1. Add A Social Life to Your Schedule. In a school with a student body population of close to 36,000 you should never NOT have someone to talk to. It is good to find people through clubs and organizations that, like you, need some reprieve after a long day. Everyone needs some free time and a social life to keep them alert and to prevent them burning-out. It is a necessity if you are a student at UGA to form your own social network with people who you genuinely enjoying being around. If you meet enough people, you will never go anywhere without running into someone you know. The monstrous number of 36,000+ all of a sudden becomes much smaller and not so overwhelming.
2. Find A Good School & Social Life Balance. Many students at UGA live by the “work hard, play hard” mantra. Everyone has different definitions of what constitutes hard work and hard play. Your roommate may work for months before going out and when she does, she spends time reading on Myers Quad or playing pool in Tate. You may tailgate with your friends every week and hang-out at the bars downtown. Overall, take time to balance your schoolwork and playtime in your schedule. Not only does finding this balance keep you sane, it also keeps you from falling behind in your courses.
3. Create A Routine. You are able to register for your classes for the following semester months before the semester begins. If you know what classes you’d like to take, set up an appointment with your advisor so they can help you plan your class schedule. By doing this, you can notify your jobs (if you have one) and mentally prepare yourself for the rigor of the next semester. If you do not like how your prospective semester is looking, this allows you time to reevaluate which courses you plan to take and perhaps hold off taking courses until the following semester. The best thing is to know what exactly you are going to do every day and keep things like the times when you wake up, go to bed and eat consistently throughout the week. This will allow for your mind and body to get the rest and nutrients it needs, and you won’t have to think about it. If you are constantly famished and exhausted during class, you will have difficulty learning and perhaps even more difficulty showing up.
4. Study. Studying should always be done prior to coming to class. I repeat: Studying should always be done prior to coming to class. You should not try to learn something as your professor is lecturing. The reason why is because if you are trying to write what the professor is saying and listen at the same time, you are likely to miss out on some information. When you read the syllabus your professor provided to you at the beginning the semester, it should have either a weekly or daily breakdown on the material that is going to be covered. That way you will know what you need to know prior to arriving to class. When you do this, you will spend 90% of class time actually participating in class, not hunched over typing as fast as you can to make sure you have included everything the professor said. The remaining 10% will be for highlighting your notes with key things the professor emphasized and adding in any supplemental information.
5. Use Your Resources. There are so many free resources available to you as a student at UGA. The sooner you know about them, the better off you will be in the long run. Make sure you meet with your advisor so he/she can explore your options. They are highly knowledgable about the various resources that UGA provides and are up-to-date with new offerings and assistance that are available to students. Make sure you let them know your plans, so they can guide you better and you can get more out of your meetings together.
6. Make Education Your Number One Priority. Whether it is boyfriend drama, family drama, or Grey’s Anatomy drama, make sure college is your number one priority. The worst feeling is the feeling of being unaccomplished. The easiest way to avoid this is to not let other side-line factors take precedence over your education. Let the people around you know that education is your number one priority, and surround yourself with people that are champions of your decision.
7. Surround Yourself With Diverse People. Join clubs! Whether it is your first year or last year at UGA, is is never too late to join a club. To see UGA’s full list of clubs go to this website. Join as many clubs as your schedule will allow. UGA has many clubs with different religions, ethic groups, and cultural backgrounds that are open to everyone on campus to join and take part in. Branch out, and challenge yourself to not only learn more about your peers, but also yourself. You never know what ideas can be sprung out of networking. Perhaps you can gain the study group you needed for class simply by joining a club and surrounding yourself with new people.
8. Take Online Professor Reviews With a Grain of Salt. The best advice you can get is always going to be a first hand account. If you plan on registering for a course, find someone who actually took that course with that professor. This will always give more accurate information on how the course is ran and whether on not the professor caters to your style of learning. If you are stuck with a “bad” professor and you have to take the course, still register for the class. If by the first week, you for 1,000,000% certain that you and the professor are not a good fit, drop the class if you can, but try to schedule an appointment with your advisor before the Add-Drop deadline.
9. Get To Know Your Professor. It is true, knowing your professor (and your professor knowing you) could give you an academic advantage. Often times, your professor may have a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) who grades the work for all their classes. This TA only knows your name, and nothing more. Your professor will see you in class but probably will not know your name. You should always take the time to formally indrouce yourself as well as take advantage of the office hours.
10. College Is About You. Remember that your college years are your formative years. You are not expected to know everything— so give yourself a break. If you do not know what you want to major in, I encourage you to explore as many courses as you can. As long as you know your likes and dislikes, you are capable of making a sound decision. If you decide to change your major, that’s actually fantastic! You realized you didn’t like something and you made adjustments. The only thing that is standing between you and your degree is yourself. It does not matter how long you’d like to take to graduate, as long as you are not wasting four, five or even six years of your life doing something you have no interest in. If you need to take 6 credits one semester because you know that’s what you can handle, then do it. It shows maturity when you know your limits and adjust your actions accordingly.