First of all, is the class simply too hard for you and you need to switch out or go down a level? This could be a simple solution of speaking with your advisor or teacher in helping discover what it is you need. Maybe Spanish is not the foreign language for you but Latin is a much better fit. Maybe Advanced Algebra is too difficult for you now and you need to drop down to the average level math class. Whatever you discern, either through your own self-exploration or with the help of professionals, it’s vital you surpass the damaging desire to cheat and avoid this act as best as possible.

If you are caught cheating there can be grave consequences. Trust first and foremost is lost between your teacher and likely your peers. Classmates may have studied very hard or worked long hours on a paper that you brazenly cheated on to get by. You will have a suspicious quality until you are able to proof yourself and show you are an honest student once again. Another consequence is failing the class and in some school, the punishment may be even more severe and irrevocable.

Catching someone cheating is a tricky situation and it’s hard to reach a decision on what to do. If someone is cheating off your paper or exam you will probably feel betrayed and want to turn in the cheater. If it is a friend and you are allowing the cheat, be very mindful you are an accomplice and will likely face the same punishment as the one cheating. Don’t be fooled in thinking you are an innocent bystander. If you naively witness someone cheating off someone else, then comes the tough choice of reporting it or not. The decision is up to you although you could confront both parties and let them know what you saw, leaving it in their hands to confess or let it go.

The first place to start is figuring out what kind of impact the failing grade will have on your academic record. It it’s the only course you’ve ever done really poorly in, then it shouldn’t be too hard to bounce back. If you’ve been struggling the whole semester you may find yourself on academic probation. You’ll also need to see how failing the course will affect your graduation and which classes you can take the next semester– the impact might be bigger than you think. It won’t be fun, but you can’t help yourself to deal with the situation until you know the full extent of the repercussions you’ll be facing.

You’ll also need to find out if your grade will affect any financial aid you have. Many scholarships and grants are conditional, requiring students to maintain a certain GPA in order to qualify. Again, if you’ve only had this one major slip up you’re likely to be just fine. If your semester as a whole has been less than stellar then you may also need to start researching alternative ways to pay for your education.

Once you’ve figured out what your grade means in terms of finances and academics, you’ll need to face the music and tell your parents about your grade. It might not be pretty, but they may be able to help you ensure that you don’t fail another course. Plus, if you’re already down in the dumps about getting a poor grade it can help to have someone to talk to and to give support.

Once all the drama from the situation has calmed down, take a breather and figure out how not to fail any classes next semester. If you weren’t studying enough, didn’t write a good paper or just didn’t grasp the material, make plans to ensure that you don’t simply repeat your mistakes the next time around. More importantly, stop beating yourself up. Your life isn’t over if you failed just one class. Learn from the experience and move on, smarter and better than ever before.

Failing a class is never the ideal situation– especially if it’s a required course– but it doesn’t have to completely ruin your college experience. With a little work you can figure out how to handle it and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

Start out by deciding who will do what in your group from the get go. That way there will be no questions about responsibilities and what is expected from each member of the group. If you feel like you might be a little more responsible than some of the other members of the group, don’t be afraid to take charge and delegate the work yourself. On the flip side, if you know you’re not good at being a leader, let someone else take the reins.

You’ll also want to make sure that you don’t make anyone in your group feel left out or that their ideas and opinions don’t matter. Try to make your group work a democracy, and take a vote on issues that seem to be points of contention between group members. When people from different backgrounds are working together there are bound to be differences, so just work with them the best that you can.

To avoid someone in the group not doing their share of the work, agree to meet ahead of time to showcase and talk about the part of the project each person did. This will help motivate people to get their work done a little bit ahead of time and let others give feedback before you’re all in class turning in the work.

Of course, sometimes problems do arise. If you do get stuck working with someone who simply didn’t do the work and made the rest of your group look bad, talk to your professor. It might seem mean or backhanded, but there is no reason to take the fall for someone who didn’t have enough respect for the other group members to do their share. See if you can each be graded individually on your contributions rather than as a whole.

Group work does offer a chance to learn from and get to know your classmates but it can also have some big drawbacks when it comes to dividing up and doing the work equally. Planning ahead, taking responsibility and speaking up for yourself can help turn your group work disaster into a manageable situation.

