How to be Successful in College
How do you get ahead in college? What should you be focusing on to ensure that you maximize your time? After working hard in high school, everyone wants to succeed at this next stage. But not everyone knows how. While success may mean different things to different people, having these three critical plans can help you feel like you've got most of your bases covered.
With so many different events and opportunities, it's easy to get distracted in college. While having a social life, trying new activities, and learning about different perspectives are all relevant to the collegiate experience, don't lose sight of the following recommendations. Having a plan in place for the following three areas can help both in the short and long-term – helping you to transition to life after school and enter the workforce. Don't forget to subscribe to TuitionBusters to receive more insights on college success straight to your inbox!
Study Plan
You attend college to learn a skillset to earn an income. The skillset comes from the education you receive in your classes. That’s why doing well academically helps you ultimately be successful in finding and keeping a job after you graduate. How many hours per week will you study? What methods of studying work best for you? Are there resources available through your school to help you better understand the material? Build a comprehensive academic plan can help make midterms and finals less stressful and start working ahead!
Pro Tip: Meet with your professors to understand how often and in what ways you should study for their class. Plus, building a relationship with them early on could pay off down the road (like if you ask them to round your grade up).
Work Experience Plan
The COVID-19 pandemic has created harsh economic conditions – particularly for college students. However, while this reality makes the situation challenging, don’t think that opportunities aren’t available. Creating a plan for securing work and internships helps you be more competitive when you graduate and enter the workforce. The experience will help you feel better prepared, but you could also learn what you do/don't like for work and earn references for future endeavors. Setting a plan for work experience makes it more likely that you will ultimately achieve it.
Pro Tip: Use your school's career services office to your advantage. They can help you find employment opportunities and improve your application material to help you stand out.
Plan to Earn Credits
You may know that not all credits required by your college have to be taken at that college. But what you probably don't know is how many credits you can transfer in total. For many college students, the answer is perhaps more than you think. Also, the window to transfer in college credit doesn’t close after you’ve started school! You can find alternative (and much cheaper) sources of academic credit from a variety of institutions. Creating a plan for this is a great way to not only reduce the cost of college but also to graduate and start making money faster.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to figure out how to do this alone! Learn how your College Savings Guide can help you get the degree you want for less!
Interested in more tips on how you can cut the cost of your college degree? Subscribe to TuitionBusters! We’ll send you weekly emails with new updates and best practices on how you can succeed.
