhaps not the safest one, is to learn for yourself what you wish to know about your strengths and weaknesses.
  • Do not be afraid to make a few mistakes or take risks, just remember to learn from them.

Things You'll Need

  • The following is a LIST OF BASIC, ESSENTIAL THINGS you might want to bring for your first year in college. I may have left some things out that you would find absolutely crucial, so do not take this list as complete or literal as it certainly is not limited. Also, there is no particular order of importance, because each item more or less contributes to your preparedness.
  • Office materials (paper, printer ink, pens, pencil, calculator, stapler, etc.)
  • At least two sets of bedding (pillow cases, sheets)
  • Enough clothes to last at least two weeks and at most three weeks
  • An organizing container, perhaps one of those plastic drawer sets
  • Hobby materials/Sports equipment/books you enjoy/movies (it might get boring, depending on if you have no social life, but you should definitely avoid mindlessly watching television)
  • A computer (depending on your level of usage for it, some people will want an incredibly fast machine, but most use their computers for general program applications and word processing) A laptop computer is highly recommended, because it allows for portablity when going home and increases one's ability to type up lecture notes. Also, professors often talk incredibly fast so typing notes most definitely trumps writing them out. Plus, times new roman is probably neater than your handwriting!
  • RELIABLE printer + accompanying black ink cartridges (you don't really need color ink much)
  • Mini fridge (great for cooling water, juice, milk, fruit, etc.)
  • Microwave (not that important, but comes in handy once in a while.)
  • Collapsible boxes or storage bins (great for bringing things back and forth from home, and also comes in handy when you move out of your dorm at the end of the year)
  • Water! You will get incredibly thirsty in your room and should have some readily available water reserves at hand. A filter would satisfy this requirement, but some might prefer bottled spring water. Depends on what you like.
  • Snacks - Snacks are great for those late nights studying, or at times in which you have to skip a meal. Granola bars have done wonders for me.
  • Cold/Flu Medicine - Face it, you will get sick at least once or twice while at school, and having medicine ready will only work to your advantage!
  • Toiletries (toothpaste, mouth wash, shampoo/conditioner, body wash, scrubber, ++as many towels as you can bring so you don't have to do laundry as often)
  • Carrying case for toiletries (not very necessary unless your room is far from the common baths and you are not provided with some cubby space to place your items)
  • Laundry detergent
  • A reusable plastic bottle container to transport water or coffee

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Sources and Citations

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