10 ways to successfully survive college

Hi guys, welcome to my first official blog post!

Since I am now in my second semester of junior year in college, I thought that I can provide any incoming freshmen or anyone else who would be interested in this topic, some advice on how to successfully survive college. 

1. Actually go to class

I know it can be really tempting sometimes to miss class, but you should always try your best to make it to class every time. It's okay if you were to miss a couple of classes because let's face it, we all have those days. But I would advise against missing class consecutively. Believe me, you don't want to do that. Missing one class already feels like you've missed a whole semester worth of classes. 

2. Get to know people 

Getting to meet new people has to be one of the best things about college. Getting to meet new people and getting the opportunity to develop a friendship with them is vital when it comes to surviving college. The bonds and friendships you form will help ease the stress of college. You'll have someone to vent to, who can also relate to what you're going through. It'll be your distraction away from school work and stress.

3. Find a good place to study

If you want to actually get good grades then you need to find a good place to study. I know when it comes to me I absolutely can't study in my room, I'll only find ways to distract myself. Also studying so close to my bed is a very tempting idea. So, I usually end up going to the library to study. I find that it helps me be more productive and I end up actually doing some work.

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help

College is stressful and there will be times where you will need help, whether you need help in understanding a subject or help on an assignment, you will need it. If you need to go and get a tutor, do it, if you need to talk to your professor do it. The worst thing that you can do is to not go get help and to let all the work pile up. 

5. Find a balance 

In order for you to not go crazy and drown in your school work, you need to find a balance between school, your social life, and most importantly sleep. Yes, it's important to do good on your assignments but it wouldn't be healthy if you were constantly working on just your course work. At the same time it's important for you to not spend all of your time at social events because, at the end of the day, you're paying a good amount of money to get a degree. 

6. Do not procrastinate

Okay, I know it's hard and I know studying sucks but procrastinating isn't going to make it go away. Your assignments and studying will have to be done, there's no way to avoid them. Take it from someone that used to procrastinate in her early college years, procrastinating doesn't help. It only makes things worse and next thing you know, you have 50 different assignments due by Sunday. So, do yourself a favor and do your assignments as soon as possible.

7. Get involved on campus

There's always something happening on campus, so go out there and go to that event that's happening or go and join a club or go to that football game. It'll help you meet new people, help you get out of the stuffy dorm room, and joining a club is always a good resume builder. 

8. Get an internship or a job

We all know that college comes with being broke. And while some of don't have the time to work during the semester, you should use your summer break wisely. Getting an internship would be better than a regular job because it will help make you stand out as a candidate. But if you are unable to get an internship, a job is also helpful. Both will provide you with some extra spending money so you're not stuck eating ramean noodles the whole semester. 

9. Stay healthy

In order for you to succeed at anything, you need to be healthy. If you don't take care of yourself, both mentally and physically, you won't reach your full potential. I know it can be hard for some and it may be expensive but you should always try to eat right. And it might be hard to find the time but you should at least try to fight in a couple of hours at the gym per week, and most importantly you should always attempt for at least 8 hours of sleep if you want your brain to function right.  

10. Enjoy college

Last but not least, you only get to experience college once, so you should do your best to enjoy it as much as you can because it goes by in a flash.

- Rawan :)