5 Ways to Ensure Success in College
Want to ace your degree program? Follow these steps!
Photo credit: Tim4403224246/Wikimedia Commons
As a college professor for more than a quarter of a century, I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen it all. But I would say that I’ve seen a lot.
One thing that you become keen to as a college professor pertains to factors that predict student success. Based on my experience in the field—which served as the basis of my book Own Your Psychology Major!—I can say confidently that, all things equal, following the simple guidance here sets up a pathway for success in college. And these simple lessons extend well beyond the collegiate experience.
Register early for your classes. Like most full-time college professors, part of my work includes academic advising. At any given time, I have dozens and dozens of Psychology and Evolutionary Studies advisees. As is common at most schools, each student is required to meet with their advisor during a particular window of time for help in choosing classes for the next term—and, often, for help in figuring out what kind of academic and career-related future is best for them.
From this backdrop, I’ll tell you this: The first student who meets with me during what we often refer to as advising season is nearly always sharp as a tack. Students who show up early to sign up for classes show a diligence and care that, in combination, go a long way. During the process, I usually will check out the student’s GPA. And I am never surprised when the very-first student or two who show up for advising have GPAs that approach a perfect 4.0. These young people who take steps to be at the front of the line, more-often-than-not, simply have their stuff together. And this fact pays dividends. And this general approach will certainly have benefits in the world that await them after graduation.
Implication: Register for your classes early!
Sit at the front of the class. While students who do well academically are often spread out across a typical classroom, students who choose to sit at the front of the class naturally end up being more engaged with the material. They are right there. They don’t really have the option to check their Snapchat or to zone out. In my experience, students who go out of their way to solidify a front-row seat tend to, on average, excel academically.
Implication: Sit at the front of the class!
Strive for perfect attendance. While perfect attendance may not always be feasible, attendance in and of itself has demonstrated to be an extraordinarily strong predictor of academic success (see Keppens, 2023). Study after study has found that simply showing up to one’s classes is both substantial and significant in its effects on academic performance. So while I may have a “you’re a big kid” attendance policy for my classes (Attendance is fully optional. Note that attending will likely help your grade), I do make it clear to students that attending class is in their interest. And a mountain of research has found that attendance rates are often found as better predictors of academic performance than are things like SAT scores and high school GPA.
Implication: Go to class!
Study actively and extensively. In a recent keynote address for the New England Psychological Association, cognitive psychologist Matthew Brubaker (2024) discussed various implications for succeeding as a student based on research in the cognitive sciences. As I’ve noticed extensively over the years, according to Brubaker, students who study in an active manner (e.g., writing out flash cards or writing out notes based on the notes that they took in class) tend to excel. On the flip side, passive studying (e.g., reading and then re-reading the notes or textbook) simply doesn’t lead to the same kind of active practice that builds a strong understanding of the material at hand.
Further, the amount of time that one studies for an exam is strongly predictive of success. On multiple occasions over the years, I’ve had students come to my office to discuss a poor exam grade—asking for help to improve things for the next exam. One of my main questions for these students is simply this: How many hours did you study? It is eye-opening how students differentially define the phrase a lot. Students often will say that they studied for about 2-3 hours, claiming that this amount is “a lot.”
I will tell you, while I was hardly the perfect student in my time, I was (ultimately…) not bad—and, at the end of the day, I worked extremely hard for my classes. I recall at some point (after starting out with a few questionable semesters…) realizing that, for me at least, the magic number was 15. If I studied for 15 or more hours for an exam, I would nearly always ace it.
Sometimes when I recommend to students that they should study for at least 15 hours per exam, they look at me like I’m a three-headed anomaly of nature. On the other hand, students who report studying about that much for an individual exam regularly emerge at the head of the class, so to speak. The positive correlation between time spent studying and academic performance is unquestionable.
Implication: Study actively and study a lot.
Visit your professors during office hours. Students don’t always realize it when they go into college, but a professor’s job includes all kinds of things beyond teaching in the classroom. One of the required elements of college teaching is to hold office hours. These are hours outside of class time that are largely for the purpose of helping students understand and connect with the material in what are essentially individualized tutoring sessions with the professor. Take advantage of these hours—see office hours as an opportunity and as a way to help optimize your education. During office hours, you can ask questions about content that is not fully clear to you. Or you can ask the professor larger-scale questions, such as how they became interested in this subject in the first place. Or you can ask them questions about how the content might be applicable in your future career path (e.g., I’m often asked by pre-health-studies students: How is evolutionary psychology relevant to better understanding issues of human health?). Or more. Not only do office hours provide extra learning opportunities, but they also help to foster deeper relationships between students and professors. Getting to know your professors at a deeper level may well lead to a scenario where, if needed, your professor’s got your back.
Implication: Take advantage of professors’ office hours.
Bottom Line
College is not always easy. As a college student, you have to navigate abstract and often technical content. You need to figure out the different styles and systems of dozens of professors—styles and systems that often vary dramatically from one another. You will probably have hundreds of assessments of your work related to dozens of often-advanced and complex topics. This all is why succeeding in college is so-often seen as a badge of honor.
Want to succeed in your college experience? Follow the five simple rules described herein. While there are no guarantees in life, I can promise you this: Following these rules will give you a leg up in what may well be a treacherous sea—the academic sea of ideas, books, and calculations. A sea that is designed to set you up for success in the real world—which, I can tell you from experience, is not always a picnic.
Any time you have an opportunity to get a leg up for your future, take it. You’ll need it. College is designed exactly to help provide you with opportunities to set you up for success. Succeed in your college years and, odds are, in so many ways, that you’ll succeed well into your future.
References
Brubaker, M. (2024). Presidential Keynote Address. New England Psychological Association Convention. Springfield, MA.
Keppens, G. (2023). School absenteeism and academic achievement: Does the timing of the absence matter? Learning and Instruction, 86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101769.