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How to Survive College

Everything Freshman in College Needs to Know (Ages 18-22)

By Brianna OlsonPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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What my study space usually looks like.

College is basically the point of life you officially become an adult. Like, grade A adulting. Most of you are living with parents still like I am, some are living on your own. This is some tips and tricks to SURVIVE college and get GOOD grades.

Saving Money

  1. Start at a community college. They're cheaper for generals and gets you started for a university.
  2. Rent your books. This is the cheapest way of handling books because when you buy some, they can be $70.00 or more, and when you rent it can easily be $10.00 or more.
  3. Start with easy classes. Some can be cheaper, and it can bring up your grade point average for future better classes.
  4. Financial Aid. Don't pay everything off your savings or your money you make, have financial aid so they pay, and you can pay small payments monthly to pay off your student debt!
  5. Saving account. If you make $300.00 every 2 weeks, put off $50.00 in a saving account, or cash in a safe or box. for $400.00, do $100.00 in the account, and so on. Helps with payments, and if you have a car, backup money for a crash, improvements, or oil changes or a new tire!

Space you work in.

  1. Keep your area clean and comfortable. You don't want to be constantly moving around in your study space, uncomfortable and unable to study or do your work.
  2. Your computer or laptop and/or tablet are your best friends! Turn your phone onto do not disturb, and keep only the necessary things on your tabs while you work.
  3. Take away distractions in your room, like toys and things that will constantly make noise. If you absolutely need noise, turn on calming sounds on your phone and set it to the side.
  4. Keep the room well lit, you don't want to fall asleep on the desk/bed. I'm prone to falling asleep while doing work, so having a well-lit area is very helpful.
  5. Keep all your books in a bookshelf or a place where you can easily access them. You don't want to waste time searching for a book when you can find it right on a shelf.
  6. You can make it an aesthetically pleasing area. I love doing this because it helps me focus on my goal, and knowing who I aspire to be really helps me do my work.

Doing Your Work and Organizing It

  1. Take it from me, I used to be the queen of this. Do not procrastinate! This is the best way to get a failing grade, is procrastinating.
  2. Keep a planner, or set reminders on your phones for three days before something is due, and a week before you have an exam. Get started right away when you see the reminder!
  3. Get rid of distractions. I know, we young folk love Instagram, twitter, etc. Don't do it while you work! Once you start, you don't want to go back to doing your work.
  4. Have your tablet open on information about a topic if writing an essay, and use your laptop/computer as a way of writing, or on paper. Having multiple things open helps to multitask as well as help to make things easier on the writing process. I'm doing this as I write this.

Staying Awake

  1. Coffee. Monster. Bang. Energy drinks help me stay awake and focused, this may not be for everyone, but it sure is helpful.
  2. Bright lighting. Having bright lights tricks your mind into thinking "Hey! It's daylight! Stay awake!"
  3. Blue lighting. The mind doesn't like blue lights. At all. There's a reason why on phones there's a night setting where it basically tones down the blue lighting and ups the reddish/yellow/orange lighting. Blue lighting keeps the mind going.
  4. If in bed, sit up. You don't want to be laying down, because you are for sure going to fall asleep. Bro, that ain't the wave. Gotta stay up and get that grind.
  5. Sit at a desk. Sometimes sitting up in bed isn't enough, so move to a desk area.

Stay Organized.

  1. Keep notes! Have a notepad or the notes on your phone with lists on what to write, outlines, etc. Or google drive. Create a cute/simple checklist of things you need to have done.
  2. Save your place. Have bookmarks and/or little tabs to put in your books, folding the pages is HORRIBLE for books, and you can write on tabs and bookmarks about exactly what you're learning.
  3. Your drawer/shelf of school things. Have a designated area for all your school things. Keep some boxes as well, and dividers inside your binders.
  4. Boxes. Have a box for pens, one for pencils, one for paper, one for books, one for extra things, one for assignments, and ones for tips and tricks.
  5. Binders. Have tabs for each class you take, and "sub-tabs" for things inside, like paper, assignments, handouts, and notes.

Mental Health

  1. If you're like me, you get stressed easily. Minimize that for allowing yourself to answer 30 questions on an assignment, a small break for food or drink, and then another group of questions, and so on.
  2. If you're going through a rough time in personal life, email or text your professor and get an exemption or a stretched time to finish something. If you know you can't do something because you're grieving, in pain or overwhelmed with personal life, explain the situation and take time to yourself.
  3. Don't skip class. Some classes have everything online, which is fine. But you may need the information the professor may be giving in class, like updates or answering questions you may also have. It can cause extra stress if you missed something and need information on it, but cannot get it.
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About the Creator

Brianna Olson

A basic college student out to help other fellow college students, struggling or not!

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