College is a world of new and different experiences. The most important thing to remember while you are in college is that you are a "college student", you are not just here for the ride. This is a place where your responsibility is at a new level. There's no one here telling you when to go to bed, eat, shower, or do homework. This is the kind of freedom every young adult dreams of after being in a regulated home for eighteen years. But the downside of having this freedom is that we have to adapt how we normally run our day-to-day operations. The key to college success is time management; the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, or productivity. The first step to managing time efficiency is setting goals. Setting SMART goals makes it easier to organize how you decide to spend your time and money. The “S” stands for Specific, meaning what, where and how? Stating specifically what you would like to accomplish is a great way to inform the decision-making process. The “M” stands for Measurable, meaning “from and to”, measurement provides feedback or pre-assessment on the progress of set goals. The assignable "A" meaning "who?" the goal itself must be assignable to individuals or groups. The “R” stands for Realistic “is it feasible?” The goals you set should be challenging but achievable within the given time frame. Which brings me to the final letter “T” for Time-bound, “…when?” The time frame determines the amount of work ethic and consistency needed to complete your goal. The next step in time management is planning and preparation. I can't stress this enough, I always have a backup, a ba... in the middle of the paper... the list should be at the top. The least demanding courses will be listed below in order. As a student it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Who knows you better than you know yourself. Your first semester in college teaches you this, if you know you're not a morning person. So for the second semester don't sign up for morning classes. If you prefer to wake up early to have classes in the afternoon, try attending morning classes. University is very complex, some days will be much more difficult than others, nevertheless taking on the challenge and reaping the benefits of your results are much more rewarding than you might think. College is about gaining experience for yourself, going into yourself, applying your morals and values ​​to everyday life. So welcome to college and appreciate your time here because you can't get it back.