5 tips to achieve academic success in college

Here are five tips to help W. P. Carey students achieve academic success today, so you can shape the future you want tomorrow.

You have to do well in your classes to stay in school and graduate. So while looking at college as “all fun and no study” might sound great in theory, it actually means having a handful of good times for now, and missing out on a whole lifetime of great experiences as a future college graduate. Here are five tips to help you achieve academic success today, so you can shape the future you want tomorrow.

1. Learn about things you love

The reason many students get stressed in college, as well as just thinking about attending college in general, is because they think that they have to overload their schedule with hard classes in their major so that they can graduate, on time, with a degree that will get them hired. While this holds true to an extent (meaning you have to take certain classes to graduate), there's a lot of flexibility to customize your education as a W. P. Carey student.

For reference, even with a business certificate and two business majors, I've been able to take at least one or two classes for fun every semester of college. ASU students can take courses about everything from popular bands and modern TV shows to ballroom dancing and ping pong — and those are just a few examples of the interesting, unique, challenging, and just plain weird courses offered university-wide.

2. Prioritize your time

As simple as it may seem, waking up in time for your classes can make the difference in barely passing or acing them! You will be taking classes ranging from 7:30 a.m. to late at night, and it’s important to stay organized and set an alarm (or two!) to get there on time for those in the early morning.

Avoiding distractions is another way to effectively prioritize and manage your time. It can be very, very tempting to have music blasting or a YouTube video playing while you’re studying. While that does work for some people, research shows that it can actually be a detriment to your success and, at least at some point, it’s important to set aside those distractions and focus.

3. Take advantage of the resources around you

When it comes to succeeding in those tough classes that you will undoubtedly have to take, it’s important to take advantage of the resources you have available to you. ASU offers first-year success coaches for first-year students, and has plenty more academic success resources to support you throughout your college career.

In addition to the ASU resources I’ve already provided, there are many different ways to study successfully, memorize key terms, and stay organized to ensure you achieve success in your classes.

4. Connect with your professors

This is a really important one. From simply being able to help you out in the class if you need help with an assignment to writing letters of recommendation in the future for scholarships and jobs, your professors are an invaluable resource.

Moreover, W. P. Carey faculty research influences business, and the school is top-ranked for research productivity among business schools worldwide. This gives you an amazing opportunity to learn from thought leaders whose research is shaping the future of business today. And because ASU is a top-tier research university, you can work with great faculty on great challenges in business and beyond.

5. Find a balance

To me, this is one of the most important lessons that I’ve learned. I’m actually taking a class right now that explains how stress can negatively impact grades. It takes hard work to do well in school, but you can only work so hard for so long before you hit a point of diminishing returns.

Finding a balance — by taking fun classes, getting involved in extracurricular activities, making friends, and taking time to relax — will help you reduce stress, and improve your academic performance in the long run.