by Sun Meilan

Created on: August 17, 2011

When you go to college, your main aim is to come away at the end of it with a good qualification. However, there is more to college than studying; in fact, when it comes to applying for jobs, employers will want to know about your extra-curricular activities. Provided that you can find the balance between a good social life and completing your studies, there is no reason why you can’t do well in college and still have a

vibrant social life. 

Go to all your lectures

Get into the habit of going to all of your lectures, even if you don’t feel like it. Lectures should always be your priority. By listening to your lecturers and participating in discussions, you are far more likely to learn and remember things than you would if you simply rely on notes from classmates after the fact. Also make the effort to do any preparation necessary and to check over your notes afterwards. If you use your social life as an excuse to put off studying as you go along and wait until you are faced with pending exams, you are much less likely to do well.

Hone your time management skills

Be as organised as you possibly can right from the beginning of the semester. Draw up a study timetable, based on assignments and exams, so that you know precisely when your deadlines are. Set aside time for regular study sessions and make sure that your lecture notes are always up-to-date and are carefully filed away for easy reference. When it comes to borrowing relevant books from the library, make sure you do so in plenty of time so that you don’t have to waste time waiting for them or borrowing them from classmates.

Ask for help when you need it

It can be easy to waste a lot of time because you can’t get to grips with a particular subject, or you are unsure exactly how to put together an assignment. Rather than learning by making mistakes, ask for help as soon as you realise that you are struggling. This way, you will be able to save a lot of time. Don’t, however, rely on classmates, who may be just as unsure as you are – go straight to the horse’s mouth and ask staff. They are there to help and would far rather do so than have to spend time correcting your work at a later point.

Join clubs and societies

Taking part in clubs and societies that belong to your college is a great way of expanding your group of friends, giving your social life a structure and building on extra-curricular activities to add to your resume. Of course, you will want to find

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