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[G568]Guide To College Success

by Daniel Kane, Dan

A good deal of research has been done to determine which students are most likely to earn a degree and why. As you might guess, there is a correlation between the rigor of a student's high school curriculum and his/her chance of success in college.

And, there is a high correlation between a student's grades in high school and in college.

And, most educators agree that students from families that appreciate the value of higher education are more likely to do well in college than students from families less convinced of the advantages of a college degree.

But, once a student gets to college, what can he or she do to maximize the likelihood of graduation? You might be surprised by some of the "rules" for college success.

First of all, students should not try to take on too much during their first few semesters of college. In most instances, students are better off limiting themselves to fifteen credits a semester during their freshman year.

And, they should not take more than one or two courses per semester that they expect to find difficult. Even good students can find themselves in academic hot water pretty fast if they load up on courses in areas they find difficult. Such courses should be spread out, if possible.

Like taking on too much academically, working too many hours is an enemy of college students. A very big enemy in fact. Students who work more than twenty hours a week are four times as likely to leave college without a degree.

Of course, there are any number of reasons why some students fail to earn a degree, from poor academic preparation and study habits to lack of motivation and failure to manage their time well.

But, if you are mature, if you are motivated, and if you have reasonable academic skills, there are only two things you must remember to greatly increase your chances to complete college successfully. Schedule carefully; choose the number and kinds of courses you take thoughtfully, so you do not bite off more than you can chew, particularly as a freshman. And, do not under any circumstances, accept a job that requires late evening hours or more than twenty hours a week.

I remember when I was in high school, I would be studying for tests and exams in my room while my radio was turned up really loud. It just felt like a cool thing to do. And I got through high school well enough to get into university. When I started university, I of course used the same study methods since I thought they were my proven way. The result was that I almost ending up failing some of my first year courses.

It's great listening to music blasting away in your room but if your head isn't absorbing the stuff you're suppose to be studying and your grades suffer, then you need a change in study environment. This means turning off the tunes until your study session is done. Can't concentrate in your room or friends always interrupting? Then hit the library and find some quiet space.

Also, make a habit of studying regularly, even right after tests so that you will be prepared well in advance for the next one. This way, most course material will still be fresh in your mind by the time final exams come. This is one of the secret strategies college success or university success. Taking the time to study even when there are no exams just around the corner helps you learn your material so much better so you won't have to do any last minute cramming for exams. This way of studying was a drastic change in my study habits. It was time consuming since I had to allocate regular study time during my days even when there were no exams in the near future. But it did work extremely well in helping me know the course material.

Back in high school, some teachers might have hassled you if your grades were low. At university or college, nobody is going to be on your case to study. This might sound good but if your study habits are lousy, you might end up failing out and many professors won't really care. Again, I almost failed out of my first year and had to really improve on my studying to stay in. I did improve my grades well enough by my fourth year to get accepted into one of the MBA schools.

When I got to MBA school, it was a good thing that I had developed better study habits because we needed a B average to stay in the program. During our first semester, we lost about a quarter of our students because they couldn't make that minimum B average.

There's much more competition from other students for the top grades at this level of learning. It really pays to have good study habits. Good money was paid for your tuition so don't fail out. Put in the time to study as if it was your full time job for the present. This will help insure that you are a college success or university success.

Of course, getting exposed to good external guest speakers on campus will also add to your college or university success since they often teach you about things that are not normally covered in your courses. Plus you don't have to study the material presented by the guest speakers which is a welcome change.

Article Source : The First Women's College

About Author

Both Daniel Kane & Clint Cora are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Daniel Kane has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, Online College and College Education. Daniel Kane is a veteran teacher, college Director of Admissions, and university Dean. The websites he originally created as a hobby now assist students seeking information on. Daniel Kane's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.

Clint Cora has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Tax and Careers and Job Hunting. . Clint Cora's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.