Articles & Guides

We all procrastinate at one point or another.  It always starts with the the innocent thought of “well, I can just do this later, no big deal.” But in college procrastination becomes a real danger that can quickly hurt grades and contribute to a downward spiral that students find they can’t get out of. College … Read more

Any successful person in life is intimately concerned with productivity. Being able to complete tasks effectively – the essence of productivity – can give a person a deep sense of accomplishment. But many college students arrive on campus with goals and aspirations that are incompatible with their own success: They want to be productive and … Read more

At one point or another every college student will have to study. Higher education brings a long series of events where a student is evaluated on what they have learned during their classes. In order to do well on these, students will have to be skilled at learning the information all on their own. The … Read more

Motivation is an ongoing struggle for all college students, yet it’s the driver that allows them to get work done for their classes. At one point or another all students find that their motivation begins to flag, with some struggling just to get their work done. To some extent this variability in feeling motivated is … Read more

The ongoing, daily work for college students is the requisite student “grind” that higher education can bring. The semester is an endless cycle of attending lectures, completing readings, turning in homework, studying for exams, and other things that are the core of being a college student. It’s easy to get away from, or even be … Read more

The beginning of the term is always exciting.  You get to meet new people, see your friends again, and the high energy of starting new classes can all be thrilling. But never get so caught up in the excitement that you forget why you’re there: Completing classes and earning good grades. Some classes have a … Read more

One of the common questions that I am asked by parents and students is “can bad grades be corrected or fixed?” In general, colleges are very resistant to changing final course grades, but there are some circumstances where they actually will. These opportunities are rare, however, and fixing bad grades can be a very confusing … Read more

I have had many students ask me about how to transfer to a different college when their cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) has fallen, maybe to even below a 2.0. Once this happens, they find themselves in what I’ve referred to as the “Transfer Trap.” But, depending on their situation, there can be some different … Read more

I’m often asked for basic recommendations about what students should be doing in college that will help them to improve their performance. And for as many times as I’m asked for these, I’m just as often surprised by the number of students who aren’t aware of exactly what they should be doing to succeed in … Read more

One of the most common complaints I hear from students is about their own procrastination. Deciding to put off work, have fun time first, or otherwise just not see getting to their work is a constant challenge in college. But this seemingly harmless waiting can lead to many problems, and in my work I’ve identified … Read more