Seven Helpful Tips to Help You Have a Successful Semester

As summer comes to a close and fall semester kicks into gear, I thought I would share seven helpful tips to help you have a productive semester here at CCD.

1. Be prepared for class every day with something to take notes with like a laptop or if you’re old-school like me, a pen and paper will do just fine. Taking notes is important and also very helpful to succeed in your assignments.
2. Get plenty of rest before you come to school so you won’t be one of those student’s catching zzz’s in class like I have seen so many times before. We are in class to learn and how are we supposed to pay attention to the teacher when someone is snoring?
3. Eat Breakfast - 93 percent of Americans believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Without breakfast in our system, we are like a car without any gas, running on fumes. It is not good for our body or mind to go without eating for so long.  An Australian survey of over 500 teachers revealed that students lose two hours of learning a day if they skip breakfast because of lack of concentration and behavior problems related to hunger.
4. Get to school early—especially if you have to look for parking. Finding a place to park can be stressful and expensive. That's why I would suggest taking advantage of the RTD and Light Rail College Pass that is offered to all CCD students. Also, AHEC has parking passes and permits that can be purchased at a discounted rate. For more information, call 303.556.2003 or go to the first floor of the 7th Street Parking Garage.
5. Ask for help - I cannot say enough about the tutors at the Excel Zone. I have gone to them for help for many of my assignments; whether it was proofreading or helping me cite something, I have always found it beneficial to go to the tutors before turning anything in. That’s what they’re there for, might as well take advantage of all the help that is available. Check out the Excel Zone located on the 4th Floor of the Confluence Building or call 303.556.2497.
6. Make some friends in class – It is always a good idea to get someone’s number from class just in case you miss a day or have questions so you can call and ask them. It's also nice to have someone from the same class to study with.
7. The most important thing to remember is to Keep Going Forward. I know college can be overwhelming at times and we just want to throw in the towel but as long as we do our best and try our hardest and never give up, we will accomplish our goals, whatever they may be.

I hope you found these tips useful and I wish nothing but the best for the upcoming semester!

We got this!

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Angela "Angel" Martinez is a CCD student working on her Associate of Arts degree. She plans to transfer on to a four-year university and earn a degree in event management.