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Top 10 Secrets to College Success

In this article, we are going to learn about the top 10 secrets to college success.
Submitted by IncludeHelp, on FEB 20, 2023

No matter how some people perceive it, college time is always a unique experience for a student. It is an opportunity to learn a great deal, shy away from studying a little, to try out a college essay service, make new friendships, have personal growth, and take the first step to a successful career and fulfilling life. It is also a period of life that many students end up finding quite difficult. Why is that?

When looking at it from a college student's perspective, it is no wonder. In college, you get less sleep, are forced to participate in projects, and must hand in difficult or tedious assignments. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. However, this often means that the college experience for an average student becomes not only tedious but almost terrifying.

Try asking Google, "how to succeed in college." The search results will show hundreds of links to sites with tips, but what exactly should be done remains unclear. You may say: "There is no universal formula for success." However, this article will try to convince you of the opposite. And we assure you that if you follow at least 10 percent of our advice, you will already have a chance to become a successful student and later a professional in work and, in general, life. And if you use at least half of the information, you are on the right path to success. After you leave the classroom, try to act according to our plan and guarantee your success. So, how do you achieve success, becoming a successful student and then a professional in your industry?

What is success, according to different people

Most people associate success with achieving goals measured in a given time. For others, success is not the achievements but their recognition, respect, and honor. And for some, this is the process of achieving set goals, which brings pleasure in the form of a sense of success. For these people, achieving success is more valuable than success itself. Though defined differently by different groups of achievers, success has a sense of ownership.

Do you know what the people with whom you spend most of your time consider successful? A study was conducted among college students to give a concrete answer to this question. It turned out that, as the study's authors expected before the start of the survey, almost 70 percent of students associate success in life with creating a strong family. Additionally, 26 percent of respondents are convinced that success means a successful career. And only 4 percent of young people believe that a higher-education diploma is a key to success.

Success will not come on its own. You need to choose the right approach, a strategy of behavior. According to the results of numerous studies, the development of a student and, as a result, success is best facilitated by constant work on oneself and following a personal dream. We present 10 rules that make up the right behavior strategy that allows you to succeed.

1. Do not take your major lightly

While you might think there is a lot of time to choose, your success in college depends a lot on what you choose as a major. You can have multiple talents in several academic fields, but if you choose something you dislike, you might still achieve success at the cost of increased stress and frustration.

Another reason not to take it lightly is that your time is not limitless, even if you enjoy your major. Just face it: whatever you choose will be the first stepping stone of your career. Take your time and weigh your options, and do so responsibly. If you have already chosen the major, but are having some trouble with it, for example, with homework, you should get professional help.

2. Get to know your professors

Your professors, as you can tell, will play an important role in your college success. While you do not have to be friends with them, knowing who they are, what other people say about them, and, most critically, how to work with them can make your college life a lot easier. So, be sure to have a good working relationship with the teaching staff at your college of choice, as it will help you a fair deal.

3. Grades still matter

While grades do not define your life and professional success, they still matter in college, which is essentially just school, only under a different name. However, unlike in school, nobody stands above you to make you study. As such, remember that even if you dislike a particular subject or hate the professor (or vice versa!), the course or class you are taking must still be passed, and with a decent score, if that might be a concern for your future employers.

4. Grades also DO NOT matter

You might be thinking, "What? Did you not just tell me that grades matter?" Yes, they do. But the ultimate college success is not in getting a perfect score. To count it as a success, you must achieve professional skills in your field of choice that will make it possible for you to thrive outside the college.

So, remember to study well but sensibly. Learn valuable skills like critical thinking and analysis, expand your horizons, and broaden your perspective. And do not take a course simply because it sounds fun!

5. Be(come) organized

College time can be one of the most exciting periods of a person's life, filled with parties, trips, and fun. However, all of these activities, as fun as they might be, take your time away from serious matters that will have to be eventually tackled.

Therefore, you need to be organized or learn how to become organized if this is not yet one of your professional traits. Be ready to start planning your time, improve your discipline, and do things you would rather avoid just because you have to. Nobody said college success means round-the-clock fun! Allocate enough time for everything.

You will not believe it, but successful people write their dreams, plans, and deeds in a notebook – whether in electronic or paper form. Life is easier when you get up in the morning and know what to do today. So, write down your dreams for the year, decide what you must do for the week, and add new plan items for the next day every evening. Have a timeline for every activity to allocate enough time and not use more time on some activities.

It's nice to tick off already completed tasks and know that at least something in this life is going according to plan. Subsequently, This will help you to become more punctual. Punctuality is the main trait of successful people. Therefore, making notes about upcoming affairs in a beautiful notebook should be your next step to success.

6. Do not overdo it

It is a characteristic of a valuable employee to go beyond the call of duty in their work, but college is not one such place. While you may certainly get a better grade, there are times when making an extra step can hurt, such as when writing an essay over the limit, or doing extra work on a project with little to no difference for the final score. Learn to value your effort and, most of all, your time. Do not make an extra effort if it will not pay off.

Many famous personalities have failed dozens of times. There are many examples. We are sure that if they are asked how they managed to succeed, the answer will be the same: "What else should I have done? I had to keep going forward!" We all make mistakes. They are inevitable. However, this fact does not mean that someone should give up. Mistakes keep one strong and resilient as one needs to go back to the drawing board and correct it to achieve the desired results. Knowing this, in case of failure in the study, you should not get upset. You can lose the battle but still win the war! It is worth believing in what you are doing.

7. Wikipedia is your friend

No matter what your professors will say, Wikipedia is most definitely a friend of yours when it comes to projects and essays. While it is generally not accepted as a credible source (since it is edited in real-time), Wikipedia contains most of the information you might need in a condensed, fairly digestible format. Even more so, most of the pages cite relevant sources, which do count. As such, be sure to use it whenever something comes up.

8. Attend classes even if they are boring

We have all been there: the course is too boring or difficult, do you think it's easier to skip it? Because of how academics work, attending classes is not only influential in your total score but also important when taking exams and projects into account. A missed class is a failed question during a test or a bad answer during an exam. With that in mind, missing a class becomes too much of a hassle. Do not miss a class without a good reason.

9. Do not neglect your health

Health also plays a vital role in academics: neglecting your health can make you miss classes more than any other reason. The same goes for things that generally cause problems for college students in other areas, such as the common cold or flu, or even mental disorders like anxiety or depression. Your time is valuable, but so is your health; as such, it is worth taking good care of your health.

10. College is not a perfect recipe for success

Although college is generally worthwhile, it is not a foolproof method of success in your career or life. There are many examples of people who dropped out of college or never even attended it in the first place and still achieved considerable success. At the same time, there are stories of people with multiple degrees who never amounted to anything. Remember that you can do well both with and without a college degree, no matter what some people might claim.

Remember the last time you stopped and thought: "What am I doing for my success?" Many people can play 10,000 games of poker and still not be the best. Most people prefer to blame someone for their failures, inventing excuses, such as not having enough luck, quarreling with a spouse, or something else. But most importantly, you need to be able to analyze your defeats. You need to take notes on what contributed to your success and failure. And draw appropriate conclusions, avoiding future weaknesses and relying on strengths.

While this is not an exhaustive list, it can help when considering a degree in higher education. Regardless of your decision, remember to work hard, study well, and have fun regardless of what you decide!