College can be a wonderful experience, despite how overwhelming it may seem. Read the below article for some great advice on how to successfully get through college and graduate with a diploma in your hand. Put together this advice with that you have received from family members, friends, teachers to come up with your best college plan.
Be sure to prepare well for college with a complete list of necessities. You should make sure you have everything you need so you do not have to continually ask your parents to help. This is especially something to do if your classes aren’t that close to home.
Don’t procrastinate with applying for grants and scholarships. The more time you devote to securing funding for college, the less money you will need to borrow. Schedule deadlines and work hard on submissions.
Eat healthy. Remember the ‘freshman fifteen’? Take great care in monitoring your eating. Stay away from fast food, junk food and other terrible choices. Not only is it expensive, those extra pounds can be hard to lose.
Research and educate yourself the vast array of the scholarships that are available to you as a college student. Scholarships are not only for the straight-A students, but there are a wide variety of scholarships offered for people in unique situations. You may also be eligible for a number of grants which you will not have to pay back.
Credit cards should be paid in full every month. This will keep you from incurring late fees. Keep in mind that the main reason to have a credit card in college is for emergency use. Credit cards can be tempting because they are so easy to use, but remember how hard they are to pay off. Don’t let yourself become distracted by financial woes.
To save time and money, try taking the bus to campus. It frequently is as fast as a car. There are limited parking spaces available on most campuses. You can also save gas money. You can consider using public transportation as an energy efficient mode of transportation that is your contribution to a “green” world.
If you’re going to a different state or wish to live on the campus, carefully think about whether or not you should bring your vehicle. It may be difficult to find a place to park, especially in crowded cities. It may also be difficult for you to find the money to pay for gasoline, insurance and all the other expenses that go along with car ownership, particularly if you do not have a job.
Make sure you allow yourself breaks when studying. Studying won’t be as effective if you overdo it. Ten minute breaks are optimal to get your body and mind to regroup. Create a schedule and stay with it.
Refrain from plagiarizing as the consequences can be extreme. Throughout college, you will write dozens of essays and reports. Make sure you are always giving authors credit where due. Many professors use special software programs to check all student submissions for plagiarism. Don’t risk it!
Avoid handing in the first draft of your paper. Make sure you have time to edit it. Write another version of it, rather than just proofreading it. Edit that a few times, too. Doing this ensures that you will have included all the important information necessary.
Wake up early to get a head start on your morning. When you arise at six or seven o’clock, you’ll have time to exercise, shower, eat and start your day well prepared.
If you work and are interested in going back to school, you may want to think about taking classes online. Online classes are perfect for students that work, have children or have other time-consuming responsibilities. You can complete your work in a very flexible manner.
Only bring what you need to your dorm. You will find that you have very little space for your stuff in a dorm room. Write out a basic list of necessities and then shop strictly within it. Think about purchasing items that can double as storage options.
It always helps to surround yourself with people who share your interests, values and ideas about attending college. When you surround yourself with like minded students, you will be sure to do well. Of course, you can also have fun with these people. A healthy balance of studying and fun can be achieved.
College is tough, but the experiences make it worth it. Just focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and all of your hard work will soon pay off when you step off that stage with a diploma in your hand.