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.