Do you know how may students drop out before their second year of college? At some colleges, it's 60% of the class. Here's how you can be in the other group.
1. Be certain you understand that college will require greater effort, more self-discipline, and a higher quality of academic work than high school. "Be prepared" is more than the slogan of the Boy Scouts.
2. Just because nobody reminds you to go to bed at a decent hour doesn't mean you should be up all night. Many college students are sleep deprived, and sleep deprived people do not perform well. That's a scientifically supported fact, not a myth.
3. The strongest beverage you should drink during the week is coffee.
4. Drinking excessively, even on weekends, is not "part of college life", as some folks would have you believe. Heavy drinkers frequently fail to complete college.
5. Catching up may not be tough in high school, but it can be very tough in college. Keep up with your assignments and don't leave your major papers until the last minute.
6. A good lap top can be your best friend. Take notes on it, revise notes on it, and use it to write at least two drafts whenever you have a major paper. Use jump drives to back up everything, and to make it easy to print out your work wherever there is a printer.
7. Be careful not to carry too heavy an academic load during your first two semesters (remember suggestion #1 above...you're not in high school anymore). You may need some time to adjust to the increased academic demands of college.
8. Do not hold a job that requires more than 20 hours of your time per week. In fact, working no more than 15 hours a week is an even better idea. Students who work more than 20 hours a week are 3-4 times more likely to drop out of college than are their classmates.
9. If you are having difficulty with any aspect of your life, get help sooner, not later. This applies to academic issues, personal issues, adjustment issues, etc. Remember, whatever your problem, professors, academic advisers, residence hall staffers, and counselors have seen it (and helped students deal with it) many times.
As I'm sure you've noticed, the intellectual ability of Albert Einstein is not required to be successful in college. But, you do have to make (mostly) good decisions. The ten suggestions above are a good starting point.
Article Source: http://www.orbitaloc.com/
Dr. Casper Poodel is an education writer for an organization which produces websites on topics which include online colleges and accredited online degrees.
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