Strong Habits of Successful Students

  Many of my friends in college have been posting about their classes for the past several days. Many of them got a head start on their assignments. While this is a good jump on the upcoming semester, keep this list in mind that will help guide and keep you on track! Most students begin falling behind within the first few weeks of classes!

• Read the syllabus carefully. At certain points during the term, you may want to double check it make sure that you are still on track!
• Grab your planner and begin to fill it. You will want to schedule in the dates of important tests/exams and due dates of large projects. Make sure you give yourself enough time to devote to review and break down small tasks into an everyday to-do list. 
• Skim your text. Skimming the text gives you a good idea the concepts you will be learning. If you have discussion questions or problems that are due weekly, read the questions, and concentrate on the sections that focus on notes from class and homework problems. 
• Keep a journal. Not all professors collect or grade homework. However, you should do all the problems assigned in a composition book. Use hi-liters, post-it flags, or whatever it takes to figure out where the logical issues are and you will be far better prepared to ask your professor about it the following morning. 
• Create a strong study group. Many times, study groups devolve into a chill and gossip session. Make sure you have a plan. Appoint someone to keep everyone on task but allow for breaks. Create activities that allow everyone to get involved and still learn. 
• Forgive and forget when you fall behind. Give yourself a break then pull up your bootstraps and keep going! It may mean you have to skip out on an event you want to attend but grades come first!
• Make sure you can read your notes. Seems obvious but most students do not have a good system of note-taking. Make sure you leave enough room in the margins to correlate text readings and homework problems to the notes or ask questions of the material for review or for clarification in class. 
• It's ok to Youtube resources. Sometimes everyone needs really complex concepts explained in a different way from your prof. For Physics, I like Feynman's lectures. For a different view of Math, I follow ViHart. Either way, sometimes staring at your notes is not going to force the material to jump in your head any faster.
• Eat well, don't forget to play, and get plenty of sleep! Often we forget to take care of ourselves properly when we are digging into our classes. Make sure that you are eating healthy, whole foods and getting rest. If you are having sleep problems or increases in anxiety or depression, see a school counselor right away!