New Year's Resolutions

Keep These Promises, and You'll Succeed Academically

By Caitlin J. Noris
Special to The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition

Three.... Two.... One! Happy New Year!"

The year 2005 will undoubtedly be one of the most important, life-altering years of your life, my incoming freshman friend. You'll experience high school graduation, an exciting last summer at home, and the big move to college. Even if you choose to commute, college is about becoming a self-reliant, mature ... adult! Yes, it's true-you're about to take the initial step toward independence.

The first few months of college will seem like a whirlwind of new friends, classes, sports and bad cafeteria food. Of course, all these new experiences will bring a few challenges. You'll discover that separating colors from whites when doing laundry is necessary, and that you can't function with only three hours of sleep a night. Eventually, you'll realize that signing up for tons of credit cards just for the free stuff is a bad idea.

College challenges come along everyday. Most of the time, if you stumble a little bit, you just pick yourself up and chalk it up as a hard-learned lesson. (For example, if you go crazy with that credit card, you'll be OK; you'll just owe a lot of money for a long time.) But in the area of academics, you don't want to mess around. Freshman grades stay with you for your entire undergraduate experience, factor into the grade-point average you show prospective employers, and may affect your ability to get into graduate school. They might even determine whether you're allowed to stay in college.

With all these pressures, it's no wonder classes seem intimidating to new students. The format and workload are so different from high school that it can be a hard adjustment. Never fear, my friend! Here are four New Year's Academic Resolutions to help you through the first semester and beyond. Make them now, and keep them in the fall.

Resolution #1: I resolve to get organized.

If you can stay organized and on top of your assignments, I guarantee you'll do well. The biggest challenge in college often comes from the sheer amount of work students are expected to handle.

"The key to academic success is time management," advises Cindi Funk, a junior nursing student and organizer extraordinaire. "You can still have fun even with a demanding academic schedule, as long as you use your time wisely and balance it with other activities."

By jotting down assignments and exams in a date book, you'll be able to plan ahead for busy weeks. Plus, planning study time around social events or your work schedule will be easier, and you'll be less likely to fall behind.

Most importantly, know how much you can handle. "Especially freshman year, don't overload yourself academically," Cindi warns.

Resolution #2: I resolve to find a quiet study space.

Studying for classes will absolutely make your mind swim. (Trust me-I still haven't recovered from December finals!) If you're going to exert all this brain power and use up all that time, make sure you actually study when you study. Studying does not mean half-staring at a book while watching television, listening to music, playing on the Internet, or doing any other sort of multitasking. That just doesn't count.

Find your "study location" and stick to it. In general, this excludes college coffee shops and your dorm room (too many distractions), but it all depends on what suits you best. It also helps if you schedule studying into your day. If you have a period of time between classes, don't just retreat to your dorm and veg out. Head over to the library and be productive for a few hours.

Resolution #3: I resolve to ask for help when I need it.

Most college courses are taught in a lecture format with only a few major assignments or exams. Since there is so much material to learn and few chances to redeem your grade, it's important not to fall behind. If you need individual help in a certain area, don't be afraid to ask for it.

"Sometimes, it just takes a different or deeper explanation of the subject to understand it," agrees Kristien Boyle, a junior majoring in sports psychology.

Professors usually have office hours for this exact purpose, and many larger classes will have several teacher's assistants to help students. Most universities also offer academic tutoring services that cover topics from writing to biology. Plus, these indispensable resources are usually free. (And you know how much college students love free stuff!)

Resolution #4: I resolve to find something I actually like to study.

There's a point when all students wonder if they were crazy to enroll (usually when writing thesis papers or cramming for finals), but the important thing is that, on one level or another, we all love what we do. We dream of curing diseases or winning the Pulitzer Prize. We want financial stability in an exciting career. We pore over textbooks with plans of becoming doctors, lawyers or movie directors. Something in our major drives us to succeed.

So find the subject that excites you. Studying is so much easier if you're working toward your goals. There's always going to be the occasional dull instructor or impossibly thick textbook. If you view college as an opportunity and not as an obligation, responsibility will come naturally. After all, you're chasing your future, and this new year is just the first step on the journey to success.