10 Habits of Good Undergrad Students

1)    Plan ahead: There’s nothing more stressful for an undergrad student (or anyone for that matter) than having to cram all night to finish a paper/project that will be due in the morning. Keeping a consistent schedule and planning ahead may seem like even more work, but the benefits far outweigh any perceived extra effort. No more cramming, all-nighters or panic attacks about papers.

2)    Divide up tasks: Sitting down and trying to read 200 pages in one sitting will put everyone but the most hardened English teachers to sleep. Same goes for studying for tests. Divide up the amount of work for papers, reading and tests up throughout the week. Start studying for tests three days before (not at 3 a.m. the morning of), formulate ideas for papers when the assignment is given and break up the reading over two days.

3)    Show me your friends: We’ll show you how they affect your studying. If you are constantly hanging out with people who don’t even know why they are in college, it can create an environment so toxic all attempts to study are immediately gassed to death. On the same note, don’t kid yourself and say you’re studying when you’re perusing Facebook.
4)    Don’t bum yourself: Little things can slowly add up into a recipe for emotional catastrophe. Also, be realistic when looking at the percentage that quiz you got a 30% on counted for your grade. If you have a bad day and do poorly on a quiz that is barely worth 1% of your grade it isn’t the end of the world. If you do poorly on the first test, remember there is the second one usually. Don’t freak out; be realistic, calm and logical.

5)    Impress the professor: It’s amazing how much more professors recognize students who don’t attempt to BS their way through an assignment. Also, dozing off isn’t a good idea (granted some professors seem to try to do it on purpose, e.g. economics + 8 a.m. + monotone voice=instant sleep) or text during class, let alone have your phone go off. Show respect and it will be shown back to you. Asking simple questions in their office actually makes them happy that you came to visit.

6)    Stay healthy: Don’t underestimate sleeping or eating right. While it seems simple, chugging five energy drinks to jump start your brain in the morning isn’t as good as a full night’s (8 hours) sleep. Hitting the gym two or three days a week and avoiding junk food (it will help you avoid the dreaded freshman 15!) are both good ideas as well.
7)    Look out for No. 1: As cold as it sounds, your job is college (or soon to be). While you may seem like a jerk because your friend wants you to come to their lake house party, which they scheduled on a finals day; don’t fret too much. Most sensible friends/family members will want to see you succeed.

8)    Visualize your goals: It’s always better to go into the library with a goal in mind than walk in and start studying random things. Before you go set a goal about how much you will do and how long you will be there. Say, “I will study history for 2 hours” or “I cannot stay long, but I need to work on my English paper for the hour I am here”.

9)    Aim high: Simple regurgitation may work in some classes, but this is college folks not high school. The teachers want you to be able to critically think about the material. If you cannot do that the grade start’s losing its grip on A or A- and falls into the large bed of B or B-.

10)    Avoid burnout: The dreaded burnout strikes again! Don’t let yourself become that girl/guy who had a 3.95 GPA and dropped out senior year because they were burned out. Do things to avoid burnout. On weekends spend time with friends as soon as you have time. Go to the movies, playing video games, go to a party. Obviously, make sure you don’t neglect your academic responsibilities, but a little R&R is needed from time to time.