When I started college, I thought a successful student had everything figured out. This meant staying organized, always earning good grades, and adjusting to the new college environment smoothly.

After all, I had spent years developing study habits and social skills that worked for me. Why would college be any different? My first year answered that question.

Resetting My Expectations

As a nursing student, I entered a demanding academic environment. I was also learning to navigate a new campus, meet new people, manage my own schedule, and live away from home. I realized that many of the habits that had worked before college did not automatically translate into success at the university level.

Figuring that out was the most frustrating part. By the end, I learned my most important lesson: struggling to adjust does not mean you are failing. Sometimes, it means you just need to adapt.

Rethinking My Time Management

Even though I was confident in my time management, college gave that skill an entirely new meaning. There was always a new assignment, exam, meeting, or responsibility waiting. I learned to plan ahead rather than only focusing on what was due the next day.

Breaking larger assignments into smaller tasks and planning my weeks ahead of time made everything feel more manageable. I also had to remind myself that being productive did not mean filling every hour of my day. Giving myself realistic goals and being self-aware made it easier to stay consistent without feeling behind.

Building a Support System

I used to think that asking for help meant I should have tried harder on my own. I saw it as a last resort.

Professors, classmates, advisors, and campus resources became important to my success. Going to office hours allowed me to ask questions after I sat with a topic. It also helped me become more comfortable with my professors beyond the classroom.

Forming study groups with my classmates reminded me that I was not the only person struggling with a concept or stressed about an upcoming exam. My perspective shifted to seeing the strength in recognizing when I needed support and taking the initiative to seek it.

Updating My Study Habits

One of the hardest things to learn was that studying longer did not mean studying better. When a method was not showing the results I wanted, I had to stop repeating it just because it was familiar.

I visited my nursing advisors, who encouraged me to experiment with different approaches. This depended on the course and where I noticed myself repeating mistakes. These included practice questions, active recall, reviewing material in smaller sections, and forming study groups.

By the end of the year, I had learned that effective studying requires understanding how you learn, not defining yourself by the hours you spend studying.

Making Myself a Priority

My biggest realization at the end of my first year was recognizing that before I am a student, I am a person. Academics are important, but so are eating, sleeping, spending time with friends, calling family, and occasionally doing nothing.

The first year of college is definitely a canon event. It’s exciting, overwhelming, humbling, and transformative all at once. You may not be the same student you were when you first arrived. That is the point.

Redefining Success

Success in college is not about figuring everything out from day one. Success can be learning a new study method and seeing positive results. It can be walking into office hours to form a connection with a professor, creating a schedule you enjoy, or just making it past a difficult week.

My first year in college taught me that growth isn't a destination but a process. It begins when you accept that old habits no longer work, and it compounds each time you give yourself the chance to discover what does. That is what success in college really looks like.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!