College Life: Learn Well, Live Well

College and Success Must be Synonyms

Not everyone starts college or another academic year right after the summer holidays. You can have various reasons for that; one of the most common causes for starting your personal semester mid-year is deciding to study abroad, choosing a program you truly like after the months of reflections and doubts. The number of international students increases year after year and more and more colleges generously offer to expand your educational opportunities. There are special mid-year orientation programs that start in January to help you get used to a refreshed academic life, new campus, and an abundance of strangers who delved into all this university stuff 6 months earlier. Your main studies will start in March, so you have plenty of time to adjust to your new classes and schedule, as well as your dorm room and (hopefully) tolerable roommates. One essential thing you must keep in mind is that no matter when you start, it shouldn’t influence your aspirations and confidence in your future success. You’re actually lucky to avoid all that hardly bearable freshman fuss. Let’s imagine you’re not a foreign student but a newcomer, who had to move to another city with your family (due to some mysterious circumstances…) ok, let’s leave this part for teenage thrillers or not? It doesn’t matter if you compare your situation to the one of Riverdale’s Veronica Lodge, who recently came from New York, or, what is worse, to a charming Edward Cullen hiding some serious family secrets, the fact remains: you have arrived at a new school or college, and your life is about to transform crucially.

College is about studying, paving your way into the happy future, right? Anyway, we’ve all been there, and we all understand how important socializing is during our school-college-uni times. You’ll make amazing friends, you’re never protected from arch-enemies, but one thing you know for sure: this time will be so thrilling that you’ll never forget it! You’re free to imagine all the possible detective-romance-adventure scenarios of the movie called Life, but now, let’s focus on your academic goals and ways to avoid distractions when studying is the priority. So, instead of googling such phrases as “how to succeed this semester”, read the following college success tips and even learn them by heart to make your new school experience both challenging and rewarding.

• Make a good impression on your professors but don’t be a flatterer.

Your tactics shouldn’t be very annoying. Just introduce yourself briefly after the classes, especially if you’re sincerely interested in a certain subject your professors teach. Show your skills, write something creative, ask for a piece of reasonable advice, but don’t overleap yourself. An obvious sycophant rarely becomes respected by decent educators, and such immoderate attention to professors usually repels other students: if they notice your forelock-tugging, it’ll be harder to make good friends. Stay as natural as possible but also don’t be shy to discuss your goals and interests with instructors. While talking to your educators, try to realize who is the best one to become your personal mentor (you’ll need academic tips from time to time). Nice introduction of yourself and regular accomplishment of your homework will help to earn bonus points. Just keep in mind, you shouldn’t talk to your professors too often. Be a bit cunning.

• Proper time management does wonders.

Student life is highly charged. You’re busy because of classes, interest clubs, homework, but you should also have time to socialize. While it seems to be that hanging out with other students is a part of college fun, in reality, a smart student is able to gain experience in every life’s situation. So it’s crucial to manage your time efficiently to cope with all your tasks and not to miss fulfilling encounters.

• Procrastination kills recreation.

You start procrastinating mainly because you get bored: classes seem to be the same, new tasks are given day by day, but you’re an alive human being, and you are so young, you want to have fun, dance all night, visit stylish cafes, and watch heart-rending TV shows… with those wishes, procrastination creeps inside your mind and starts chewing your brain (hopefully, that’s not so scary for real). Believe me, you’ll have time for some entertainment and even creative hobbies if you remember the rule of thumb: switch off all the distractions and fulfill all the required tasks for the day. Only after you coped with the assignments, breathe out, and dance the night away!

• Being absent – no advancement.

You should fight the idle monster inside you similarly to procrastination. Skipping classes without a reason will never do you a favor. Yes, waking up early to attend a boring morning lecture is a hellish challenge (especially if you truly danced the night away), but you should always remind yourself of your aspirations and the reason you entered college. You never know if by missing a class, you’ll miss some extra points or valuable information (your fellow students may forget to tell you). The more classes you skip, the more difficult it will be to catch up with your peers.

• Optimism is your friend till the end.

If you’re not a typical extrovert who easily gets along with people, it's okay, we're all diverse; but if you become reclusive and unsociable, things will only get worse. Stress is everywhere in college, not everyone is nice and intelligent, but students are incredibly versatile: if you can see alike arrogant people in the crowd, you’ll also able to see different ones. That’s not impossible to find a genuine soulmate. However, skepticism and negative emotions will only aggravate your college experience. Be positive no matter what. It doesn’t mean you should smile all the time, but it means you should perceive things around you with ease. Sometimes, you just have to play your part to avoid conflicts. Well, rebels are so cool and independent only in the movies. Optimistic thinking is also vital in relation to studying: certain subjects may appear to be so complicated that you’ll start doubting your possibilities. In this case, an auto-training wouldn't go amiss: if needed, repeat to yourself: “I’ll learn it, I’ll pass the exam, I am smart enough, everything will be fine…” Along with thinking, incorporate “positive doing”: just study well and no one will steal your brain.

It’s highly unlikely that a good student will go down in flames. Though this world is far from perfect, college life has always been pretty fair. When acquiring the necessary education, you learn precious lessons you will further carry in your “intellectual treasury” all the way through. If you learn well, you will have a great chance to live well and become an honorable person.