Whether you’re a first generation student or you come from a long line of college grads, you’ll never really know what college is like until you’re in it. Everyone has their own unique strengths and struggles, but we’ve been helping college students for 50 years, so we’ve picked up a few things along the way. Here are 10 tips that will help you have a successful college semester. 

1. Be on time (by being early). You’re probably thinking, “Well duh,” but you’d be surprised how many students miss this crucial step. Alarms don’t always go off and cars don’t always start, traffic and road construction can be unpredictable, there are multiple parking lots to choose from, there’s coffee to drink (we’ve got a killer coffee shop, by the way…), and there are numerous classrooms to find spread across multiple buildings or departments. All these things take tim. Consider coming to campus before your first day of class, just to get the lay of the land and to know your route. Then, on your first day, plan to be 30 minutes early. Best case scenario: You’re 30 minutes early. Worst case scenario: You’re right on time.
2. Actually read your syllabus. Your syllabus is like a roadmap for the entire semester. If you read it, you’ll know what to expect, when the big tests are, when work is due, what chapters to read, and when finals will be. If you’re a planner, you probably have a planner, so maybe write key assignments, due dates, and test dates down in your planner ahead of time. A syllabus keeps you from feeling overwhelmed or surprised. Use it!
3. Review your course schedule every week. You’ve read your syllabus. You have your overall roadmap, but a college semester is like a long road trip: You have lots of twists, turns, and pit stops you need to make in order to reach your final destination. Check your schedule every week to make sure you’re making the right turns, getting your work done on time and planning ahead. This will keep you on track.
4. Turn in assignments on time. Again, another “duh” moment, but life happens, and sometimes turning assignments in in a timely fashion turns out to be a lot more difficult than you might think. The best tip to avoid this is to start early, give yourself plenty of time, and break your assignments up into manageable pieces. If you’re worried about a big project and can feel yourself wanting to procrastinate, try starting small. Ease into it. Day one: Just read the instructions or rubric for the assignment, and write down the first few ideas that come to you. Day two: Make a game plan for how you want to tackle the work. Day three: Write the first paragraph or solve the first problem. And so on.
5. Be kind and respectful to your instructors and fellow students. How you treat others matters, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because the relationships you create in college can be just as important as your degree. Professors can help connect you to jobs and write recommendation letters for you, fellow students can go off to work at your dream company or organization. They may end up being your connection and help you get a foot in the door someday, too. Life can be very long, and you never know who will become your best friend, your coworker, your boss, or your arch nemesis one day. Go into this new experience with an open mind, good intentions, and a willingness to show kindness and grace to everyone around you.
6. Prepare to spend three hours studying for every one hour of class time. This one gets lost on a lot of us at first: You’ll spend more time preparing for class than you’ll spend in it, and more time studying for tests than taking tests. If you look at your schedule and don’t know where to start, this is a great rule of thumb. Block this time out for yourself in your planner.
7. Log into Moodle early, and often, and often, and often. Keep tabs on updates, news, and announcements about your online classes and the college as a whole. Read everything. Don’t wait until your class starts to get set up and acclimated to the platform.
8. If you’re taking asynchronous (on-demand) online classes, plan to check in to them at least a few times a week. Online classes are more flexible and you can go at your own speed for a lot of them, but it can be naive to try to knock everything out in one session. Check in a few times a week to make sure you’re not overloading yourself, to stay on track, and to be aware of any news or announcements.
9. Ask questions and take advantage of free tutoring and labs. Tutors and labs aren’t for slower or less independent learners: They’re shortcuts that can help everyone learn better. As soon as you need help or have a question, speak up! Raise your hand. Email your prof. Ask your study buddy. There are also tons of free labs and tutoring opportunities on campus for extra assistance. These resources are free and open to you! Use them in the beginning of the year so you keep up and get a solid understanding of the basics. You’ll thank yourself in the future.
10. Make friends, take breaks, and have fun. For most people, college is a fresh start. It can be intimidating leaving your community, but college is an experience that requires input to get output. Faculty and staff on campus are in your corner, but you’ll also need friends, people to study with at the campus coffee shop and hang out with on the weekends. There are tons of fun activities and great people to meet at OCCC. Go to Student Life events. Join a club. Pick up a hobby. Blow off steam at gameLab. Find a great book at the Library. Get involved in leadership opportunities or community service projects. If you put the effort into building a great college experience, that’s exactly what you’ll get. And if you don’t, you won’t. Simple as that.