6 Insider Tips to Succeed in College

Going to college is an experience everyone should have. It’s the place where you meet a ton of new people, learn about exciting things, and get to find more about yourself and your interests.

College also comes with its own set of challenges. At the end of the day, students are evaluated based on their performance in their classes, whether it’s giving a presentation, writing a final paper, or taking exams. Failing to do well on any of these things would not only harm your GPA, but can also put a lot of stress on you as you begin to think about jobs and others career related opportunities.

Now while many are going to tell you that your GPA isn’t the only measure for success in life, it’s still the main metric used by graduate and professional school admissions (if you’re thinking about graduate school) and it’s also the best indicator of your degree of commitment to a long-term goal.

It also pays to keep in mind that when you graduate from college, you’re going to find yourself competing against hundreds and even thousands of others for one opening. And since the competition is high, GPA is usually used as a filter. So if you score below a certain threshold, you’re pretty much out. That’s why your SAT score landed you at the College you’re currently attending.

So what are some strategies that can help you be successful in college?

Develop relationships with your TAs and professors.

One key strategy to do well in your classes and beyond is to develop strong relationships with your TAs and professors. To do that you have to stand out from everyone else, and the strategy that works best (based on my experience as a student and College instructor) is to ask for extra readings. You will quickly become a star in your professor’s eyes. But you can’t stop here. You have to follow up after a week or two and go to office hours and ask some questions about that reading. Keep in mind that just as the professor and the material are new to you, it’s also the case for the professor with you as a student. Use the novelty of the situation to your advantage and make sure to stand out quickly.

Now if you get a TA (Teaching Assistant) for your discussion section or for one of your classes, then make sure to get them on your side. Professors take their TAs assessment of students very seriously. Accordingly, they have the power to influence whether you get voted for a scholarship or any other department awards, so don’t under-estimate them.

Choose your advisor carefully.

Once you’ve taken a few classes and found a good supportive professor, you should ask this professor to become your primary advisor. Everyone will get paired with an advisor in their freshmen year, but these advisors are there by default and they might not be a good fit for you. So find a professor with whom you have common interests and sign up for as many classes as you can with that professor. This will help you get a very, very strong recommendation letter. Don’t expect a strong recommendation letter from a professor you’ve only taken a class or two with him or her – they don’t know you enough to write something that stands out.

Also, make sure that the professor you want to work with is at least an Associate Professor (Assistant Professors are still new to the department and they don’t yet have enough leverage to pull some strings for you). Also be very careful when you work with adjunct faculty. As hard working as adjunct faculty are, they are nonetheless on a semester by semester contract and this means they might not be there to support you if their contract doesn’t get renewed.

Seating does matter.

Sit in the front row or near the front row of your classes. You want to be seen, you want to be heard and you want to interact with the professor. It’s much harder to ask a question in class when you’re sitting in the 50^th row than if you were sitting in the 3^rd row. It’s also much harder to be noticed when you’re sitting that far. In one of the largest classes I helped teach, we had one thousand students (yes, 1000 students!) and I could barely remember 25 students at the end of the semester. In fact people can only remember up to 250 people with whom they can have some sense of a friendship or mentorship. That’s their cognitive limit. It’s called the Dunbar number. So strive to be seen and remembered.

Don’t assume the professor is going to remember you from one or two interactions. Be consistent, and if you see your professor on campus say Hi. Don’t pretend to be busy or talking on the phone or texting.

Avoid easy classes at all costs.

The worst thing you can do in your College career is waste your time and money on 101 electives. In fact, a high GPA in easy classes is worse that a low GPA in difficult classes. Moreover, when professors see that you’re opting for easy classes all the time, they will form the impression that you don’t value hard work or academic challenges. This will also destroy your chances of getting into graduate school even if you have a 4.0 GPA. That’s not to mention that you’ve wasted 4 years of your life doing things that never took you much effort. Work to gain a reputation for hard work and doors will open up for you.

Be very selective with extracurricular campus activities.

There are so many clubs and groups on campus to keep you busy every single day of your 4 year experience. However, you must choose extracurricular activities with a lot of care. I always used two criteria: (1) the club or group has to be based on a subject I’m passionate about, and (2) the activities have to help me sharpen a specific skill. On that basis, I joined the Debate Club as well as the History Club. I had an interest in both fields and they helped me sharpen my speaking and communication skills.

You MUST have room for fun.

There are so many things competing for your attention in College. There are a lot of parties, social events, trips, sports activities, and so on and so forth. It’s a little overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will be a ton of fun. Don’t be shy about showing up to various campus events. That’s your time to meet new and exciting people, so take full advantage of it. Don’t stay stuck with your friends from home. You will lose out on so much and you’ll be doing the same things you were doing with them at home anyway, so feel encouraged to speak up and meet others. Since it’s important to have fun in College, I strongly encourage you to not schedule much homework time on the weekend. And to do so, you must stay on top of your work during your weekdays. That’s your best bet to make the best of both worlds.