When the average teenager thinks about college, most likely two things come to mind: freedom and fun. Time after time, many students take the opportunity of being away from parents to party.

So how can students have fun in college but at the same time excel in their academics?

Zachary Zeilik, a recently graduating anatomy & physiology teacher at KIPP Collegiate High School soared above academic expectation by taking on challenging college courses. Even though peer pressure could have urged him to be distracted, he pushed through and graduated from The University of Arizona at Phoenix.

Zeilik said, “One thing that helped me balance out studying and extracurricular activities is to be organized. College can be very difficult to keep up with." “I’m thankful I learned how to manage my time before I went to college. Scheduling and staying focused are important factors as well, but time management is a necessity if you want to succeed in college.”

Professor Lawren Bogard has been teaching for over 10 years. He completed his undergraduate degree at Lemoyne-Owen College, graduated from Webster University and has since been teaching at colleges like Bethel University and Southwest Community College; He has more experience than most when it comes to college.

What helped him and his success he said was, “taking care of priorities first” and “knowing what you are doing at every moment and make sure it is benefiting you.” Bogard continued, “Priorities have to be taken care of first because they are the most important. Task and time management are essential as well for proficiency. Make sure you have the deadlines for all of your work. Check the deliverable, or the way your professor wants you to approach the task. “Defer your gratification for your education. The secret to success is to sacrifice. The biggest problem of our youth today is their inability to ignore distractions. Learn how to not expect help not to give you everything in life.”

Bogard and Zeilik have shared the ways they were able to focus on their studies while in college. By employing some of their tips and some other ones, graduating seniors will better ensure that they also graduate from college.