College presents many types of educational, financial, social and personal challenges. Many times, new students don’t find success because they never learn the basic college survival skills.

It’s not that they lack the intelligence to do well at school; they just don’t know how to make the right lifestyle decisions that lead to academic achievement and degree attainment. These four tips to survive college will make it easier for you to succeed.

1. Prioritize Your Commitments

Most high school students will tell you that they want to go to college to learn new skills and prepare themselves for careers. Once they arrive on campus, though, they find themselves getting pulled in different directions.
Parties, love interests, campus activities, and new friendships can make it difficult for some students to focus on their work. That’s why you have to set your priorities and commit yourself to being a good student. You’ll develop lifelong friendships at college, but you have to put your classes first.

2. Attend Every Class

A lot of college classes don’t have rules about attendance. The professors figure that you can make your own choices. Unfortunately, it’s often easy for young students to make the wrong choice–sleeping in late or doing something fun instead of attending class.
Do your best to avoid missing class. If you absolutely have to miss class, send your professor an email to let him or her know why you can’t attend. Even if your professor doesn’t mind an occasional absence, sending that email is a way to hold yourself accountable.

3. Take Time to Study Throughout the Semester

Many college classes only have one or two assignments. That might sound nice compared to the daily assignments that you had in high school, but this arrangement puts a lot of pressure on students to perform on their midterms and finals. Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute to study or complete that big project. Take time every week to study for your classes.

Generally, for every hour that you spend in class, you should spend two or three studying on your own. At times, this will seem like a drag. It’s easy to let other things tempt you into putting off your studies for another day. If you stay focused, though, you will find that you’re better prepared for those big assignments. While other people are staying up all night to cram for tests, you can prepare by getting a good night’s sleep.

4. Get to Know Your School’s Study Resources

Your school probably has lots of useful resources that can help you succeed. These resources typically include computer labs, study groups, writing centers and library assistants. If you don’t take advantage of these tools, then you’ll have to work harder to keep up with students who don’t mind asking for help when they need it. If you’re not sure what resources your school offers, talk to a counselor or librarian to learn more.

Going to college requires a significant lifestyle change for most students. When you know how to focus on the important things and make smart choices, though, you can survive the college experience.

Guest Bio:  Abe Jackson, Jr. is a Communications student and a car-lover. He’s recently started blogging, and you can follow him on Twitter @abejaxjr.

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