10 Secrets to College Success: Arapahoe Community College

Success in your college studies is the result of many factors. Here are some practical things you can do to increase your chances of success.

1. Develop a clear goal
   Why are you going to college? What do you hope to accomplish? What career do you want to pursue? If you know what you want, it’s often easier to accomplish what must be done to get there.
   
2. Meet with your academic advisor each semester
   Academic advising is an important part of student success. An ACC advisor can help you determine exactly what courses you need to take for a given program, major and transfer institution.
   
3. Set clear priorities
   Without clear priorities, what is more important can sometimes get lost in what is more fun or exciting.
   
4. Participate in other activities
   There is more to college life that attending classes. Participation in student activities, clubs and other organizations can make you feel more a part of the College and help you develop leadership skills.
   
5. Register early
   The earlier you register, the better selection of classes you’ll have. It’s a good idea to seek academic advising before the beginning of registration.
   
6. Use College resources
   ACC has many resources to help you succeed, such as the Career Center, Mentoring, the Weber Center for Learning Resources (library) and the advising office.
   
7. Know College rules and procedures
   Familiarize yourself with the information in the ACC Catalog including dropping/withdrawing from classes, the grading system, deadline dates and the student code of conduct.
   
8. Develop computer skills
   No matter what your major or program, computer skills will help you. Word processing, for example, can increase your efficiency with any writing assignment.
   
9. Speed up your reading
   Reading speed and comprehension are fundamental to college success. No matter how well you presently read, you will benefit by increasing your reading skills.
   
10. Be prepared for class
    This is an obvious but often neglected principle. Being prepared means having assignments done on time, completing the required reading and giving some thought beforehand to the day’s topic of discussion.
    

Make your Start at ACC!