How to Set Yourself Up for Success at College

Last Updated: December 21, 2024 by Michael Kahn. Published: December 21, 2024.

Enrolling in college and having the chance to continue your studies is a huge opportunity. This new chapter signifies an important change in your life, and is probably the biggest step you have ever taken. For most students, starting college marks the beginning of an exciting time in their life. Going to study at university brings with it the chance to enjoy increased freedom, the chance to meet new people and make lifelong friends, and the opportunity to experience life in a completely different town, or even a different state. There is certainly so much to be gained from going to college, and that’s before you even factor in the benefits that it brings for your career. 

Starting college does bring with it immense freedom and exciting opportunities. However, it is easy to get caught up in this new and exciting lifestyle. When this happens, socializing and having fun often takes precedence over your studies. It’s true that college should always be an enjoyable experience. However, it’s essential that this doesn’t get in the way of your grades. Instead, you need to find a way to strike a balance between the different aspects of life as a college student. You may be wondering how to make this happen. With this in mind, here are some of the ways you can set yourself up for success at college and really make the most of this exciting opportunity:

Choose the Right Courses

The first, and most important way to set yourself up for success with your studies is to ensure that you have picked the right subjects to study and the right university. Picking the wrong subject to major in can have a significant impact on your ability to succeed at college. After all, it’s hard to stay focused on producing your best work when you don’t feel enthusiastic about the subject you’re studying or have a strong interest in learning about it. 

Many people find themselves studying the wrong subjects. This may because they’ve felt under pressure to choose the subject because of expectations from their family. For others, they find they have drifted into studying a course because they weren’t completely sure what they wanted to study. Whatever the reason may be, there’s no doubt that choosing the right classes to study will help you to achieve much greater success at university.

When the time comes to choose your course, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed as you look through the course catalog. So, here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing courses to ensure you pick the right subjects:

• Start by thinking about the kinds of courses that match your interests and your strengths.
• Consider your career ambitions, which classes will help you to pursue your chosen career?
• Choose subjects that match your learning style, look at how much group work is involved compared to individual work, and whether any lab work will be involved.
• If you have already decided on your major, you will need to look at the required classes you need to take in order to graduate. Start by researching these before you pick any elective classes.

Ensure Your Finances are in Order

There’s no escaping the fact that going to college can be expensive. There are a host of costs involved in being a student. But the actual cost of attendance at college is one of the biggest expenses that you will face. Trying to cover these costs can be really challenging, and be a cause for significant worry during your time at college.

Worries over money can be a major distraction when you’re away at university. This worry can impact your ability to focus on your studies and leave you feeling distracted and unable to stay focused on your classes. No one wants to have their studies suffer because they’re worried about money. So, looking for a solution to these money issues is essential to ensure that you don’t compromise your focus on your studies. Researching Private Student Loans can help you to find a solution to this issue and provide a resolution for your concerns about the cost of attendance.

Covering the cost of everyday living expenses can be an expensive task when you’re at college. So, figuring out how you will cover these costs before you start university is a good idea and will relieve the pressure on you when you start studying. Finding a part-time job is the obvious answer to these issues. However, if you choose to work, it’s essential that you find a job that will fit around your studies. Skipping classes so that you can work defeats the purpose of being at college and can have a significant impact on your studies. To overcome this, it’s helpful to start looking for a part-time job really early and way before the start of the academic year. This will give you a better chance of finding a job that fits around your classes.

Treat College Like a Job

When you’re trying to combine studying, working part-time and still managing to find time to socalize with your new college buddies, your schedule can become super busy. Trying to combine all of these things will always mean that your schedule is packed, but it’s essential that your studies don’t suffer as a result. 

One way to ensure your grades stay high while your life is busy is to treat your studies like a job. This means that you dedicate ‘normal business hours,’ for example nine to five each day, to your studies. So, even if you’re not in classes, you can use the remainder of this time on private study and working on assignments. Approaching college life in this way can really help you to maximize the amount of studying you get done, and makes it so much easier to stay on top of your deadlines for submitting work. 

Following the tips mentioned above can be a really effective way to stay focused and maximize the opportunities for success at college.