Editor's note: Calvin Sitto is a student at Wayne State's School of Business in Detroit, MI and has taken ISM 7505: Inbound Information Technology

Here are eight great tips to help you make college easier and more rewarding.  

1. Seek Your Counselor: One of the most important things I learned while in college was the importance of seeking the help of your counselor.  A lot of individuals took this very lightly and I heard a lot of stories about people who did not seek their counselor for help throughout their college career and ended up missing quite a bit of things in order to receiver their degree and graduate.  By going to your counselor you are able to ask questions and receive many different updates on information that is vital and important to your college career while also taking a huge weight off your shoulder.  They give the exact information that you need and ensure you are meeting your requirements and not missing a beat in a timely manner.  Also, they inform you about information that you have never even heard of which leads into the next way to make college easier which is what I found out from a counselor. 
   • Undergraduate Advisors
   • Graduate Advisors
2. CLEP EXAMS: College Level Exam Preparation (CLEP) are different tests and exams that are providing by the state of Michigan.  These exams consist of a variety of different courses such as American Government, Math, Science, and many other different course subjects that are offered in college.  These exams only cost $125 dollars and when you take these exams you not only don’t have to pay and take the course itself but you also get the credits for the course which means you save both money and time while also getting the credits you need in order to graduate. 
3. Networking: Although this may seem simply and a bit silly it is important to make friends and network with a variety of individuals within your university. The reason why is because it provides you with different perspectives on things, can lead you to potential and interesting opportunities as well as it gives you the opportunity to experience your college career and go through it with other people instead of just by yourself.
4. Attending Events: Typically your business school or university has a long list of different events that are help by different companies from your future career. It is important that you attend as many of these events as you possibly can. This goes along with the networking portion of this blog. It is important because each of these events have the potential to benefit you in a specific way. For example, an event on a resume building workshop can help you build a terrific resume that you can present to potential employers during the hiring process which can set you apart from other individuals. Other events such as a networking forum or an accounting fair can get you connected with potential employers in the field in which you are studying so that you have something lined up after you graduate.
5. Join an Organization: Many employers are not only looking to ensure you have a sound education and are performing well in school but they want their future employees to have the capability of managing multiple tasks such as work and school organizations. These show that you are heavily involved in other activities outside of school. These organization not only look good on your resume but allow you to network with other individuals and can lead to other opportunities as well. Also, from previous experiences, I have learned that these organizations can be a great learning experience and can help you grow as an individual and business leader. I was a member of multiple organizations and found that each individual added more and more to my character.
   • Information Technology Organization
6. Enjoy Time Off: Sometimes we find ourselves getting caught up in the hustle and grind of schoolwork, your job, and the organizations that you are involved in and this is understandable. However, it is important to take a step back from this and enjoy some time to yourself and with your friends and other people. This allows you to relax and take a break from everything and allows you to gather your mind and thoughts and come back feeling stronger and ready to work hard again.
7. Purchasing Books: It is obvious that the price of books from the school bookstore can typically be overprices and out of your price range. This is why other opportunities are out there for you to look for. Amazon, Half.com, and other different sites offer potential solutions to money management when it comes to purchasing books. Also, many universities have an internal network set up for students to meet up with other students who are selling their books at a lower price.
8. Plan Ahead: When you first enter college it is important to plan ahead for everything. This includes planning each and every semester with your counselor about which classes you are going to take in the order in which you are going to take them. Many individuals find themselves taking their prerequisites before everything and getting all of their easy classes out of the way first. This is something that I do not recommend. The reason why I say this is because you are only setting yourself up for tougher and tougher schedules as you move through your college career. I recommend averaging them out and splitting them up evenly throughout your college career. It is important to have at least one easy class each semester because it gives you a break and allows you to have more time for your other more important and more difficult courses. It also ensures that your course workload are split up evenly each semester. Also, another observation as we all know is known as "Senioritus" and it does happen, I know from firsthand. However, by ensuring you split up your easy classes it helps with this problem and allows each semester to not be more difficult than the previous. The only way I would recommend not doing this is if you are unclear as to what you want to major in and where you want to go with your college career.