The secret to earning a college degree is not a secret at all…just get to your junior year. If you get that far, you’re almost guaranteed a degree.

In fact, if you complete your second year of college, the odds of your earning a B.A. or B.S. degree are high. That’s because very few students drop out between the completion of their sophomore year and the beginning of their junior year.

It is the freshman year that students find most challenging, and it is the freshman year when they are most likely to drop out. It’s not too hard to figure out why. The first year of college is a time of transition and adjustment, and neither is easy. However, if students follow a few simple rules, they’ll be OK. Here are five.

1. Do not miss classes. If you do, you’re sunk, even if it’s not obvious to you at the time.

2. Manage your time intelligently by making a schedule and having the self-discipline to stay with it. Do not ever study or sleep fewer hours than scheduled.

3. Keep up with or ahead of your assignment due dates. Don’t fall behind on your reading and don’t write your papers at the last minute. Cramming may have worked for you in high school, but it is unlikely to in college.

4. It’s easy to “go wild” when you are first away from your parents and their rules. But, if you do a lot of drinking, fail to get enough sleep, and/or put your social life ahead of your educational goals, you will soon regret doing so. Be responsible.

5. Make college your home…become engaged. Reach out to new people. Join a club or activity. See that you take advantage of all that’s available to you on campus.

The five rules above aren’t very complicated. And, they shouldn’t be terribly hard to follow. Yet, if everyone adhered to them, the average six year college graduation rate in the United States would probably jump from its currently disappointing 55% to the 90% plus seen at some of our most selective institutions.

Daniel Z. Kane is a university dean who has created highly popular websites offering information on online college degrees and online degree programs offered by fully accredited colleges and universities.