Going to college? 7 steps to success

It’s never too late to succeed in college — even if you’re entering you’re entering your last semester!

These seven steps to success will help you balance achieving your goals with enjoying the college experience…because all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl…

1. Figure out what your goals are. Do you want to get higher grades? Make more friends? Stop procrastinating? Find better roommates? To achieve any type of goal, you first need to be specific about what they are.

2. Pick your top three goals. Since you can’t reasonably expect to achieve everything you want in life – few people have the resources to achieve everything they aspire to – you’ll need to pick the three or four goals that are most important to you. Focus on those. If you’re a mature student, you may have different goals — read Success Tips for Mature College Students for help.

3. Learn when to say no, and when to say yes. Limit your paid work hours, study groups, volunteer roles, etc. to what you can reasonably manage. You can’t succeed if you’re running from one thing to another – so choose how you spend your time wisely. And, make sure to balance your life with activities and people who energize you and make you happy! Fit “play time” into your schedule.

4. Don’t be overwhelmed by the big picture. Take one step at a time. For instance, I’ll be teaching a class through Simon Fraser University soon, and even though I have an Education degree, I’m a little freaked out! But instead of thinking about the big picture (and being overwhelmed), I’ve broken down what I need to do into small, easy to achieve steps.

5. Declutter your physical and emotional space. Physical clutter can decrease your productivity, increase financial debt, and cause weight gain. Emotional clutter is de-energizing and prevents you from moving forward in life. If you need help with clutter, read  Tips for Getting Rid of Clutter .

6. Compete with yourself – not your peers. It doesn’t matter if Suzie High IQ earns perfect grades or Nicola the Perfect Athlete is the star of all the sports teams. The only person you need to compare yourself to and compete with is yourself. Don’t just strive to do the best you can with your unique talents and abilities – celebrate who you are and what you have! You have to love who you are to succeed in this world.

7. Learn to let go of unachievable goals. Maybe your goal at the beginning of the year was to make the volleyball or track team…but you didn’t succeed. Shake it off, my friend, and pick a different goal. This applies to all aspects of life: some things just aren’t yours to have. The sooner you learn to shake it off and re-focus, the more successful you be.

Above all: enjoy the “back to school” experience – college can be one of the best times of your life!

Related Articles on Back to College:

- 6 Ways to Avoid Major Loan Student Debt
- 5 Ways to End Procrastination for College Students
- 8 Tips for Staying Healthy at College

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen is a full-time writer and blogger who created and maintains a series of Quips and Tips blogs: Quips and Tips for Successful Writers, Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, and Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility. She’s also the Feature Writer for Psychology Suite101.