1. Get a planner

I heard somewhere that when you write something down, it is more likely to stick in your brain. I was skeptical about this at first but have found that it definitely works for me. This theory is proven best when taking notes…handwritten notes. Having things written out in a planner or a notebook is a great way to make sure you remember what needs to be done and when things are due. It also personally makes me feel more accomplished to have books of my own notes… but maybe that’s just me.

2. Get enough sleep

I know a common stereotype is that college kids stay up until all hours of the night doing homework and maybe that’s true for some. For me, getting a good amount of sleep has always been a crucial part of succeeding in school. Waking up and feeling well rested makes tackling tests and assignments more palatable. That way there is no interference on the part of the day when you can be “relaxing.” Staying on top of sleep is a good way to stay on top of work.

3. Go to office hours with questions

It’s scary, I know. There will always be a reason to avoid going to talk to your professor during your free time but it will help, I promise. Teachers want you to ask questions and I know that is not always easy when you are in a 300 person lecture all, so take advantage of office hours. Getting help does not make you lame, either. It is a great way to get that extra explanation on a topic that is likely to appear on the midterm. One-on-one time can be crucial in many cases for your overall grade and maybe even lifetime success.

4. Leave ample time to study/do projects before due date

Cramming is never the answer. Yeah, we all do it but for the sake of our stress-acne prone faces, let’s all avoid procrastination. For most of us, we get the due dates to our projects and tests on the first day of class so there are no excuses for waiting until the last day to do something. It is easy to push things off, but I promise you will be much happier if you get homework done prior to five minutes before the due time. This one, I’ll admit, is the hardest.

5. Relax

You’ll get it done. The stress of it all is consuming but at the end of the day, you will get the project done or take the test and you will do the best you can. School is hard and it’s meant to be. It wouldn’t be worth it if everything we did came naturally to us and there was no challenge involved. So let’s stay prepared and organized to make sure that our best is good enough to get the grades our parents are expecting. Good luck, J