How to Succeed in College
This post on how to succeed in college was written by ICC Director of College Advising Jeffrey “Jay” Durso-Finley.
Jeffrey “Jay” Durso-Finley brings over 30 years of admissions experience to ICC, including almost 10 years as a Senior Associate Director of Admission and the Admission-Athletic Liaison at Brown University, where he lived on campus. Additionally, Jay has proudly shepherded his four children through the college process, so understanding the emotions of a parent and a student’s family is always front and center as he counsels students.
Parents: Please share this with your graduates of the Class of 2025.
Congratulations! The next phase of your education lies before you, and you stand at the threshold of new adventures. Whether you’ve already begun your first year of college, are double-checking your packing list before arriving, or are planning a gap year with enrollment in fall 2026, you are all preparing for college success, and we’d like to support you in that journey. It’s both exciting and, at times, a little intimidating to imagine the new academic world that follows high school. As longtime counselors and educators dedicated to supporting student success, we’re writing this blog to help you launch your university journey.
In this blog, we’ve distilled some of our own experiences along with some of the feedback we’ve received from graduates to give you some of what you’ll need to maximize your time in college. If you follow these suggestions, you’ll find that the combination of your ability, your best effort, and these tips will help you succeed.
How to Succeed in College
Live in the Academic “Moment.” You might think the mantra for success is “get good grades,” but that is not it. Instead, focus on your assignments, papers, and projects for their intrinsic disciplinary value. In this approach, the grades will come naturally. A college education is a classic process versus product paradigm. Some students will complain about their work or obsess about their GPA, but that’s wasted energy and time. Do not get caught up in any academic ennui. Instead, take a practical approach to all components of your education and embrace the opportunities offered, even if they might seem slight off topic or extraneous. You will find the intellectual and academic successes will follow in due course.
Don’t Study in Your Room. Unless you have a Spartan single and you have concentration powers of steel, your room is the worst place to study because of the comfort and the distractions. Given the realities of dorm life, it is far too easy to wander across the hall and talk to your neighbor or check Instagram regularly. Instead, find a place to study on campus that is yours and yours alone. A carrel in the upper stacks of the main library usually works perfectly, as there are no distractions. Often, smaller, more lightly used libraries on campus have great study spaces and sparse foot traffic. Unoccupied classrooms in busy buildings can have excellent lighting, privacy, and luxurious space to spread your materials out. Find a spot that works for you, tuck your phone in your backpack, and call it your study home.
Find the Working Side of Academia. Ask professors about possible research positions or find departmental projects to work on while you are establishing yourself on campus. Every college has opportunities for undergraduates to conduct research or assist in large-scale academic endeavors, so actively seek them out, even if you have not been on campus very long. If you must work as part of your financial aid package, look for employment in departments or libraries instead of working in dining services, if only for the connections you will make outside your everyday student life and the accidental studying opportunities. You will be surprised at what’s available, to be sure, and every institution has an online database for student employment. Better yet, talk to faculty for interesting leads, whether it’s work within a department, serving as a research assistant, or something unknown to Student Employment Services. If you find something connected to an academic experience, you will be even more rewarded by the people you will meet and the insight you will gain into the institution as a whole. Find the working side of academia, and your enjoyment of your overall experience will soar.
Choose Professors, Not Classes. It’s the classic picture of undergraduate life – a student leafing (nowadays scrolling!) through the course guide and picking classes for the upcoming term based on what looks interesting, what has good student reviews, and what also fulfills curriculum requirements. Don’t necessarily follow that model. Instead, find out who the best professors on campus are and take those classes, even if they do not necessarily look as if they are as appealing at first glance. Talk to your advisor, use your school’s course and faculty reviewing resources, ask older students who their favorite faculty have been, and follow those leads. A good professor will turn a neutral subject matter for you into a joy, while a poor professor will blunt your interest in a subject area you love. Also, visit several classes in the first week or two of a term. Most colleges have a “shopping period” where faculty do not finalize the class rosters immediately. Use the system your college allows so you can visit 8 or 10 or even more classes before you settle on your final schedule. You will only take 35-40 courses in college, so why waste one on a poorly designed class or a dry, energy-sapping professor? As a corollary, students often load up on distributive requirements early on, so they find themselves in dry and larger survey-style courses. You’ll have time to fulfill any distribution requirements you need, so while you might need to elect a couple of pre-requisite courses for long-term completion of your major, make an effort to find a few of the greatest hits when you elect your classes.
