How to Succeed in Your College Education.

A college education provides many intangible benefits as well as much better prospects for a career you will enjoy.

Thinking about your personal values and how they relate to your education can help you stay motivated to succeed in college.

Personality and skill inventories can help you discover the right career for your future and the best major in college.

Because college is a new and different life experience for most students, taking responsibility for new freedoms and managing time well are critical.

College students vary widely in terms of age, work experience before college, cultural background, family, and other factors that may affect how they learn.

Traditional, young students just out of high school face a transition involving new freedoms and new situations they may need to master in order to succeed academically.

Returning students who work and may also have family responsibilities often have time issues and may feel out of place in the college environment.

Other student groups include commuters, first-generation students, immigrant and international students, students with disabilities, and others, each of whom may need to face additional issues to be successful.

Regardless of individual differences, all successful students share a number of traits, including a good attitude, effective time management strategies, good studying and test-taking skills, and more.

People learn through a four-step process, and you can maximize your learning by conscientiously applying all steps throughout college.

The first step of the learning cycle is to prepare in advance for classes, reading, tests, and other learning.
The second step is to absorb information and ideas effectively during classes, reading, and other learning experiences.

The third step, capturing, typically involves taking notes on the learning experience to increase understanding and retention.

The fourth step is to review your notes, to help solidify the learning and to prepare for repeating the cycle in the next class or reading assignment.

People have natural learning preferences, affecting how they learn best, such as learning by reading, by listening, by seeing, by doing, and by feeling.

Students should learn how to use their own learning style to their best advantage while also becoming flexible and working to develop other learning styles.

Because your learning style may not match your instructor’s teaching style, you need to be flexible and work to develop new learning strategies essential for college success.

Even in large lecture classes, attendance is important, along with forming a good impression and paying attention.

Study the college catalog and talk with your advisor to ensure you understand the role of core classes, electives, and major courses in your program or degree requirements.

Online courses offer another option in many colleges but require a certain preparedness and a heightened sense of responsibility.

To avoid inadvertently finding yourself in trouble, know your college’s policies for academic issues and campus behavior.

Taking advantage of the many resources your college offers to help you with a wide range of academic and personal matters is essential for success in college.

While success in college involves many benefits and experiences, grades remain one important measure of success.

Acceptable grades are important for continuing your college program and financial aid, for graduate school or other future educational opportunities, and for obtaining a good job in most careers.

Succeeding is especially important in one’s first year of college because this is the most critical period to avoid the factors that lead to many students dropping out.

You can launch yourself on a path of success immediately by taking the first steps for help with studies, developing a positive attitude, taking advantage of your personal learning style, starting to practice time management, meeting your instructors and other students, participating actively in your classes, and taking control of your personal health and finances.

The first year of college is the most critical. Make the commitment to overcome any obstacles to a successful transition and stay committed and motivated to succeed.

Although college students differ in many ways, all successful students share certain common traits, including a positive attitude, effective critical thinking skills, good time management skills, effective study skills, interactions with instructors and other students, and good habits for personal health and financial stability.

You can learn to maximize your learning by attending to each step of the learning process: preparing, absorbing, capturing, and reviewing.

It is important to understand your personal learning style and use it well in classes, while also making the effort to learn in new ways and work with other students for a more effective overall learning experience.

Working with your academic advisor and taking advantage of the many resources available at your college are key actions to ensure success.

Understanding the larger characteristics of college success leads to a richer college experience, supplementing the value of good grades.

While it may take a few weeks to develop all the skills needed for success in college, there are many steps you can begin taking today to get moving in the right direction.