Q&A for How to Be a Successful College Student

Schedule the things that are required first: sleep, eating, classes, appointments, etc. Schedule study time with breaks every hour. Be sure to include time in your schedule for activities, relaxation, and social interaction.

It's definitely not too late. Consider hiring a professional tutor, or just go to your math teacher and explain the problem. Tell them exactly where you are skill-wise and ask if they can give you some extra help before or after school.

Make new friends. Take time to visit the city, and learn about the country for your general culture. But don't forget you're there to learn. Study harder because it's a new place.

I believe that success in college is finding a balance between a healthy GPA, a pleasing social life, and some professional/non-curricular experience. Sleep more than you study, study more than you party, and everything should be fine.

They do, however secondary school is a different context. Teachers are closer to their students (meaning you'll get more individual attention), and you may not have so much freedom to organize your activities.

Organize your time as best you can. If you can get up an hour early to go for a jog before classes start, that's a great option. You can also participate in sports over the weekends. Just write out your schedule and look for any little gaps where you can fit in some exercise. You might even be able to find audio versions of some of your textbooks so you can listen to them while running/jogging.

It differs from person to person, there's no specific period that works for everyone. Have some rules of thumb: if you take a lesson, and study it in the same day, you'll be successful (unless you have to delay it for unforeseen circumstances – if that happens, make it your number one priority to study what you've delayed); if you delay it till the next day, you won't be studying well enough and you'll be less successful; if you prepare lessons before you even take them, you'll be more than successful — but this one should be done only after you've finished studying all lessons, and it's completely optional, it's not an obligation; don't feel bad if you don't do this one.

Take breaks in between studying. Say you study for half an hour, take a five minute break to get some fresh air, get a snack or take a drink of water. If you take breaks in between studying, there is less of a chance that you will get distracted or bored.