When applying to a job it is important to read through the details of the job description and application process thoroughly. You must be cognizant of deadlines and aware of every piece of information that is required within that deadline period before submitting any paperwork. This may require phone calls to produce past evaluations or contact information, but staying on top of these details is crucial in order to prove your organizational skills from the onset of being considered. Remember, you are making an impression before you are even called in for an interview. Make sure your information is reflective of the kind of employee you would be for that company. If they receive a packet of information that is missing required documents, sent to the wrong department or received past the due date, your chances can be significantly reduced for getting called to interview. Follow application instructions explicitly and do so in an orderly, accurate and time-sensitive fashion, it will help tremendously when the employer is evaluating potential candidates.

The same set of organizational skills applies for getting into college. There is a lot of paperwork involved and important deadlines to adhere to. There are references to submit, transcripts to request, essays to write, and that is just for one school. Each application may have a different process and unique set of standards, which must be followed and executed precisely. College admissions will scrutinize candidate applications as their first step in weeding out which they think will be a valuable asset to their campus and which application packets were sub par and reflective of what could be a poor student. It would be very unfortunate to not be considered for the college of your dreams because you failed to read the directions carefully and missed a vital piece of the process. You may be a stellar student on paper but if you can not demonstrate strong organizational skills from the inception of applying, you may not be a good fit for a school you otherwise thought you were a shoe-in.

Never underestimate the importance of being organized and illustrate this crucial skill as much as possible, it will only benefit your future as an employee or a student.

Get discount bus tickets. If your city or town has buses, chances are they have a student discount. Talk to your school or the bus company directly to find out what they have to offer you, and get around on the cheap. You might even find that they have free tickets for college students!

Many colleges offer shuttles to get around campus. These are especially helpful if you ride the bus to get to school, or if you live in dorms that are far from where your classes are. Check out your college’s shuttle service to find out where they go and the hours that they run so that you can take full advantage of it.

A great way to get around fast for almost no money is biking. You should be able to find bike racks all over your college campus, and many college-friendly towns and cities will have them as well. You can take bikes on most buses, and on top of all that, you’ll get great exercise from this form of transportation. Just be sure to invest in a great bike lock to make sure that no one takes off with your ride.

For times when you really need a car, or you have to travel long distances, ride sharing is a great solution. Talk to your friends and classmates who have cars and find out if they are willing to share a ride with you. Check out bulletin boards to see if someone is driving the way you need to go for long trips. You can even look in to car sharing services that allow you to rent cars hourly or daily for errands and more.

If you absolutely can’t live without a car, you can still make it work. Buy a reliable older car to save money rather than investing in a great new one-you can do that when you’re out of college and you’ve got a job. Rely on cheaper transportation whenever possible to save on gas. If you don’t use it much, try to find off-campus parking that you won’t need to buy a permit for.

Getting around in college can be easy and cheap, especially if you live on campus. Try these ideas to see how much money you can save on college transportation.

At the start of each semester — or whenever you’re feeling bored — review the list of clubs and extracurricular activities on your college website or by visiting the office for student affairs or student activities (each campus has a different name and organization system). New clubs have probably formed since your freshmen orientation, and you may have developed different interests, realizing that clubs or intramural sports you weren’t attracted to in the past are now a better fit. Ask your friends what they’re into, and tag along to a meeting to see what it’s all about. Most meetings have some sort of free food, too, so at least you’ll get a break from schoolwork and a study break snack.

Also explore the community outside of campus. Try out a new restaurant or dive bar, find some vintage shopping around campus, or even take a mini road trip to explore the complete other side of town. Take some friends, and if you’re completely unfamiliar with the neighborhoods, you’ll almost feel like you’re taking a day trip out of town. Another way to make your campus feel like new again is to change up your schedule and routine. Start eating dinner outside with your friends, family picnic style, or start swimming in the recreational center pool for exercise instead of running around the track. Little changes can force you to discover new places on campus, from the racquetball court to another dorm’s study room, which infuse your schedule with new energy and stimulation. You don’t have to take a semester off to rejuvenate your interest and engagement in college, just be a little more experimental and vow to get out of your rut by challenging yourself to try new things.

If you’re annoyed with your campus bubble — even at large universities you may find that you keep bumping into the same people, or are tired of your douchebag-filled study group — the public library provides you with the same kind of quiet, peaceful study atmosphere without the distractions. You won’t run into friends on coffee breaks, and you’ll feel more like a part of the actual community as you nestle between the stacks among kids, senior citizens, and regular citizens. Whether you can’t stand the site of another cargo short, flip flop-wearing fraternity guy or feel bad telling your friends that you need peace and quiet instead of a study break, the public library will afford you a better chance of uninterrupted concentration.

