[Lifestyle] How to Be a Good College Student

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How to Be a Good College Student
So you're a first-time freshman in college. You want to have fun, but you want people to take you seriously. You need to earn good grades, especially if you're on scholarship, so you need to learn how to balance your social life with your academics. You need to make sure you're preparing for the world after college, too. If it sounds like a lot of responsibility and work, that's because it is. Fortunately, with a little planning and know-how, you can make your college career a spectacular success.

Meet new people. It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed, especially if you're a freshman at a huge college or university. Don't let that feeling keep you from making new friends. College is a place where you can meet a variety of diverse, unique people. Embrace the newness. Remember: you probably aren't the only person who's a little nervous about making new friends.
Attend mixers and socials, especially the ones specifically for freshmen. These are great places to meet people who haven't yet found their “set.” You'll feel at ease and meet a bunch of people in the same boat as you are.
Introduce yourself to people in your dorm. Keep your door cracked when you're in your room to encourage people to drop by and say “hi.”
Even if you know just one person, ask him or her to introduce you to friends s/he thinks you might get along with. You'll build your networks really quickly.
Join a club or society. Pledging a fraternity or sorority is a common way to build a friend network fast, but it isn't the only way. College is full of opportunities to get involved in something you enjoy. Religious organization, clubs, interest societies, sports teams, and academic groups all offer opportunities to get to know like-minded people.

Volunteer. Volunteering is sometimes required as part of your curriculum in college, but even if it isn't, you'll meet plenty of new people this way. As an added bonus, volunteering looks great on a resume and can teach you valuable skills you can use for your job hunt after you graduate.
Many colleges have volunteer coordinators or offices of “service learning” who can connect you with volunteer opportunities that match your interests and skill sets.
Volunteering can also open your eyes to new possibilities for careers and passions. For example, you might discover by volunteering at your local animal shelter that you have a passion for caring for animals and want to become a vet. You won't know until you try.

Find a passion. College is a great place to try out new things. Explore the many opportunities you have right at your fingertips! Have you always wanted to act? Audition for a play or join an improv group. Do you secretly want to learn flamenco dancing? Take a class. Maybe you've always thought it would be cool to be a writer. Join a literary magazine or school newspaper.
Remember that you won't be an expert in everything you try out, and that's okay! College is a wonderful place to embrace vulnerability and try new stuff, even if you aren't great at it.

Build your portfolio in school. You may not have any idea what you want to do for a career, and as a freshman, that's okay. However, the sooner you can decide on a path, the sooner you'll be able to gear your college experience toward it. This doesn't mean everything in college has to be about your future plans, but you should keep them in the back of your mind when making choices.
Choose classes, even electives, that will give you knowledge and experience you can use in your career path.
Don't be afraid to be open to new experiences. Sure, a poetry class may not seem like it will help you with your advertising major, but studying poetry encourages creativity and expression -- things that you'll need to succeed in advertising.
Save projects or papers that you're really proud of. You can use these as proof of skills that you're marketing, like clear communication skills or the ability to tackle complex problems.

Pick a major you love. It's so much harder to do well at something that you don't care about. Choosing a major shouldn't be all about the money or your parents' expectations. You're an adult now, and part of that means making important decisions for yourself.
Talk with an academic advisor or counselor. Visit the career center. Get enough information for you to know what your major entails and what kinds of opportunities you can expect once you graduate.
It's unfortunately common for people to deride humanities or arts majors (English, philosophy, theatre, etc.) by saying “You'll never get a job with that.” They're wrong. Part of college is learning to become a fully developed, well-rounded human. Humanities and arts majors encourage important skills like critical thinking, creative problem-solving, analysis, innovation, and reflection. You'd be surprised at the jobs you can land with skills like these. (Check out Inside Jobs' list of “100 Careers for English Majors” if you're still in doubt.) Choose what you love, whether it's Accounting or Zoology.