During my freshman year in college I over loaded myself with classes. In the process I prevented myself from getting the most out of my coursework. I didn’t have any breaks in my schedule, and I attended school every day of the week. All of my classes required my undivided attention, as well as serious study time. My first semester in college was spent in the City Tech library doing assignments, and neglecting my friends and family. At times when I felt extremely stressed out and exhausted, I stuffed my face with brownies from Panera Bread. Eating these sweets treats provided a moment of bliss, as well as a sugar rush that would help me complete my work even when I felt horrible. At the end of the semester, my teachers awarded me one A, three B’s, and one depressing D. Unfortunately for me, that one D plagued me for the rest of my college career, and lowered my grade point average in the process. It took me at least 3 semesters, as well as many hours of studying, to get my GPA back to where I wanted it to be. My first semester in college was a learning experience for me, where I figured out how to organize my classes in a way that would be beneficial to me . I also learned how to avoid putting myself into situations that would result in me getting unsatisfactory grades.

I realized and acknowledged the mistakes that I made during my first semester and I was determined not to make them again. While avoiding bad decisions, I found ways to improve the likelihood of me getting an A in each class. Below, I will share some of the tactics that helped me become a more productive student. Some of these tactics are:

1. Take breaks, and give yourself down time.

2. Sit as close to your professor as possible so that you don’t miss anything important .

3. Talk to your professor after class, and visit their office hours.

4. Utilize the tutors in the Learning Center.

5. Email your professors with any concerns you may have.

6. Turn off your phone while reviewing notes/ studying.

7. After class, review your notes so that the information is fresh in your brain.

8. Utilize online tutoring, or YouTube videos.

9. Visit sites like Khan Academy and Wolfram Alpha that specialize in breaking down difficult concepts.

10. While studying, use colored pens to make your notes more appealing to the eye.

11. Eat junk in moderation, but make sure you eat foods that will give you fuel.

12. Go out with your friends and enjoy yourself!! Give yourself time to enjoy life, college is also about enjoying newfound freedom.

13. Stop stressing yourself! Stress promotes more stress. Take a deep breath, relax, and then approach any difficulties you are having in school.

College is the last step in your journey until you become a hard-working adult. Look at this time in your life as your last opportunity, to have the power to choose how you would like to schedule your time. You can organize your own schedule, and decide on which classes you find interesting. In college everything is about what you want. After college, life is about making enough money to support yourself and your family, keep a roof over your head, and food in your mouth. After college real life sinks in, and you have to be able to get a job and be serious so that you can live comfortably. So why not take these last few years in stride, and make the most out of them? Life is about experiencing new things with new people. Our college years can be productive, as well as extremely pleasurable. If we as college students work as hard as we play, we can be successful and still have an amazing social life.

College doesn’t come with a handbook on how to do well, and get good grades, but good grades are attainable. In order to get through the semester successfully, students should develop a game plan so that they can get the best grades during the semester. Students must realize that getting good grades is not only achieved by working hard, and studying until we are exhausted and overwhelmed. My advice to college students is: have fun while learning. Learn how to make absorbing knowledge enjoyable, and believe me you will notice an improvement in your grades. Read through the tips I provided above, try them out and see what works for you and what doesn’t. Apply the tips that work for you to your daily college routine, be consistent, and you will see results. Your college experience is in your hands, all you have to do is figure out how to make it work for you so that you can survive the semester!