You were able to utilize your experiences in high school and you are ready for college. But as you look ahead and make goals regarding your GPA you’ll need to always keep in mind that you are in a new ball-game now. Things are different.
Professors will dictate in ways that you would never have believed. They will teach in ways that you cannot process or comprehend. Topics will challenge and frustrate your mind. People and activities will distract you. You need to realize that as all of these challenges were faced by students last year, they came to college as freshmen last year. This college thing is not new and so many have successfully done it before. It is up to you, then, to find ways to successfully navigate the muddy waters of maintaining a high GPA.
First, you need to be able to prioritize your time. Your focus toward your final goal will keep you from being the typical college freshman party animal. It will equip you to be able to deal with the many challenges and differences of college life. Set your priorities seriously and then determine to stick to them. If you decide that you will study at least one hour before an exam, and then a party is scheduled for the night of an exam, you have a dilemma. If your resolve is good, you will be able to fit these new plans into your priorities. However, if you have not planned for this, than you will be coming up to the night before an exam, and you will know that without extra study you will not do well. The party will interfere with your grades. If you have planned ahead, you will have already spent some time preparing, and you will see that you can still enjoy the party and prepare for the exam.
There are students who will tutor you for free, or for a trade of some kind. Some of these students actually need to tutor you for part of their education. Look for these people. There is tutoring offered online avail yourself to the resources that you have to ensure your success at maintaining a good GPA in college. Relax and take your time with the subject. One of the problems with difficult topics and classes is your ability to early on convince yourself that these studies are impossible. Well, truly, they can’t very well be impossible, because other students have gone on before you and have successfully completed these same courses.
If you’re coming up on a project or test, and you are actually considering allowing yourself to receive a less than good mark, first calculate what a bad grade would do to your GPA. Often this will motivate you to do your best. It’s really not worth it to look at any grade as a small thing.
Finally bring someone else in on your plan. It has been proven that we work best when we work with someone. Tell a friend or classmate your GPA goals and communicate that you would like someone to help you to stay focused on your goal.