College Education

Studying Tips on How to Survive Trade School and College

Going to college or trade school can be challenging. You have to choose wisely where you want to go and what course you want to take so that you’ll do well throughout your entire school life. There’s a fine line between going to college and doing well in college. Getting inside college is not enough, you have to work hard to stay there. Today, we’re going to show you tips on how to survive your college or trade school student life.

Characteristics to Become a Successful College Student

It’s time to ready yourself before you enter college. College is not just like high school. There are some traits that people are born with which leads to college success, while other traits can be learned. Below, here are the different character traits to become a successful student.

  • Hardworking – In college, you may encounter some easy and hard classes. But most often, hard classes. But if you are motivated and will push through what it takes to get the job done, then you’re good to go.
  • Engaged – Engaging in such activities throughout your entire college life is a good thing. You’re present in all your classes, you enjoy participating in events and stuff, and you learn from your mistakes that you may have made. Raising your hand in class is a head turner. You exist, and you’re prepared to learn everything what college throws at you.
  • Goal-Oriented – Even though you had fun throughout your entire college life, you’re there for one reason. And that is the goal you want to achieve. A goal that keeps you motivated to push forward and do something more.
  • Self-Discipline – during hard times, you only have yourself to answer all your questions and yourself to blame. You need to learn how to understand yourself and how to discipline it.
  • Persistence – The road ahead will be rough, but you use that as a key to push yourself harder. School requires a lot of extra effort, and you’re not afraid to face it no matter what it takes.
  • Curious – Remember the saying “curiosity killed the cat”? Well, curiosity won’t get you killed, but it will make you smarter. Through curiosity, you’ll be able to know and conquer the world around you through your observations.

Balance Everything

Studying for 2 to 3 hours per semester hour is equivalent to a full time job. Say for example, you have 15 hours worth of classes, that means you have 30-45 hours of remaining time to study your books. As you can see, you don’t have much time through an entire week, but just school and study. Add in your part-time or full-time job and you’ll be missing out on your social life. If you think this is too much to bear for a student like you, think again. You’ll be fine as long as you balance the following:

  • Social Media – Opening your social media apps can be tempting. Once you go there, you can never go back. It’s advisable to stay away from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any social media accounts you have until your work is done.
  • Video Games – Once you dive in to the world of video games, time flies so fast. And you’ll never notice that you have exams to study, assignments to answer, and classes to take. Try playing video games during the weekends during your spare time. Or you can binge-play after studying a hard topic as a reward.
  • Drinking – In our college life, college parties are also present, and so as alcohol. If you want to unwind and let loose of yourself, it’s a good thing not to do it when you’re loaded with schoolwork.

The Tips and Tricks for a Successful Study Time

Some of us may already have implemented study habits from the beginning. But if you’re one of those having a hard time how to study successfully, don’t ever try to give up because there’s still room for improvement. Having good study habits can result to good grades. Below, we’re going to provide you some effective study tips for you to follow.

  1. Take time to talk to your teachers
  • Getting to know your teachers is very important so they can help you during times of need. Participate in class discussions, lend time to talk to your instructor before or after class. And earn their trust so they can help you along the way.
  1. Check your syllabus on the first day of class
  • Everything that’s going to happen in an entire semester is already printed on your syllabus. So it’s better to check it once you got it in the first day of class so that you’ll be prepared on what’s next.
  1. Jot down important notes
  • You cannot cram everything in your head, so it’s important to jot down important class lessons and details. You can also try recording the whole lecture and transcribe it later when you get home.
  1. Don’t cram for upcoming exams
  • You’ll be having a hard time remembering everything when you try to cram all of it in just one night. Study as you go, don’t wait for the last minute. Studying a little bit day by day will give you a high chance of retaining the information.
  1. Work your writing skills
  • Writing is a vital aspect in our life inside the school. If you have trouble writing, you can go for writing labs and writing tutors.

 

  1. Make a schedule for your study time
  • Your time is very limited especially if you’re a student. So it’s better to pick a schedule for your study session to avoid interfering on your other activities. Don’t have time to study in the morning? Pick a schedule in the evening. Or if you’re a morning person, you can plan your study session in the morning instead. Once you follow your schedule regularly, it’ll become a part of your routine.

 

  1. Get some sleep
  • Getting a 6 to 8 hours of sleep can help you sustain yourself. It’s important to rest so that you’ll have the energy to do things more once you wake up.
  1. Always attend classes
  • There may be instances where you’ll miss an enjoyable occasion just because you’re at class. But think again and see what’s important for you. Education is more important than anything else. You’ll likely fall behind if you just miss one lecture so it’s important to stay in class.
  1. Take advantage of flash cards
  • You may think that having flash cards as study material is so elementary. But did you know that it can also help you during your college life? Start loving flash cards again to help yourself through your study sessions.
  1. Take a break
  • If you ever feel tired on all the books and papers that are shoved into your face, it’s time to take a break for a while. Having 10 minutes break for every study session is good for you. Get out and go get some fresh air. Do whatever you want for 10 minutes and then get back to studying once you feel refreshed again.

 

The most important thing is, enjoy your education life to the fullest. If you have a good start on your trade or college school life, you’ll likely have a successful and fun education that’s really worth it. If you have a rough start, don’t worry. There’s still time for change. You just have to take what’s going to work for you and what’s not; it may take some trial and error but you’ll eventually get there.