College is an exciting time.

College is a big event for most people. You spend all of high school working to get into the right school, then its off to the real world. College is supposed to be the place where you grow up and find out what life is really like. First, let me clear up an illusion. College is so not the real world. It’s a special four year detour with fairly low responsibility and even less accountability. It’s one of the great things about college. But what about classes you say? Trust me, there’s plenty of freedom in that area. It’s up to you whether or not you go. College though is also freedom. And I was all about enjoying my college years. The key to balancing both is in figuring out how to get the most out of college life with the least amount of effort. With that in mind, here’s a few “slacker” tips for college.

1) Classes

Professors can seem intimidating but they’re actually incredibly friendly. Some are even cooler than you think too.

~Schedule a meeting with each of your professors for 3 times during the semester. Meeting 1 is during the first 2 weeks. Use this time to talk about the professor’s expectations for you this semester. If there’s a major project or paper due in this class, talk about ideas. The 2nd meeting is to talk about progress so far and the 3rd about 2 weeks before finals. On the surface, this sounds like more work. It’s not. Professors can seem scary or mean or just plain weird but they teach because they love it. Talking about your semester plans with your professor means you won’t spend nearly as much time stressing. Plus 1 teacher/student meeting is good for at least 2 missed classes and up to a higher grade. This trick is especially good for a class that’s harder for you. I had a friend who was just barely failing math even though she worked incredibly hard. She met with her teacher several times and got a passing grade.

Study groups can bring friends but also make homework a piece of cake.

~Study Groups. Don’t start a study group for classes with lots of writing. There’s really no point. Classes with lots of memorization, daily homework or languages are great study group option. Pick your group from the kids in the 2nd & 3rd rows of the room. Behind that are kids who don’t care. The front row has the kind of people who put professors on their dream dinner party list. Once a week studying for about an hour will pretty much guarantee passing the class. And you don’t’ have to spend extra time studying.

~Finally, show up and pay attention! Now, as a quick disclaimer, its always good for the soul to skip once in a while. But in general, if you go to class and participate, you can practically cut out any extra studying. Every class I participated in, I never did outside class work. Passed every time.

2) Money
It’s a horrible thing but ya gotta have it. Now you may be one of those students who just has to have a regular job while in school. If you are, I’m sorry and I feel your pain. I worked 60 hours a week and went to school full time. I feel your pain. If however, its just some spending money you’re looking for, there are easier ways than a normal blue collar job to get that.

Giving blood, err plasma is an easy way to earn money and do some good. You can get $20-40 a pop and donate twice a week.

~In a bigger city, participate in focus groups. These are studies of people’s opinions about a product. You can make $40-$100 for a couple hours doing almost nothing.

~Put your name on an event promotions list. Not only does it make about $100 a day, you can often be working at a concert or festival. It’s not up close and personal, but the atmosphere is still there.

Athletic games are not only free activities but tailgate parties usually bring about free food too.

3) Fun
~Student discounts are all over the place. Why stress at a job when you can play for free? (Or cheap.) Universities often have events that can be fun. Otherwise use $1 nights at movie theatres and bowling alleys. Athletic events and school theatre productions are always free. Make a list of discounts or cheap deals you can easily refer to. It saves a lot of time and helps you to be more creative.

I know this list sounds like more work. And in some ways it is. You have to make an initial effort. But from there you can slack off with the best of them.