My first semester was a wonderful experience, I liked the college lifestyle better than high school. Even though in college you get more freedom, you do have more responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities are your classes. After completing my first semester, I had to make a change. So I learned a few things:

Do Not Procrastinate

I would always do this in high school, although it did not affect me until I got to my first semester of college. Procrastinating affected my grades and the way I performed on my work. For me, if I procrastinated, I would not really learn anything about the subject that the work was going over. When you focus on finishing as fast as you can, you do not really grasp all of the information. When you take your time and you do not have to worry about turning in your work that same night, you tend to learn more about the subject. I have also experienced I produce better quality of work when I am not procrastinating, like doing an essay, you have time to review and correct any mistakes.

Here is a link to an article of how to get over procrastination: https://student-cribs.com/en/blog/66/8-Ways-to-Stop-Procrastinating-and-Start-Studying/

Manage Your Time

This is an important topic because in college you do not only worry about school. You need time for studying, working out, resting, school, and social life. Make a schedule in which you can work with because if you do not, your school and life will get mixed up. Plus, having a routine will help you mentally. So this semester, try to write or type your schedule.

Study

I was never good at this, because I always procrastinated. If this is your first semester, study everything you learn because it really helps you pass those quizzes or exams. In my first semester, I had General Psychology, which is a very fascinating subject. I did not study to prepare for the exams, and on exam day I was confused. There was only one time that I did study for the exam, and as a result, I did way more better than my first time.

Here is a link to a video that will really motivate you to study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74nGnjFFapo

Set Reminders

For some of us, we have many things to think about, and we forget that the homework assigned two days ago is due at night. I have learned from my first semester to always set reminders to do the homework. So now every time a professor tells my class that there is an assignment, I type it on my phone, and set it to remind me as I arrive home. There is also a feature on Canvas that can notify you of any assignments.

By NVC Student Hector Padron