Though the amount and quality of academic resources at college libraries greatly surpasses similar materials at community, public libraries, the selection at a public library may still be a draw for you. Some college libraries spend their entire budgets on prominent journal subscriptions and books that you need for classes. But if you’re looking for the latest in contemporary fiction, you might have better luck at the local public library. Other reasons to visit your local library? Once you’re out of college, you’ll already be in the habit of finding resources at public libraries, and hopefully have built up a relationship with a helpful librarian or two. Less crowded computer stations during exam time are another plus.

First of all, realize that you can no longer treat your body like the garbage disposal it was back in high school. As time goes on and you begin building habits you will carry with you into adulthood, you must realize you cannot continue to eat whatever you want without suffering the consequences in your weight, your energy level or even worse, your heart.

The best thing you can do is balance out the things you eat appropriately. For every day you choose something rich or fattening from your favorite dining hall, choose something healthy for the next four days, such as salads loaded with a large variety of vegetables and light dressing, grilled chicken and fish, and fresh fruit for dessert. For every day you drink a soda with your lunch, drink water for the next four meals. This way you are still getting a few of your old favorite unhealthy foods while phasing in foods that are much better for you.

When eating off campus, don’t fall into the trap of eating absolute junk from fast food restaurants just because it’s cheaper. Remember that you get what you pay for. The double cheeseburger may be cheaper than the grilled chicken salad, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for your body. Ramen noodles may come 10 for a dollar, but that doesn’t make it the right choice for your body.

As for exercise, it is far better to find a friend or two who will make the commitment to exercise in some way with you than to try to go it on your own. One or more accountability partners will help rally up your resolve to work out during the week. When choosing your physical education classes, don’t settle for a non-strenuous activity like bowling or pool. Choose a heavy aerobics or weight lifting class that will be a true challenge for your body.

Finally, make every effort to stay active. Whether you joining an intramural sports team, go on regular walks or runs with friends, or bike to class rather than taking the bus, get out and get your blood moving. Your body will definitely thank you.

First, figure out where you’re losing time: is it at night when you’re normally socializing or studying, or during the day when you should be attending study groups or meeting with professors? Next, decide what’s suffering because of your schedule or time management problems. It could be your social life, a grade in a certain class, your sleep schedule, or even your interest in your art class because you feel too overworked. If you’re afraid that you simply don’t have enough time to fit it all in, visit your academic advisor to find out whether or not you should — or can — drop a class this semester.

If your problem lies more with your ability to organize your schedule, prioritize each day according to what’s most important to you and to your grades, no matter what your schedule actually says. Then, add up about how many hours you’re spending on each class, study group, extracurricular activity, project, or rehearsal. Find out if the time spent on each matches the priority level you assigned each. See if you can rework the balance a little better on your own. If not, talk with your professors to find out how you can ease the strain of your creative work so that you don’t fall behind everywhere else. Changing your study habits to more effectively match your study style — like visiting a professor during office hours for 15 minutes each week or dropping out of your study group — may help you understand the material faster, and give you more time for other things. Practice rearranging your schedule until you’ve found the balance that makes you happy and keeps your grades up.

One of the cheapest ways to get your textbooks for the semester to try to borrow them from the library. Many campus libraries carry one or more of the textbooks that professors require, allowing you, if you get there first, to check it out and use it for the duration of the semester. Often, professors will put these books on reserve in the library as well, meaning you’ll have to go to the library to use it, but once there you’ll have free access. Of course, before trying out this method, you’ll want to ensure that the edition of the book the library has is the same as that which you need for your course.

Another way to get books for cheap is to share them with roommates. If you have a friend or roomie who is taking the same course as you, it may be possible to actually share textbooks if you don’t mind studying together or can work out a timetable for using the materials. You’ll still have to buy the book but it will only cost you half as much.

If you can’t afford to buy your books from your school’s bookstore, you may be able to rent the text s you need online. There are a couple companies out there that will mail you your textbooks at the beginning of the semester and ask you to mail them back at the end, charging only rental fees for the service. While it’ll still be money out of your pocket, it can be much, much cheaper than simply buying your books outright.

If you don’t need the latest edition of a book, buying discount books can save you a bundle. You will likely be able to find your books at nearly half the price you would if you had bought them new. There are numerous sites all over the web that specialize in selling used textbooks at a discount and it could be a great way to ensure you don’t have to lay out your life savings just to get some reading material for college. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you order the texts as early as possible to ensure you give them plenty of time to arrive before your courses begin.

For most, college will never be a cheap experience but it doesn’t have to be one that puts you in debt for the rest of your life. Getting deals on textbooks is easy and can save you hundreds each and every semester that you’re in school, making learning easier on you and on your wallet.