Nine Rules for a Successful Transition to College

Want a frightening statistic? Fewer than 60% of entering college students earn a degree within six years. Many drop out and never earn a degree. Here is how to be sure that doesn't happen to you.

1. Be certain you understand that college will require greater effort, more self-discipline, and a higher quality of academic work than high school. "Be prepared" is more than the slogan of the Boy Scouts.

2. Just because nobody reminds you to go to bed at a decent hour doesn't mean you should be up all night. Many college students are sleep deprived, and sleep deprived people do not perform well. That's a scientifically supported fact, not a myth.

3. The strongest beverage you should drink during the week is coffee.

4. Are you binge drinking on weekends? Do you drink to get intoxicated? If so, it's a problem, not a joke. Deal with it immediately.

5. Beware of procrastination. Keeping up with your assignments, especially your reading and your major papers, will make your life less stressful and result in better grades.

6. Use a lap top to take notes, revise notes, and write papers. Save everything on your hard drive and back everything up on a jump drive that never leaves your desk (and therefore can't get lost).

7. Frequently, students get off to a bad start, or even find themselves dropping out of college after carrying overly ambitious academic loads. Choose your courses wisely until you feel comfortable with the academic demands of college and have enjoyed some success.

8. Working while in high school may not be a big deal, but college will demand more of your time. Thus, you should not, under any circumstances, work more than 20 hours a week.

9. If you are having difficulty with any aspect of your life, get help sooner, not later. This applies to academic issues, personal issues, adjustment issues, etc. Remember, whatever your problem, professors, academic advisers, residence hall staffers, and counselors have seen it (and helped students deal with it) many times.

If you follow these ten simple suggestions you'll still be on campus as a sophomore, wondering (or maybe knowing) what tripped up your classmates who have dropped out. You don't have to be an intellectual giant to get through college, but you do have to make some smart choices.

Article Source: http://www.articlegoldmine.com

Dr. Casper Poodel is engaged in the development of websites on topics which include online colleges and accredited online degrees.

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