In elementary school all that was required of us to get decent grades was coloring inside the lines. Middle school and high school introduced to the word “studying” and, soon after, a genuine dislike for the word. But college is where the work is no joke. The classes are hard. The workload is heavy. And the social scene is exploding. So how does a college girl stay on top of it all?

Grab your notebook and furry pencils (or whatever it takes to get you ready to hit the books), because I’ve got a list of things you can do to get on another list: the Dean’s List.

10. Invest in a planner: Good grades begin with organization (and writing down your assignments). Find a planner that works for you, whether it is the one provided by your school or that handy little calendar in your iPhone. Once you have it, write everything in it. Meetings, to-do lists, homework assignments, phone numbers. It is so much easier to manage all your information when it is centralized in one place.

9. Get to class: Self-explanatory. Abide by your class schedule and don’t skip. Though you may laugh in the face o that 8:30a.m. Theology class on Friday morning, remember that professors can and will deduct for absences. It would be a shame to miss that letter grade because you could not roll out of bed to get to your desk in the morning.

8. Get a change in scenery: The library is not for everyone. Some people cannot cram themselves into a desk on the third floor and work until 2 a.m. Others openly admit that the library is a better social scene than a bar on Friday night. Find a study space that works for you, and you ALONE. My personal study space is a Starbucks near my school. I pack up all my books, grab a skim latte and park myself at a table in the corner for hours at a time. Read More »

Resolutions have never been my forte. The promise of a new year and a better me just isn’t enough to keep me from binge drinking and blowing off the gym every now and again in order to watch a full day’s worth of TBS. What can I say? Resolve just isn’t one of my stronger qualities.

But I think the real trouble with New Year’s resolutions is that I always make one, grand, swooping promise to myself. Let’s get real; swearing off carbohydrates just isn’t feasible. I must have been a full bottle of champagne deep when I came up with that one. I think the best way to go about this whole “new year, new you” idea is to come up with a few smaller resolutions that will keep you in line but won’t have you binge eating bread at the dining hall two weeks later.

Want to make some improvements to your already rockin’ life in 2010? Here are a few suggestions to help you be all you can be in 2010:

5. “I will go to class and stay awake.” Temptation to stay in bed is great in the winter months. There are few things I dislike more than walking to my 8:15 a.m. class in the bitter cold. But a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. You’d be surprised how much information you absorb just by physically being in the classroom. Next year we can work our way up to actually participating. Baby steps, ladies. Baby steps.

4. “I will become more involved on campus.” I know it’s hard when you have a steady schedule of class, food, booze and sleep, but you’d be surprised how much your quality of life will improve once you put yourself out there. Joining a group is a great way to make new friends, build up your resume and become a generally more productive student on campus. And besides, you never know who you might meet (wink, wink.) Read More »