LEAD: Leaders in Education, Advocacy, and Diversity: Successful Students

As we look forward to a new semester

here are a few ideas on how to prepare for success:

Focus: Have a goal, prioritize, and organize. Utilizing a calendar or planner, in either digital or paper format will help you stay on top of classes, assignments, and exams. Two words: Procrastination and avoidance. It's likely many of us have had problems with this. Dr. Monica Harn recommends doing a time study; examine how you spend your time to see where you can improve. Dividing up work on reading, assignments, and papers work progressively and efficiently.
Participate: This is your education, actively engage! Discuss class material with classmates and ask questions in class, chances are if you have a question, someone else does also. Often the best advice will come from our professors; they are available through email and office hours.
Balance: A full load of classes, jobs, friends, relationships...sometimes it can be hard to manage everything. Stay healthy and balanced by getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising.
Persistence: As in the quote above, don't give up! Persistence pays off. Attend all classes. Evaluate classes as you move through them, if a class is not working for you, sometimes it may be better to drop and retake it. Network with classmates and professors for recommendations on future classes and activities.