Live by these six crucial items
For many high school students, college may appear intimidating and meant only for the “smart” people in their class. That is simply FALSE! College is achievable by EVERYONE and especially the determined and motivated student that works on developing good student habits. Below are six crucial items to live by to make a successful college transition:
1. Do not overload yourself. If you must get a job, schedule to work no more than 20 hours per week. Anything more will begin to hurt you academically and socially. You will risk losing important friendships, study time, and lowering your GPA. It’s not worth it!
2. Study more often frequently. Cramming just does not work! Your brain will store your cram session in short-term memory, and you’re not really learning and you are developing a bad life skill of procrastination.
3. When you make your degree plan, consider class difficulty and find a balance in your semester schedule. The ideal course load is 15 hours each semester to finish your degree on time (live by this – it will save you time and money). Another option is to take less credit hours each semester and make it up during summer school.
4. Eat a healthy and exercise regularly. A balanced diet and physical activity both improve concentration and critical thinking during class and when you are studying.
5. Seek help when you need it. Seek out the college tutoring center because some subjects in college may ask for you to understand topics from a different perspective. Form a study group and find people in your class who have similar academic goals as you.
6. Educate yourself in finances, know how credit scores work and use credit cards wisely! Compounding interest rates are pretty scary and you should know these rates. Use the credit card as a short-term loan (HINT – pay off your credit card EVERY month).
These are only some of the most crucial things college students should do to make a successful transition from high school to college and earn a college degree.
Patricia Hernandez
Student Worker
