Being a student is a fun, exciting, and oftentimes an infuriatingly difficult experience. The stress can really make it difficult even for the most hardworking on us to stay on top of the coursework, and it doesn’t help that everything seems to be so very different than your high school days. There are no people to remind you to get your work done, so you need to do all of it on your own. Well, if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and wish you could make your college days easier, we’re here with some help. Tips and tricks for soon-to-be-successful students coming right up!
Reward yourself with tiny things when studying
It can be a gummy bear each time you finish a chapter of your lesson or an equally small snack that will motivate you to keep reading. You can also grab a big jar and then put a quarter in it after every lesson you’ve revised, and once you fill it up you can use that money to treat yourself to something you’ve been meaning to buy. Setting up a reward system is a good way to keep pushing on even when you don’t feel like studying, and the reward can be pretty much anything as long as it’s small. Train your mind to recognize study time as something good, something that isn’t just a long, boring slog.
Learn how to cook cheap meals
Cooking can save you a lot of money in college. If you don’t have to keep buying meals you’ll be able to save up for something you actually want to get, and cooking is generally such a useful skill for any person to learn. With a little rice, some frozen veggies, and bits of chicken you can make a good, nutritious meal, and there are a ton of other, easy to make meals that will not only get you through college but make it easier to start your life after it. Learn a few basic recipes, and if you want to save up on time and fuss less over food, prepare all your meals in advance. Take Sunday evening to cook something in a huge pot, then divide it all into several Tupperware containers and keep it in the fridge. Be careful of hungry roommates, though!
Swap your notes with other students
You might have missed something during the lecture, or maybe your friend has an interesting take on what was being discussed. Swapping material with others is a great way to learn because you get to have comprehensive notes that you can easily use to study, and it’s a great option to have in case you couldn’t attend your lecture. There are also sites like Thinkswap that let you do the whole thing online, and they are generally a great resource for any college student. Course books can sometimes be difficult to understand, especially with complex subjects such as finances. So, making your own study notes and sharing them around is one of the best ways to tackle difficult material.
Plan everything
Get in the habit of organizing your time. Trust us, it’s pretty much the only skill you need to finish college. Without time management, even the greatest intellect will get lost during college, so get a planner and start jotting it all down. From classes to study time, pencil in any obligations or chores you will have during the week, then try sticking to your schedule. Train yourself to be orderly and finish things on time, and then you won’t get into the habit of putting everything off until the last minute and then panicking when you have to sit down and cram without pause to pass your exam.
Make your breaks count
Study breaks are important if you want to stay focused, but sometimes your break can ruin your concentration and make you procrastinate and waste your time. Checking your social media is generally not advised during study time, and neither is watching funny YouTube videos or really doing anything on your phone. A break where you get up to stretch your legs, maybe inhale some fresh air, or even do a quick workout will restore your focus and help stress dissipate much better than Instagram will. Besides, social media can make you hyper focused on other people’s seemingly glamorous lives during a time when you should really be focusing mostly on yourself.
And most of all, don’t stress too much. When you make a mistake, take a deep breath and fix it. Panic gets us nowhere, and your student days can be really beautiful and exciting as long as you allow yourself to enjoy them.
