How to Survive in College?
Iâve read lots of good college tips posts on Tumblr, I loved every one of them and I saw how similar college students are. Even though there are similarities, we all tend to get different lessons from our experiences. As a 3rd grade English Literature Student -5th semester hooooraaay!- Iâve collected my own experiences and I want to share some of them with you. You should accept that you cannot be a productive student all the time. You can have your ups and downs and it is all okay. Sometimes we fall and we get our lesson from it, we get stronger with each  mistake. You have to move on to be better, to be more brave. This is my first post because I am thinking about doing this âHow to Survive in College?â thing as a series. This one is all about grades and studying.
Special thank you to @noorastudy for letting me use her cute graphic icons to make my banner. I wish I knew how to make cool a f icons but oh well.
I tend to talk way too much so shall we start?
I know, I know. Success in your college life is important. Itâs so important because your future depends on these years. However you have to be aware of one thing: your health âboth physical and mental- is more important than your grades. I do not care if your grades are perfect but youâre feeling dead inside. It does not matter. If you do not have the energy to celebrate an A or the ending of a project, that grade means nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. You have to appreciate yourself, your hard work, your success in a way that you do not get stressed and worried about numbers all the time. This is college, youâre a grown up, you have to be able to take care of yourself because on the road awaits after college, youâll be alone. People will expect you to be an adult. Real adult. Enjoy your moments as a student. Enjoy every single breath you have, feel the sunshine and winter cold on your skin, cry when youâre sad and laugh when youâre happy. Screw up but also get up and keep walking. Take care of yourself. Nothing is more important than you.
Have a studying routine. This may sound a little boring to some but let me tell you on thing: studying regularly is the key. I am not talking about studying 24/7, no. I am talking about using your time wisely when it comes to study. For example, letâs talk about my studying habits. I woke up at 5-6 a.m. everyday. I immediately leave my bed and open my window because I need fresh air to wake up. Then I spend half an hour to myself (brushing my teeth and havin juice or tea or coffee, getting dressed etc.) and then I start studying around 7-6 a.m. I always study in periods, one hour and fifteen minutes break usually. I tried small periods and shorter breaks but I canât make it because it is very hard for me to focus between breaks. Sometimes I sit and I donât give a break for two hours. Totally depends on my subject. Long story short, have a routine. Do the same thing every morning and night, adjust your time and studying periods. I will make a master post about studying techniques but Iâve created mine eventually since my brain tends to think about many things at the same time. Know yourself and create your studying routine. First few weeks will be hard but after a month you will get used to it.
Do not procrastinate. Understand that what you do today in college will be rewarded in your future. Procrastination is the thief of time. It is also very dangerous because by doing it, you start making a mount of unfinished work which is your responsibility. Over time all the work youâve been procratinating will need to be finished. Every assignment has a deadline. Do your assignments on time, study to your lectures regularly, spend time with your notes and lectures. Donât say tomorrow, start doing it now. Get up, take a deep breath and you are ready my friend!
Listen to your teacher and take notes in every class. You donât need fancy notes to be a good student. Personally I do it because it motivates me. Also Iâm a writer/writing learner, which means I can understand better if I write the subject or even vocabulary. I have one notebook to each semester which I bring with me to university. I take notes and listen my professors carefully, when I get back to home, after a short break I start writing all notes again with my text-book and articles. Important points, terms and summary of the subject. I also make my researches before class so it helps me a lot to understand the subject.
Find your motivating study space. This is so important. If you want to study productively, you have to find the right study space. Maybe your room, school library, a cafe which is close to your dorm/home etc. For me itâs my room and school library. I donât like studying in a cafe because I can lose my focus so easily but when I am alone and the place is all silent I can study very well. Try to create the right place. You donât need a desk or anything for that. You can use anywhere, just have a good light and silence, thatâs all.
Share your notes and help other people. But please donât let them use you. This is very important to me. Usually in university people tend to be very selfish about their notes etc. I donât see any reason for that. Sharing, helping and teaching people is one of the most amazing things you can do to a friend or to a loved one. I am not talking about giving your notes and your hard work to everyone of course. Just understand one thing. If they donât study regularly, reading your notes the day before the exam will not help them very much. If the person is not passionate about his/her school and future, one page will not change anything. Maybe they will gain few points but do you really think that will help them to pass the class or get an A? I donât think so. Also by helping the others you can motivate yourself as well. For example I have many friends that I care about and I want them to get good grades so I genuinely love sharing my work with them. It creates trusting and intimate relationship with my friends.
So this is the end of my How to Survive in College Series Part 1! I hope it will help someone who is struggling and need help. I love you all so so so so so much. Here is some other posts for you to read by other studyblrs. They are all very helpful!
âHow to Collegeâ by @genuinestudies
âUniversity Tipsâ by @hufflepuffscholar
âThings I Wish Iâd Known in My First Year of Universityâ by @succulentstudyâ
âHoe Tips: School and Studyingâ by @herhighnessthequeenâ
â5 Tips for Staying Motivatedâ by @lizzylearnsâ
Also, Studyblr really helped me about my college life. It did honestly. It still does. Iâm very new, like I do not know few months? Since then, Iâve been working my best and pushing my limits in a non-stressful way. Here some of my motivation Studyblrs:
@studyquill , @studylustre, @studyign, @tbhstudying, @studytherin, @studyblr, @snowystudiess, @ravnclaw, @academc, @bookmrk, @emmastudies. The list goes on but if you want a start, these blogs are phenomenal! đâ¨
