How to Stay Ahead in College (For Struggling Moms)

Simple tips to help you stay ahead in college when you have run out of ideas

How do moms stay ahead in college? Is it even possible or will I keep falling behind?

If you are asking these questions, I want you to know that you are not alone, and lots of other moms are in the same predicament. So, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you if you are struggling to stay ahead in college.

I know all too well that feeling that no matter what you do, it’s never enough. You just can’t seem to get caught up with your classes, assignments, or readings. It’s a frustrating feeling, and it makes you want to give up.

But the problem is you can’t afford to throw away all your hard work. So, what are you supposed to do?

That’s what this post is about. Finding some practical ways you can stay ahead in college. If you are ready to put your frustrations behind you, here are some ways to stay ahead in college.

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1. HOW TO GET AHEAD IN COLLEGE

Getting ahead in college is all about doing a few things right. Let’s look at some ways you can accomplish that.

1. BE CONSISTENT

To get ahead in school, you have to be consistent. What this means is that you can’t study today, then skip studying for the next two or three days.

Consistency is key if you want to get ahead and stay ahead in college. This doesn’t mean that you have to do your schoolwork at the same time every day (though having a schedule can be very helpful). It just means that you do some studying every single day, but you can be flexible about when they happen.

Being consistent can make a big difference in your academic life, so if you keep falling behind in college, and you think you have been inconsistent, then you need to change that so you can get ahead academically.

2. GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL

Poor time management is one of the biggest reasons many college students struggle academically. Unless you have a good handle on how you spend your time, you will continue to struggle in college.

As a mom, you often have to wear many different hats, which makes it very difficult to find enough time for everything. However, you still have to make the best use of whatever time you have because you are not going to get more than 24 hours a day. So, good time management is essential for your success.

To get ahead, you can’t fritter away time. You must know your priorities, and eliminate distractions. Good time management is the only way for a mom to get ahead in school. So, watch how you spend your time and make sure you are always productive.

3. BE ORGANIZED AND CREATE A SYSTEM FOR WORKING AHEAD

As a mom in college, being organized is important to your academic success. You must be organized in every aspect of your life, especially in your academics.

Taking the time to organize your life can have a positive effect on your studies and mental wellbeing, so it’s something you should consider doing.

Here are some ways to organize and create a system for working ahead.

Have a system for keeping track of due dates and everything you have to do.
Create outlines of assignments or research papers as soon as you get them.
Gather everything you need to study or complete assignments in one place, so when you are ready to work on them, everything you need will be at your fingertips. This will cut down on how much time it takes you to complete an assignment or write a paper.
Create a system for keeping track of tests, exams, discussions, or other projects that make up part of your grades. Some classes require group projects and active participation, you don’t want to miss them since they can be the difference between passing or failing a class.

As you can see, there are lots of ways you can work ahead in college, so find what works for you and implement it.

4. DON’T WAIT FOR DEADLINES OR PROCRASTINATE

Do you want to know how to get ahead in college? It’s pretty simple. Don’t procrastinate or wait for deadlines before you start studying for a test or completing an assignment.

The night before an assignment or paper is due isn’t the best time to start working on it. As a mom, there are quite a few things that could go wrong. For example, your kids could get sick at the last minute, or you could have a family emergency that makes it hard or impossible to complete your schoolwork.

That’s why it’s never a good idea to leave things until the last minute. Another reason why you shouldn’t procrastinate is that you can’t do your best work if you have to do them in a hurry.

So, always give yourself enough time to get things done. I know it’s hard, but if you organize yourself and create a system, you can pull it off.

Now, let’s look at some ways to stay ahead in school.

2. HOW TO STAY AHEAD IN COLLEGE

How do you stay ahead academically? There are a few ways you can do it. Some are listed below.

1. IDENTIFY THE CHALLENGES OF STAYING AHEAD

In order to create an effective solution, it’s important to identify the challenges you face. Why do you think it’s so hard to stay ahead? Do you have some self-sabotaging habits? Is it a lack of support or no help with the kids?

Whatever you think is responsible, make a list of them, then come up with a strategy to overcome them.

Identifying your challenges will help you stay ahead in college since you can anticipate them and take steps to reduce their impact.

2. HAVE A PLAN FOR STAYING AHEAD

Come up with an effective plan to stay ahead. Without a plan, it’s easy to lose focus or go off track, so having a plan is a great way to ensure you never fall behind.

Here are some things you should consider adding to your plan.

Review your planner each day to see what’s coming due in the next week.
Use any extra time you have to read ahead.
Set specific goals for studying or doing schoolwork so you know how to prioritize your task.
Create a study schedule.
Plan out your assignments on paper. Write the days of the week and which assignments you’ll be doing each day, then follow it completely.

After you have created a plan, do your best to follow it. That’s how you stay ahead in college.

3. TWEAK OR CHANGE WHAT ISN’T WORKING

Creating a system for staying ahead is great, but your work is not done just yet. To continue to stay ahead, you have to keep monitoring your system to make sure it keeps working for you.

Continue to do what works but be willing to tweak or change anything that isn’t working. It’s hard to create the perfect system, but you can keep improving it as you get more information.

Your plan isn’t set in stone. If things are not going well or you find yourself falling behind, then consider making some changes. Every semester is different. Some are more hectic than others, so it makes sense you may have to tweak things every now and again.

4. BE PREPARED TO WORK

If there’s an easy way to stay ahead academically, I haven’t found it yet. So, while we are still searching for it, be prepared to work hard to stay ahead in college.

There’s no substitute for hard work when it comes to staying ahead in school. Moms who managed to maintain a good GPA or graduate college on time will tell you they had to work really hard to succeed.

So, prepare yourself for that and don’t get complacent.

With that said, I am not asking you to spend all your time working. You need to know when it’s time to relax or take a break. Yes, go ahead and work hard, but don’t forget to take care of yourself too.

5. SET METRICS TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS

How do you define “staying ahead?” What do want to accomplish each week to feel you are staying ahead in college?

For example, some moms are happy if they are current on their assignments or readings, while others feel they are ahead only if they are two or three weeks ahead or eight chapters ahead on their readings.

There’s no definitive way to determine what staying ahead means. It’s an individual decision (as long as you are not behind). So, to take the stress out of it, make sure you define your own metrics, or set your own goals so when you achieve them, you will know you are on track.

Don’t compare yourself with anyone else or think you have to keep pace with other moms. If you are a member of a group or forum for college moms, it can be pretty intimidating or deflating when you hear other moms talk about how much they have accomplished.

It’s okay to be inspired by them, but don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure or use them as your benchmark.

Learn whatever you can from them, but don’t compare yourself to them.

Wrapping up how to stay ahead in college (for struggling moms)

Staying ahead in college is not an easy thing for many moms to do because of other responsibilities. However, since you have taken the step to go back to school, you have to find a way to manage your life and academics.

In this post, I have shared some tips for making things work, so go ahead and use them to your advantage.

Once you get ahead, try to be consistent so you never fall behind. It’s hard work, but you can do it. Good luck to you!

Are you struggling to get ahead in college? What do you think is responsible for this problem?