Becoming a successful college student isn’t as easy as showing up for class. In fact, that can be a challenge in itself! Transitioning from a high school senior to a college freshman can be exciting and scary. Whether you just got your grades back from this semester at college and are thinking uh oh or are heading to college in the next few years, there are some extremely effective ways to become a successful college student. These tips have worked for our writers. Let them work for you too!

Instead of living at home with your folks, you finally have your own pad, likely in a college dorm. While you are still a student, class loads and schedules are vastly different from high school.  Even if you are sophomore or junior it can take a few small changes to become from an average college student to a successful college student.

Without your parents there to remind you, you are probably learning more responsibility like getting to class on time and remembering to go to bed at a decent hour, and perhaps not partying late into the night. The following four tips can help you in transforming into a successful college student and feel confident no matter what your professor assigns you.

Become a Successful College Student

• Stay on Top of Your Work One thing that top-notch college students do is create a schedule and stay organized with their studies. Once you have everything laid out on a calendar, it will be easier to budget your time and figure out what you need to accomplish each week, thus staying on top of your work. To feel like a successful college student and avoid feeling overwhelmed, divide up the homework and studying that you need to do into smaller chunks of time; for example, if your English 101 professor is asking you to read 150 pages, don’t pick up the book the night before. Maximize your time by reading 25 pages a day for six days. Instead of holding all-night cramming sessions before a test, study for quizzes and exams a little bit each day over the course of the week.

• Get Enough Rest While it can be fun to stay up late with your roommates, going out with new friends, or having Neflix binge until  until 2 a.m., sleep is important. The National Institutes of Health found that college students are one of the most sleep-deprived populations. Students  don’t get enough rest. Those who are well-rested are less stressed, healthier and can typically concentrate better on their studies. Get a better night’s sleep by getting some physical activity each day, even just walking or bicycling to and from classes can help. Although it can be tempting to drink a lot of coffee when studying in the evening, stay away from caffeine after early afternoon. Hit the sack in enough time before your first class the next morning to allow for eight hours of sleep as well as enough time to eat, shower and get to class.
• Dress the Part When you are hanging out at the dorm it’s perfectly OK to lounge around in comfy clothes like T-shirts and shorts or yoga pants. But as a college freshman, you should also have some professional go-to items in your wardrobe to help make a good impression on your professors when you are doing a class presentation or interviewing for an internship position. Consider donating some of your high school outfits or selling them to stores like Buffalo Exchange and supplementing your closet with for a few classic items. Instead of carrying that adorable yet tiny purse that barely has room for your lip gloss and keys, think about investing in a nice structured bag that will not only look classy, but will last for a long time and hold all your essentials. Coach sells an appealing variety of satchels and carryalls that look stylish and professional but are also big enough to tote needed items to classes and interview.

• Eat Well If you live in the dorms, you probably alreadyknow that the dining hall contains so many choices,  some of which are healthy and some harmful to your health.  Eating well means eating for your brain and body and not filling up of fried food and pizza, rather hitting up the salad bar and hearty whole foods.  Pizza is fine but don’t forget a side salad, fruit and getting in some quality nutrition at other meals. Steer clear of sugary breakfast cereals, canned veggies and the ice cream buffet, and stick with the salad bar, whole grains like wheat toast and high-protein choices like grilled chicken or omelets. The better you eat, the better you will feel both in class and during study time.

In order to feel successful as a college student that doesn’t mean you have to transform overnight! Take note of the things you want to improve on, whether its getting better grades or making better choices, you have the power to transform your experience.

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Emily Roberts MA, LPC is The Guidance Girl. Her goal is to help YOU become the most confident person you know! Emily is an award-winning author Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Becoming Who You Are, Psychotherapist, TV & Media Contributor, Educational Speaker, and parenting consultant. She travels around the country educating girls, women, and parents. Express Yourself is available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon. To learn more about Emily click here.