Vaqueros Guide to a Successful Semester

As the school year begins, incoming and returning students may need a refresher on how to achieve a successful spring semester.

Some students might struggle with procrastination or time management while others struggle with balancing life and school. 

Maria Alvarez, computer science senior, said committing to studying is the hardest part. Her key to having a good semester is concentrating on the present rather than the future. 

“Prepare for them, but don’t let them get to you when you’re still thinking about something that’s already here,” Alvarez said. 

According to her, the fall 2024 semester was the worst while fall 2025 was her best semester.

What did she do differently? 

Alvarez said she mostly focused on managing her time when completing projects and reaching the milestones she set for herself.

“I have a hard time committing to studying, so set yourself that goal of studying for a few hours at a time,” she said.

Kelli Garza, student success specialist at the Office of Student Success at UTRGV, said the hardest part when trying to get good grades is being able to just sit down, prepare and go over the material and try to retain it. 

“I’ve noticed that time management should be the foundation for your entire student career,” Garza said. 

She added asking questions is a common thing that helps students succeed. 

“When students ask more questions, they tend to be a little bit more successful than students that hesitate,” Garza said. 

She acknowledged it can be scary to ask questions, especially in an environment where it feels like everybody seems to know the guide to college. 

Some questions can be answered by UTRGV Trailblazers. 

“The role of a trailblazer is to assist first year students that are coming in,” Garza said. “They’re usually in the same major as the trailblazer, just so that if they had any questions regarding college assignments or any classes specific to their major.”

 Since Garza works with the UTRGV trailblazers, she has seen what students have done that led to their failures or success. 

Albert Rodriguez, theater junior, also had some good and bad semesters.

He said he doesn’t think he did as well as he could have. 

“The hardest part is keeping up with the curriculum,” Rodriguez said. 

She said something students fail to do is visit their professors. She has noticed students who meet with their professors during office hours tend to be a bit more successful than hesitating students.

“As a first-year student myself, I could remember being overwhelmed by how many resources that the campus has,” she said.

Some campus resources available for students are the Learning Center and the Writing Center which offer tutoring sessions on assignments and essays.  

Garza added the key to having a successful semester is making connections with peers. 

“I’ve noticed that being able to make connections with different people on campus has made things easier when having questions or seeking out different opportunities,” she said. 

Garza added struggling is a normal thing that is bound to happen at any point during your university life. 

“It’s OK to ask for help,” she said. 

 To contact the UTRGV Office of Student Success on the Brownsville campus visit BINAB 1.105 or call (956) 882-7483. For Edinburg, visit ESSBL 2.101 or call (956) 665-7919.