How to Win at College: Surprising Secrets for Success from the Country's Top Students

by Cal Newport

The secret is to read chapter introductions and conclusions carefully, and then skim everything else. Make tick marks next to sentences that catch your attention—this is faster than highlighting. Don't

At the beginning of every term, sign up for one or two extra courses, and then after the first week drop your least favorite(s).

When assigned a long-term project, finish some amount of work toward its completion that very same day.

There is no reason to let long-term projects force you to scramble like a maniac at the last minute. Start small and start immediately.

Because a clean room creates a focused mind; a messy room creates a distracted mind.

use Web-based services such as FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) and FinAid! (www.finaid.org) to

You should never begin studying without a systemized plan for what you are going to review, in what format, and how many times.

If you want to become a standout student, you must befriend a professor. Make him or her a mentor, someone who is aware of your overall academic plan, your life goals, your concerns, and your triumphs.

When you do schoolwork, be it reading, taking notes, working on a lab, or memorizing verbs, try to do everything in fifty-minute chunks. Take ten-minute breaks in between each fifty-minute chunk. This is key for any successful student.

You have to start studying well in advance. Your schedule is busier than you think, and if you leave a large chunk of studying until the last days before an exam, you will be forced to sacrifice.

Your number-one most important skill as a college student is writing ability. Your second most important skill as a college student is writing ability. Your third most important skill as a college student is, you guessed it, writing ability. And so on. You probably get the point here: Writing is really, really important for a college student. You

Schedule an escape for yourself every single week. And do it alone. Treat it like taking medicine.

You should build your entire approach to studying around the concept that making yourself recall specific information is the absolute best way to learn.

Organize the messages in your e-mail in-box like you would your paper files.

To be a successful student, you must abandon the start-slow, end-fast mind-set, and instead approach all projects by aiming to start fast, end slow. It's a subtle variation, but it makes a big difference.