Dec 14, 2016 06:27 AM EST By Julio Cachila, UniversityHerald Reporter

College is a great time to learn, acquire skills, and develop disciplines and attitudes necessary to a great career and future life. Aside from the usual challenges of paying for tuition, purchasing books and other materials, and paying for housing and food costs, college students also face the difficulties of studying challenging subjects, making deadlines, and establishing social connections in school.

Developing the right habits and study methods will be crucial to helping a student learn and maximize his stay in college. To help college-bound students do that, here are a few tips coming from experts, gathered by U.S. News. These are best cultivated before leaving high school halls, but can still be worked on once inside college campuses.

Ask for Help

College freshmen are usually shy and feel uncomfortable approaching professors, other teachers, and tutors. Learning to approach them while in high school will help develop the confidence that will be helpful in asking for help once in college.

Work With Peers

Friends don't just encourage friends when bad times come, they also help in studying and learning in school. Experts say your classmates can help you understand lessons better. A study says they can also help remind you of things you need to work on and submit on time.

Maintain Good Health

In fighting against the effects of stress in college, having a healthy diet, enough exercise, and enough rest will be very helpful.

Ron Elsenbaumer, vice president for academic affairs at University of Texas in Arlington, says that students tend to do better when they have some amount of exercise included in their daily routines.

Sleeping late at night due to wrong habits, and relying on energy drinks to help cram for exams will always negatively affect grades and health.

Eliminate Distractions

Learning to eliminate any form of distraction will greatly help. Establishing media-free zones and other kinds of boundaries, as well as learning not to procrastinate, will help students perform better, and finish tasks on time. Blocking off some time to study outside of class hours will also help, Elsenbaumer says.

Being organized and using a planner will help too, says Neva Lozada, director of writing services and supplemental instruction at Monmouth University in New Jersey.

Be Self-Aware

Tracking your habits, and finding out what helps you study and learn better, can help improve your performance.

Lozada says students "need to be aware of their weaknesses and strengths coming in and they should know after high school what courses were the hardest for them."

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