Millions of inspired learners come to college to achieve great things; however, reaching academic success is tough. In high school, you could get away with many things to get by, like sharing work with others, skipping several school days, or even waiting till the last second to do your work. In college, doing any of those things is nearly impossible, so what do you do when you get bombarded with several assignments and quizzes throughout one week? What do you do if a quarter of your grade is graded on class participation? What do you do when you have two assignments due at 11:59, but your friends made plans to go out with you in a couple of hours? Well, several techniques can be used for academic success, but let’s go ahead and talk about the three keys to academic success in college.
The first key to academic success is to participate in class. It’s essential to note that class participation isn’t only raising your hand to answer a question but also participating in group discussions, asking questions, or providing feedback on certain topics. Many professors tend to grade on class participation, so all those ways are highly recommended to help you with that portion of grading. Another thing you can do is ask your professor what next week’s discussion will be and prepare for that so that when the day comes, you have complete confidence in yourself to raise your hand and answer the question. In terms of group discussion, you should participate, but listening to your classmates’ points of view is also very important because it could help you better understand a specific topic if you didn’t understand it the first time.
The second key to academic success is good time management. Time management is the key to academic success at the college level. Many college students, including myself, have a weekly calendar listing things that they will do every day throughout the week for school. This calendar includes study hours, homework hours, and break times. According to The Real Reason You’re Procrastinating | McLean Hospital, procrastination leads to poor study skills and major anxiety. Time management is also essential because if you can manage your time right academically, you’ll find time to do things you enjoy, like hanging out with friends and family, working out, or just having time. This will all be achievable with good time management, and it’s always important to keep your mental state as healthy and happy as possible.
The third key to academic success is being able to sacrifice. Many people would downplay this key, including me, at first, but after sacrificing phone time, TV time, and even family and friend time, it has been the most beneficial. Many students have sacrificed to complete homework, study, work on projects, etc. Many students will have to continue to sacrifice fun time and work on what they must to complete the assignment to the best of their ability.
Class participation, time management, and sacrifices have been beneficial at any college level. Although these are the three keys to academic success, there are many more techniques that we students should explore. We’re all working towards the same goal in chasing our dreams, so if anyone has certain techniques, or ideas they use, feel free to share them, and let’s all succeed together.
