Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Education

1. Stop Skipping Class

What is the best way to ensure you are giving yourself a fighting chance at passing a class? By making sure you show up for it! Sure, you can utilize your friend’s notes or class recordings, but in order to put your best foot forward, make it a point to attend every lecture, every review and every lab. This way you won’t be left with regrets of not trying everything you could to pass, and your professor may notice your efforts if your grade is on the fence. 

2. Take Good Notes

We love social media as much as the next person, but don’t end up falling behind because you just sit on Instagram for the entirety of your lectures. If you are going to show up physically, be sure to show up mentally as well! Take good, thorough notes that you can look back on to help you study later. A helpful note-taking tip is to create shorthand abbreviations or symbols so that you can keep up with your professor’s presentation speed or record your lectures so you have something to reference back to later. 

3. Make Friends

Try to make at least one friend in every class! This way, if life happens and you miss out on a lecture, you can borrow their notes to catch up. Also, having a friend in every class gives you a study partner and you can help each other in struggling areas. 

4. Join a club

Joining a club is a great way to meet people with similar interests and work together towards a common goal. This is a great start to familiarize yourself with networking and branching out, which can help during your college years and down the road of your career path. 

5. Chew Gum While Studying and During Tests

Have you ever had a “brain fart” in the middle of a test, where the answer was at the tip of your tongue but you just couldn’t remember? Well don’t get caught with your pencil down again. Studies have shown that chewing gum while you are studying and also while you are being tested can help to enhance your memory recall and focus on the questions in front of you. 

Need energy to study after a long day of classes and labs? Need to pull an all nighter to study for a big exam? Opt for an energy gum supplement over a regular piece of chewing gum. Caffeinated chewing gum, like Apollo Energy Gum, can bring you a physical boost of energy, as well as some extra brain power to perform your best!

6. Get a Good Night’s Rest

This is probably a tip that you’re parents have been telling you since grade school, and for good reason - it makes a difference! When you’ve had a solid 6-8 hours of sleep per night, your brain has had the opportunity to process what has happened during the day, remember what you’ve learned and give your body a chance to heal itself! 

7. Stay Organized 

Organization is a crucial key to success! Create a system to stay organized by classes, chapters, lectures, etc to make sure you have a good system to reference to when it comes time to study for tests! Also, by keeping your space tidy and your school materials organized, it can allow for better focus and concentration.

8. Exercise

Exercise is not only great for your body, but also for your mind. Studies have shown that exercise can bring more oxygen to the brain to help promote the production of neurons and neurotrophins, which can both aid in improving memory and learning by increasing brain volume, activity and plasticity. Exercise also can improve your overall mood by increasing neurotransmitter production. 

9. Eat Good

Instant noodles are an infamous staple in a college student’s diet, however in order to set yourself up for success, make sure you are eating in a balanced way and supplementing with vitamins if recommended by your doctor. Eating healthy is not unattainable for a college student’s budget, but maybe spend a little extra on fruits and veggies that can be stretched for a few meals instead of expensive greasy fast food. Your brain and body will thank you for supplying vital nutrients for you to perform your best. 

10. Blow Off Steam

Finding a healthy way to release your stress or frustrations can be a great way to clear your mind and make it easier to focus on your studies. This can be done by doing a number of activities that you might enjoy such as yoga, dancing, team sports, art, etc. Find an activity that brings you joy and give it your all! 

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There you have it - 10 ways to help put your best foot forward going into the new semester. What are some ways that you set yourself up for success? Leave a comment down below if they are different than the ones above!