How to survive college

I see a lot of college students come and go in my classes out at Palomar. Roughly one out of every two new students has quit within one year. Is it only the smart ones that survive? No, anyone can become a successful college student, but it takes simple strategies, real determination, and occasional support. Here are some simple tips you can pass along if you know someone who is thinking about college.

The strategies are embarrassingly simple. They need to go to the classes and sit close to the front of the room. From personal experience, I can see within the first week or two of the semester who the serious students are. They show up and sit close enough to the front in order to take decent notes, ask questions, and stay focused.

Determination is a bit more difficult. The students must want to succeed. It may require them to jot down on a piece of paper their goals, read them occasionally, and remember that their college days will lead them to those goals. Determination is revealed by how well the students are prepared for each class. They need to read, answer questions, review their notes, and work the problems. They should keep track of due dates for papers and tests, get the work in on time, and learn from any mistakes. They review the course syllabus to make sure they understand the instructor’s methods of conducting class.

Finally, successful students realize support is available for them. They get tutoring when necessary, check up on financial aid, take college success classes, research their career interests, discuss any physical liabilities with persons trained to help them, talk to counselors to resolve any psychological issues which may be keeping them from succeeding in college. They also go talk to their professors during office hours with questions and/or concerns. If I did not require students to meet with me, I would never see most of them during a typical semester. That’s a shame because most instructors want their students to succeed and are happy to provide extra information and encouragement to them.

College can be a great experience. It’s a shame that roughly 50 percent of the students I see in the fall are not there the next year. I tell each new class this horrifying statistic, and I do see many students succeed. But the others have missed a golden opportunity to improve themselves and their country.