Five Tips to College Success

For all of you who are first time college students, here are a five helpful tips for success (and less stress!). And hey, even you experienced students might find this useful!

#5. Before you get dressed, check Weather.com for your area. This way you can dress accordingly, manage your hair appropriately if it's going to be windy, and bring an umbrella or rain jacket if rain is in the offing (or layer up if it looks like a snowstorm).

#4. Especially that first week, pack your backpack the night before. That way if you DO accidentally oversleep, you can just grab your bag and go. It'll also help ensure that you don't forget anything essential.

#3. Eat healthy. This sounds lame, but it's incredibly important. In addition to keeping off the Freshmen 15 (which is VERY real and sometimes turns more into the freshman 20), it will also keep your skin clearer, your brain more alert, reduce colds and illnesses, and help your mood and sleep patterns. Good eating means at least one fruit or vegetable every meal, drinking LOTS of water, avoiding bad fats, (yes, even that awesome pizza your new dining center has...maybe keep it down to one or two slices a week?), and staying away from sugar as much as possible.

#2. Make a schedule for your homework. Mark your assignments on a wall calendar and always refer back to it. That way you won't get to the last week of classes and find you're way behind on... well... everything. DON'T ever try to cram. You'll have poor results and forget everything very quickly, which is NOT the point of college. (Learning, not forgetting, is the point)

#1. HAVE A CONSISTENT SLEEPING SCHEDULE! Get to bed early, and always have your wake-up time be at least an hour before your first class. Getting a solid night's rest is just about the best thing you can do to being a successful student, and you'll sleep better if you always have the same schedule. Plus if you always wake up at 7:30, soon that wont' seem early to you at all. I promise. Use an alarm clock to help you get into this rhythm, and have your body on this schedule before classes start.