There’s a meme that floats around every so often intending to describe college that reads “Choose Two: Good Grades, Social Life, Enough Sleep.” While this sentiment is relatable, as college can be quite stressful, there is absolutely a way to succeed in all three aspects!
Personally, my grades are all As and Bs, I sleep eight hours a night, and I still go out every weekend (plus I work, keep up with hobbies, etc.). For now, I’ll save my social life advice for next time and instead focus on tips for staying on top of schoolwork.
Tip #1: Get – and use – a planner
Seriously, regularly using a planner has been a life saver throughout my college career. It is so easy to forget about assignments and deadlines, not to mention other commitments. Plus, when everything starts to pile up, the peace of mind of knowing you won’t forget things helps reduce stress.
There are lots of trendy concepts for planners online, but ultimately you need a structure that you’ll actually keep up with and use.
I use a rotating seven-day calendar that includes what I’d like to accomplish each day along with other commitments for the day. At the end of the week, I delete everything check off and start fresh. This eases my mind and also allows me to see how much I’ve accomplished at the end of the week.
Take Action
Research planners including:
- Notion
- Google or Apple Calendar
- Tweek
Tip #2: Treat school like a full-time job
Often, I need to remind myself that, in essence, college is my job. While yes, I have extracurricular activities including Student Professional Organizations, a social life and a part-time job—school should be my primary focus. Attending Temple is an amazing opportunity—don’t treat it like a side hustle!
By mentally prioritizing school as your main commitment, you’ll find yourself being more attentive in classes, doing better on assignments and feeling less stressed during your time off.
Speaking of time off, just like a full-time job, it’s important to “clock out” of school sometimes. I find that it’s easy to accidentally be stressed about classes 24/7 during the semester. It’s important to allow yourself time to relax and circle back to classes later! The homework will certainly still be there.
Take Action
- Start your day with a personal check-in. What classes do you have today? What assignments do you need to do? What notes should you look over? When do you want to “clock out” for the day?
- Schedule break times along with your assignments. If there’s a football game Saturday, get that big project done Friday so you can actually enjoy the game.
Tip #3: Actually learn the material
While it can be frustrating hearing the same speech from every single professor warning against using ChatGPT and Chegg for assignments, they do have a point.
College is a million times easier if you actually take time to sit down and learn the material instead of just learning how to pass the exam.
Take Action
- Take handwritten notes in class and then type them later. This is doubly beneficial: handwriting your notes typically increases retention. And rewriting your notes makes the chances of retention even higher.
- Plus, now your notes are accessible from any device, which makes studying them easier in the future.
In classes that are math or equation heavy, such as finance or accounting, it can be easy to just memorize formulas to pass the exam without understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing.
However, understanding the “why” is the crucial step in doing well in your classes. When you understand why you’re doing things on a deeper level, it increases your chance of succeeding on exams that may deviate slightly from practice problems. Additionally, understanding the fundamentals early in the class will aid you in understanding skills later in the course, so it’s important to do this from week one.
Take Action
- The Fox Video Vault includes hundreds of recorded lessons on numerous Fox topics (This isn’t an advertisement—I personally use it all the time)
- Pearson MyLab commonly includes a “View eText” button which will jump you to the page in the textbook that explains reasoning behind the problem you’re working on.
Tip #4: Go to class and pay attention
Skipping class may be addictive, so it’s important not to start. While occasionally cutting class for other obligations won’t completely tank your college career, regularly missing class makes it extremely difficult to do well in Fox.
However, it also negatively impacts you in indirect ways. By skipping class, you’re mentally categorizing class as something that is not important. This mindset will make it more difficult to focus on learning material, which will make it more difficult to succeed.
Also, when you do go to class—put your phone away!
Take Action
- Don’t skip class. Remember – it’s your full-time job 😊
- Put your phone inside a bag instead of in your pocket. The increased distance will help you forget about it.
Tip #5: Take time to eat and sleep
It’s impossible to pay attention in class if you’re falling asleep. Sleeping seven to 10 hours a night is crucial for academic success. Unfortunately, there’s no cheat or hack to get past it—you just have to go to bed.
Eating three healthy meals a day is important, too. You won’t be able to concentrate on statistics if your stomach is growling! There’s no glory in bragging about only having an iced coffee for breakfast, either. Making sure to eat a protein-rich breakfast will set you up for a successful day of classes, assignments and everything else!
Take Action
- No all-nighters! You’re better off sleeping (yes, really).
- Try not to drink caffeine too late if you feel like you’re falling asleep, just go to bed.
- Make a habit of starting the day with a filling breakfast.