How much better will your grades be as a junior or a senior than they were as a freshman?
Scholastic improvement should be a year-round endeavor, not just something you tackle in your first year. Hopefully, you’re contemplating how you can take your academic game from an “8″ to a “10″ well before graduation.
While standing at the forefront of a new semester, you have the opportunity to take your scholastic endeavors to the next level! As you look at the possibilities for improving your college experience, consider climbing the following hills:
Develop strong study habits. People are not born with great study skills. These skills must be cultivated. You may be earning a passing grade, but if you’re cramming… you’re failing in the “good study skills department.” Great study habits are the foundation of academic success. Why leave this area underdeveloped? If you want to see your college experience improve quickly, invest your time and resources into developing strong study skills.
Align your major with your dream job. Consciously tailor your class schedule to your future career goals. So, you want to be a medical doctor with your own private practice? Great! Naturally you are enrolled in pre-med classes, but why not take a health management class as well? Why not intern with an accounting firm so that you understand how to man the books when your business is in operation. Basket weaving may be a therapeutic elective after that organic chemistry class, but if you have to make a choice between taking it and a business management elective, choose wisely.
Learn your calling. If you’re not inquisitive, you’re not the student you should be. Notice that I didn’t say, “If you’re not a naturally curious…” Believe it or not, most students don’t have a personality geared toward continuous learning. But, if God has called you to college, He’s called you to get better at being a student. So, if you’re hoping to “up your game” as a student leader, athlete, scientist or fashionista it might have to start with… improving your game as a student. There are resources and people to help facilitate this learning process. If you make it a priority, you can be a better student long before graduation.
Build barns. If your semesters aren’t building on each other, why expect a better over all experience in the end? This “barn-building” attitude comes from Tim Elmore’s Habitudes which teaches us that given two choices, we should choose to build our barn before we build our house… because the barn helps pay for the house!
On your college campus, you should be investing in a better future. Though “barn-building” may exist behind-the-scenes, it’s paving the way for greater impact. This may mean tutoring underclassmen (they are in fact the future leaders); choosing to take on foundation-building classes (don’t embarrass yourself in calculus if you haven’t mastered college algebra); or exploring financial support-raising avenues by searching and applying for scholarships months before the upcoming school year (imagine having your tuition paid off a year in advance). Barn-building isn’t as flashy or fun as the obvious points, but it makes all the difference for future semesters.
You only get one first time undergraduate experience. Make the most of it. Be the best student you can be!
Give H.O.P.E. Live H.O.P.E
LaToya Archibald
Director of Partnerships
The H.O.P.E. Scholarship
The H.O.P.E. Scholarship 
Great article about taking incremental steps to success, it all adds up!
Great read. I love that you are giving sound advice and direction for an area that I believe is understated. Knowing how to study and be the difference between not only passing or failing but a good vs amazing learning experience in college years.
This article does wonders of speaking about excelling where you are. As a student, your job is to learn all that you can while attending your school so when that perfect job does come along, you are properly equipped to begin in excellence there as well and continue the habit of excelling where you are.
Good stuff for those just entering as well as those that are trying to find a better way to “do school.”
Good blog post! A very practical way to prepare students for real life.
I agree with this article and it is definately a “must read” for incoming undergraduate students. Time management, organization,goal setting and peer relationships are very important topics that need to be addressed before a student walks on campus.
A lot of students are mis-guided at the start of school because they are more interested in having independence. However, independence comes with the responsibility. It takes a strong willed student to realize that you are not independent until you have mastered sucess in school.
Ah, i wish i had this blog when i was in college! And admittedly, I will be taking these tips with me even for the grad program I’m about to start next week. Thanks for your insight and wisdom!!
Good stuff! Very helpful in challenging students to be more forward-thinkers.
Nice article…very nice
I wish this article were around while I was in school. I cosign on a hundred, thousand, trillion the point about taking classes that not only align with your major, but your dream job. It could help you land somewhere around where you aim to be, and you can work from there. It’s easier than trying to come in from left-field.
Wow!! This was great! I will be passing this information along to my Howard youngins 😉
As a HBCU college graduate, I have to say that this article was very informative. It gave good basic information regarding the things that are most important. i wish someone told me this but thankfully i was able to figure out most of this. I love the idea of barn building. never heard of it but how true it is. i told me sister about tutoring and my experience with it as community service. she embarked on the same journey and because of that experience she is now doing city year. Great Job! this needs o be given to every senior in highschool and college student especially the freshman’s and sophmores.
Passing this on immediately! Great nuggets of information…. Thank you!
Good stuff! I’ll have to forward this to my younger cousins!
That first point is crucial. My mother always would tell me, “focus on learning for mastery of the subject and the grade will take care of itself.”
Awesome article! I will pass this along to my young mentees 🙂
Well written and straight to the point. It will make a good manual on what to expect, how to approach and successfully complete undergrad education. I like…..
Great piece of advice, especially for freshman and sophomores. Success is not just studying the curriculum and acing courses, it also involves fine tuning and tailoring your lifestyle around your major and career. If they follow this article, that is exactly what they would be doing.
Hind-site is indeed 20/20!!! If I could do it all over, I would certainly follow the steps outlined in this article!!!
I love the “barn building” concept. This was a great read. Thanks so much for your insight, which will be VERY helpful for students. Love, love, love it!
Great wisdom on aligning your major with your dream job. Taking other practical steps is a great way to “insure” your dream and propel you to a higher level before you get out into the real world.