How to Succeed in College
What They Didn't Tell You in High School

By now your high school teachers have taught you many skills that will help you succeed in college. For example, they've taught you how to take notes, read a text, study for an exam, and write a research paper. They've also loaded you up with lots of the hard information you'll need in college such as a college-level vocabulary, equations, facts, and figures. But what else do you need to know?

Here are ten tips for college success that most of my college students have had to learn the hard way. Read on to find out what they didn't tell you in high school but that will make a world of difference once you enter your first college classroom.

1. Sit up front. Seating in most college classrooms is by choice and many students opt for a seat toward the rear of the classroom or lecture hall. That's understandable; most of us want to hide when we lack confidence. However, I've seen a definite correlation between a student's performance in a course and his or her seat in the classroom. Choose to sit up front, even if that is not what you feel like doing. Students who sit up front tend to be more engaged in class discussions, have a better view of the board or screen, and their professors tend to notice them more (in a positive way).

2. Use a three-ring binder. Many college students gravitate toward using a spiral notebook or marble composition book to take their class notes. However, I've found that a three-ring binder works better because it enables students to insert their syllabus, handouts, and projects right into their notes. Also, a ring binder offers the opportunity to use dividers to separate papers, which will help keep everything organized. And, should you ever miss a class, you can easily photocopy a classmate's notes and insert them in the right place in your notes, another great advantage of the ring binder.

3. Identify a study buddy in each class. Ask the student sitting next to you if he or she will exchange names, phone numbers, and email addresses with you. Write the information on one another's course syllabus. That way you'll have the contact information for at least one classmate in each class in case you have questions or need help. Agree with your study buddy that if either of you is absent that you'll copy notes and handouts for one another for the missed class.

4. Turn off your cell phone. Your professors won't take kindly to you receiving a phone call or text message while you're in class.

5. Visit your professor during office hours. Each of your professors will be available to you outside of class either during established office hours or by appointment. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions, solicit feedback on a paper or project, or just to get to know your professor better.

6. Eat breakfast. You may not be hungry when you wake up and you may believe that you don't need to eat breakfast. Don't fool yourself. I can always tell by late morning when a student hasn't eaten breakfast. He or she will lack focus and energy and will be thinking more about lunch than my class. Eat something nutritious to jump-start every day. Your parents were right about this one.

7. Arrive to every class five minutes early. There are many reasons that this is a good idea. First, the extra minutes will help you become physically and mentally prepared for the class and more receptive to what your professor has to say. Second, you can use the time to chat with classmates and establish new friendships. Most of all, professors notice students who arrive to class early, just in the nick of time, and late. Be one of the early ones. Professors know that students who arrive a few minutes early are organized and courteous and that they care about learning.

8. Email your professor when you can't avoid an absence. Apologize for having to miss class and ensure your professor that you'll get the notes you missed from a classmate. Come to the next class 100% prepared. If an assignment was due the day you were absent, submit it to your professor on time, either electronically (if that's acceptable) or leave a hard copy in his or her department mailbox. Limit your absences and never just blow off a class without communicating with your professor and meeting your deadlines.

9. Make friends with your librarian. If you're like most of my students, your first instinct when you are assigned a research paper will be to hit Wikipedia or Google. Don't. Instead, walk over to your college library and ask your librarian for guidance. Your librarian will have many more resources available to help you with your research project than you can find on your own. Best of all, your librarian will point you only to credible and reliable research sources. Don't limit yourself to computer searches when it comes to research. There's still a lot you can learn from walking the book stacks. Your librarian is your guide to the best of what's out there for you.

10. Nip problems in the bud. The time to seek help is not the in the last week of the semester. Speak up right away when things don't feel right to you in a course. Your professor may be able to help you or he or she will guide you to other sources of help on your campus (such as on-campus tutors and help centers). I've seen students go down in flames who probably could have done much better in my courses if they'd spoken up earlier in the semester and asked for help when they needed it.

Editorial by Laura Hills, M.A., Executive Director of University Advancement / Professor of English Virginia International University, Fairfax, Virginia.