Get Connected to Life on Campus. Academic clubs, social organizations, and professional associations take on a broader, more applied, and energetic meaning in college, and you should jump in with both feet to take advantage of the difference. Find a few different ways to meet new people on campus and broaden your experience, even if it means getting outside your comfort zone. Sign up for community service events, be part of the dorm intramural ultimate frisbee team, join an a cappella group – the possibilities are endless. Overall, the breadth of opportunity for student interaction in college is outstanding, even at the smallest institution; thus, your active and enthusiastic involvement will dramatically enhance your enjoyment and experience.
Always Go to Class. Ok, so it seems silly to say something so obvious as that, but it won’t be quite so apparent when there’s no penalty for missing classes, you find out that all the professor’s lecture notes are online, and you see your roommate pull the covers over their head when the alarm clock rings for your 8:00 a.m. class. Your in-class hours drop by over half when you go to college, your professors will be some of the most accomplished experts in their field, and you are paying a ridiculous amount of money to have access to them – don’t waste it.
Figure Out How to Avoid Procrastination. Everyone has ways that contribute to their procrastination, some more severe than others. The trick is to figure out how to break it down. Perhaps it is ensuring you study immediately after classes so you do not take that oh-so-tempting afternoon nap. Alternatively, it may be helpful to set up arbitrary hurdles (and rewards) for keeping sloth at bay. One key strategy that all students should use is to outline large projects or papers well in advance. For example, find out what articles and books you will need before you start a new novel in English Lit, knowing that you will have a 15-page paper due at the end of the unit. If you are a chronic procrastinator, you’ll probably not have much luck changing your stripes dramatically once you get to college, but if you find little ways to beat your habits, you’ll be surprised at how much you enjoy being ahead instead of behind.
Go to Office Hours. (Or take advantage of the other ways to talk to professors.) Professors like talking to students. Seriously. If you go to office hours with questions, ideas, or just to find out more about the course material, you’ll be surprised at how enthusiastic (most) professors are to sit and talk to you, but more importantly, how much they’d like to get to know you beyond the paper or lab report you’ve handed in. You will learn more and appreciate your academic experience more, and when it comes time to find mentors, recommenders, or employers on research projects, you will have a way to identify them. If you use an online calendar or appointment book to keep track of your commitments, add your professors’ office hours to your weekly schedule – it can be as impactful as any other academic commitment.
Find Mentors and Advisors. Every college and university has a wealth of people whose specific role is to advise students. Resident Assistants, Major Advisors, Deans, Department Chairs, etc., are all in place to give you their perspective on your academic path and career. That said, academic advising is the bane of post-secondary education because there aren’t enough qualified, institutionally-informed people around to advise the thousands of students who are in college. Seek good advice! Don’t settle for an inadequate academic advisor or rely on one point of view. Further, know that impactful mentors will cross your path in your field or department. You will know them immediately, as their wisdom and caring will shine through. Find ways to work with them and ask them for advice and input. These folks have entered education to make a difference in the lives of young people; let them make a difference in yours!
Take Care of Yourself. As much as you hear that college will be the best years of your life, you will have some bad days—everyone does. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition go a long way to fortifying you to face the inevitable challenges and stresses of undergraduate life. Take care of yourself and ask for help when you need it.
Be Patient. Many graduates report that their familiar and close-knit experience in high school is both a blessing and a burden as they transition to college. Given your success in your secondary school, you likely made deep and enduring friendships with peers and faculty, which can feel challenging to leave behind. Your new classmates may be euphoric or panicked by things you find ordinary, and you may be frustrated or uninspired because you have such high standards of expectation. What you might forget is that these things develop over time. Be patient as you and your classmates settle into college life. Don’t expect everything to be perfect, but draw strength and inspiration from your high school experience, dive in with full engagement, and you will thrive. Of this, we have no doubt.
Good luck!
NOTE: This piece is the result of collaboration with Holly Burks Becker, Director of College Counseling at the Lawrenceville School, a long-time colleague, a highly experienced educator, and a veteran of admission and counseling for over forty years, and it distills down the key skills, approaches, and characteristics we’ve found that help college students find their footing in their new academic lives. We hope that this guidance can help set a roadmap for your child and propel them to success in college!
