Five Steps to Success in Completing a College Degree

Everyone has heard the slogan, "To get a good job, get a good education." Once upon a time, when not many people even attended a university or college, a degree almost guaranteed a good job and successful career. Now that degrees no longer have the value that comes from scarcity, many are beginning to question whether it has value at all.

Universities now excel at producing people who can go out and work for someone else. Employers will pay more for people who have graduated than for those who have not. Relative to bachelors degrees, people with masters degrees or doctorates are scarcer, and for that reason command still higher salaries.

If you want to work for yourself and have the motivation and opportunity to succeed without college, go for it. Maybe a year or two of college will be enough. Bill Gates is not a good role model, though, unless you can duplicate both his drive and his unique opportunities.

For students who are willing to spend time and effort mastering courses outside their major, the university offers the opportunity to become a well-rounded, intellectually curious individual. That is, as old-fashioned and idealistic as it sounds, people can graduate from a university with an education as opposed to advanced career training.

The university experience also offers a wide array of extracurricular activities and informal chances for socializing. While it's certainly true that students who party for four years at the expense of studying hard for their courses end up merely having wasted a lot of time and money, the social opportunities can pay off in intangible benefits that can potentially become more valuable than the degree itself.

While there are important distinctions between a university and a college, the terms are interchangeable for the purposes of this article. You want to go to one or the other and want to finish successfully what you start. People with a degree will, on average, earn more over the course of their careers than people without.

According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems statistics for 2008, less than 60% of students who had enrolled in American colleges and universities had completed their bachelors degrees within six years.

So how does one finish and get a degree, or more to the point, a degree that will mean something?

1. Excel in high school and take college preparatory classes

If a college degree has lost both scarcity and value, a high school diploma has lost even more. Too many high school graduates get to college and need remedial work in basic language and math skills. Don't be one of them. You don't need straight As, but you do need a good grasp of reading for comprehension, writing a well-structured paper, computational skills, and basic algebra.

2. Decide what you want to accomplish and what major(s) can get you there.

If you don't know where you're going, how can you know the direction to get there? Many students start their freshman year without deciding what to major in. There's something else you need to know first: what motivates you? What do you want to accomplish in your life? Once you know that, you may still have several choices of major. Choosing a major is less urgent than some of the other choices you will need to make, but do try to get it settled before you begin your junior year.

3. Choose a university that will give you a good chance of success.

A large university with multiple doctoral and professional programs may not be the best choice for undergraduate education. Some students may feel lost at a large university and may do better at a smaller university or college.

Almost any college or university will have some very strong programs and some weak ones. To whatever extent you have answered the second point in this article, you will need to look at not only the overall reputation and environment of the colleges you consider. You must also look at their strength in your possible major fields.

4. Take advantage of advisors, counselors and the library.

Every college and university wants its students to succeed. You will be assigned an academic advisor, who may or may not be effective in that role. Have a good relationship with that person in either case. If your assigned advisor is not helpful, form good relationships with other faculty who can guide you.

Colleges and universities also have a health center where you can get help both for physical and emotional health, some kind of career counseling center, some kind of help with study skills, and so on. If you recognize a need, or if your faculty points out a need, let the institution help you.

Don't forget the library. It's not just books any more. Librarians can help you navigate the Internet more effectively than you can learn it by yourself. Librarians can help you clarify what kinds of resources you need not only for class assignments, but job searching or, really, any other information question you may have. More and more, libraries host game nights. Plus, the library has plenty of both reading and multimedia material you can use simply for enjoyment.

5. Balance study with college life.

College is classes and grades and academic achievement. College is also sports, theater, concerts, and all kinds of entertainment. College is clubs and interest groups to get involved in. College is parties and frisbee on the lawn and relationships. College is part-time jobs and learning how to manage money. Don't let any one thing crowd everything else out. Don't let a bunch of things crowd out learning your coursework. After all, that's what will get you that degree.