How to Be a Better College Student

Alejandra Delgado, Jerica Gomez, and Christopher Hinojosa

The transition from high school to college can be one of the most daunting that someone can make. In some aspects, they are exactly the same. You have to go to class, finish homework, and study for exams. The thing about college however, is that the stakes are raised exponentially. Your performance in college will dictate the money you make and the career you get.

We’ve all heard the old saying “C’s get degrees”, but in reality this is far from the truth. Realistically speaking, employers are always going to choose a candidate that has a higher GPA because it shows them that you are a competent and hard worker. For these reasons, we have chosen to write this blog and our lecture project about how to become a better college student in order to maintain a high GPA and grow a stronger work ethic.

Jerica - My tips to becoming a better college student including taking your first semester seriously. It’s hard to adjust to the difference of being in highschool and having your hand held once you enter college you are all on your own, it's up to you to take the initiative to do your assignments and to turn them in on time. Professors are there to teach you its up to you if you want to learn. I’ve been in college for a while now and even the little things we didn’t think mattered that much our first few semester come back later when you're trying to get accepted into a program that is very competitive and you tried your best.

My second tip is to use your time wisely. Time management is probably the most important part of being a successful student. We are all busy in our crazy lives outside of school it's important to make time for the assignments and studying we have to do for school. Setting aside a specific time for school work such as studying and doing homework will be beneficial to you because you get to learn the material at your own pace and can be ahead of the game by not having to rush at the last minute.

My third tip is being organized, organization can make all the difference especially if you are taking multiple classes. I personally use different binders for each class with dividers and tabs separating the different kinds of assignments. Using a planner to  lay out your schedule of when your assignment are due and other kinds of techniques to keep yourself organized is the a great tip to be a successful college student.

My last tip to being a successful college student is to have a good support system. We need to surround ourselves with people who want the best of us and want us to succeed, and try our best not to have people who want to push you away from your future to go out and have fun. We all need a little fun in our lives but we have to put what's most important first and having fun come after.

Chris - During my first year at DACC, I was kind of just “winging it”. Whenever we had upcoming assignments I would never write them down, opting to just try to remember them and hope for this best. This would often result in me getting bad grades on quizzes that I would forget to study for.

To combat this, I did some research and realized that I can import my Canvas calendar into my Google Calendar. After this I was able to create a Google Calendar widget on my phone and put it on my home screen so whenever I unlock my phone my agenda of homework is easily viewable. 

My current home screen, showing my upcoming assignments.

Along with this, my second tip to become a better college student would be to print out your syllabus’, hole punch them, and then place them into a binder so they are easy to access. This has saved me from having to take the time to log into Canvas, navigate to the class in question, and then click the link to the PDF copy of the syllabus.

Alejandra- I’m a near finishing junior at Arrowhead Park Early College High School, and have been going to DACC classes for two semesters. I’m still not very amazing at it. But I have pulled a few trips out of the little experience as a Duel Credit Student I have.

Number One, DO NOT IGNORE THE WORK. It is not like the rest of the high school classes, you have to keep track of assignments and do the work. The professors are different from high school teachers, and will expect you to pull the same weight as the adults. Let them and your classmates know that you and other kids your age can pull that weight. I have definitely faulted that a few time, and realized how horrible an idea it was. Not only does it project a poor image, it sends your grades spiraling downwards, and that is really hard to repair.

Number Two, spend your free periods wisely. The off-campus college classes are often at different times than the LCPS school schedule, so you’ll have some free time. And yeah, it’s okay to take a little time to talk, there’s also a lot of work to do so that you can graduate with a HS diploma and an Associate’s degree. Spending two or three class periods between classes gossiping and messing around can not only get you in trouble with campus security, but also with your grades.

In conclusion, it's not difficult becoming the best college student you can be. It takes hard work, hours of dedication, and a strong work ethic. We had a great time creating this blog post and lecture, and we hope that the tips we have given you help you get the degree and job that you are working towards.

Chris’ Blog: http://chrish67.blogspot.com/

Alejandra’s Blog: http://acdn240662.blogspot.com/

Jerica’s Blog: http://jericasadventures.blogspot.com/