How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students

when you want to test your understanding of a concept, or are having trouble with a particular problem, interacting with other people is very helpful.

During that first week, when you are deciding which courses to stick with, make note of the professors' teaching styles, review the syllabi carefully, and skim through the required books at the bookstore.

” If you can pass your quizzes in two hours, then you are done studying in two hours. If it takes you three days, then you are done studying in three days—but at least at the end you will know you are ready.

time? Take advantage of the fact that most colleges allow students to drop, or withdraw without penalty, from any class as long as they do so by a certain deadline each semester.

But here is the secret to being a good listener: Never be the first person to give an opinion. If you are in a group or talking with a professor, and a topic worthy of discussion comes up, you gain nothing by jumping right in and providing what seems to you to be the obviously correct opinion.

begin studying two weeks in advance.

Research is where all the action is. If you really want to stand out at your college, you need to be in the middle of this action. You need to be involved with the machinery of original research that is going on all around you.

Try to keep your mind blank, or, alternatively, continue thinking confidence-boosting thoughts about doing really well.

This doesn't mean giving up your weekend social plans and becoming an interminable grind. It doesn't matter how much schoolwork you complete; just as long as you do something every day you will have a much easier time staying in the zone. Do an hour of work right after classes on Friday so you have something to feel good about.