success in college

This for any one that is having a lot of trouble in college my English professor made use write a paper over what it takes to succeed in college; which I thought was a good way for her students to pick up on those tips I personally toke a lot from this assignment because I have been struggling to maintain in all of the confusion in the first semester of college. So first hand I know now that this essay would help people that are in the same shoes as me

Success in College

Some say college is the start of an adventure that has no comparison; I tend to agree with that. For some people it’s the first time they are free from their parent’s eagle eyes and dictatorial rule. Freedom! As some would say, freedom isn’t the only thing that comes with the college life style. College is the stepping stone into adult hold. I say this because it’s your responsibility to make the right decisions for your future. Many people that enter their freshman year of college very few graduate. This is because some people become over whelmed with the transition from high school to college. I know as a high school student you might say in your head I got this college stuff in the bag or you might say you don’t think you will make it. I’m here to tell you that both of these thoughts can work against you. Over confidence about the college world can make you blind to the fact that it takes proper preparation in every class; while not having confidence can make you lose the drive that’s motivates every student to make something of themselves. College is a true test of your mental and physical well-being and it will change how you think and what you think. In order to adapt and survive college a student has to develop certain characteristics. There are two categories for those characteristics that I believe can lead you to success in college. The first category comes from what I like to call the five p’s, proper preparation prevents poor presentation. The things that fall under the five p’s are time management studying habits and sleeping habits. These are things that can be changed for your schedule. The second category is the heart category. That may seem very cliché but it is true. There are certain things that can’t be taught like resilience and determination that will help you in college and in life.

5-Ps

One of the biggest differences between high school and college is time management. While you may think that you manage your time wisely in high school, it is really your teacher’s guiding you and reminding you when things are due. In college that changes drastically. The only thing that will remind you when an assignment is due is your syllabus. Sounds easy right? Wrong. In college it seems like you have all the time in the world which causes a lot of students to procrastinate. Oh that deadly word procrastination I always say. Procrastination really does kill but in high school I was able to get away with a lot of last minute late night studying and toiling hours of writing papers in the night to the early morning the day a paper was due.  Doing that last minute studying and writing will not work in college, what got you an A in high school will not suffice in college because the expectations of your work is considerably greater. That last minute paper that you think will sway your professor into giving your kudos won’t make the grade. I say this because the requirements that certain assignments take will be looked past when you procrastinate. Being able to manage your time is one of the biggest things in college especially if you are playing sports, want a social life and are serious about your life as a student.(10 Highly Effective Study Habits)

 Kelci Lynn Lucier writes eight strong steps for time management in college. She say using a calendar of any type will help in time management in her first step and goes on to say that having one place to right everything down is a key to organizing time. I myself have found that writing everything down with the due date next to it allows me to see what assignment I should do first. Her second step is to write down everything that you plan to do like doing your laundry or even calling your parents. If you do plan these out it would help you keep up  with those task that would take time out of your day and help you keep up with your family. In her third step she emphasizes that student’s schedule time for relaxation because even though your schedule has you working from early in the A.M to late in the P.M doesn’t mean you actually can. As a student tries to find what works for them they should try different types of calendar systems like PDA’s and color coding. I myself have moved from using my cell phone to just a simple pocket sized notebook to plan my day. Lucier states in her fifth step that a student should allow some room in their schedule because something’s are bound to come up in your social life that you wouldn’t want to miss out on. The sixth step Lucier speaks on is planning ahead. If there is a paper due a month from now plans backwards on your calendar from the due date of the assignment. That way it will give you a designated time frame to get certain parts of your paper done. The seventh step is to plan for the unexpected. If you put assignments off till the last minute the unexpected can happen like you getting sick or worse. In the eighth step take time after your hectic week and relax and enjoy your life. (8 Steps for Strong Time management)

When you’re in college it seems like sleep is an impossible thing to get, and if you do manage to get sleep you don’t want it to be in class. Every day you will learn something new in your classes but without adequate sleep the information that you professor is trying to drill in your head will just go in one ear and out the other. Not being able to retain the information of you classes will leave you at a major disadvantage, instead of reading ahead for your classes you would have to back track to learn what has already been said. The work that once seemed easy will begin to pile up and become a daunting task that you won’t want to do. Getting adequate sleep is also necessary to give your professor the right impression. If the professor sees you sleeping in class they could become offended or may think you don’t take college seriously. The last thing you want is to lose your credibility. “According to the National Sleep Foundation, although we think of sleep as a time of rest, research is revealing that sleep is a dynamic activity during which many processes vital to health and well-being take place.” So having good sleeping habits can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. (Sleep Does More Than Bring You Sweet Dreams the national states)

The game changer in college is one thing that may not be as important in high school but shows considerable in college is studying habits. Many students look at studying in the wrong way but John M. Grohol gives ten studying habits that will ease the pain that most students think about when it comes to studying. The first thing that Grohol mentions is the way a student approaches studying. By thinking positive and reminding yourself of your abilities you will avoid thinking catastrophically, which means thinking that you won’t ever be done or you don’t have enough time. The second point that Grohol makes is selecting a place to study that isn’t distracting and is quiet. When going to study bring the things you need, not things that would possibly distract you. Rewriting your notes is one thing that many people look over but is a useful tool in retaining information. Playing memory games (mnemonics) is a helpful way of studying witch is the fifth tip Grohol mentioned. Avoiding the cramming session by making a schedule to study will guarantee that you know the material for class and in the schedule take breaks to award yourself. With all the things that come with studying it is important that you remain balanced and keep time for yourself.

Things that can’t be taught

Studying habits, sleeping habits and time management are all things that a person can teach themselves, but college requires a lot more than just these things. College students come up against adversity all the time; to be able to concur the adversity of college a student must dig deep within themselves. When a professor doesn’t give you the grade you want your parents can’t complain to the school so most likely you will keep that grade. You can either fold which means give up or stand and prosper. Things aren’t always bound to go your way but having resilience can bring you out of the hole you or your professor put you in. Hara Estroff Marano says “Resilient people do not let adversity define them. They find resilience by moving towards a goal beyond themselves transcending pain and grief by perceiving bad times as a temporary state of affair.”(“The Art of Resilience”) Being a resilient person takes an ability to see what I like to call the “Bigger Picture”. The bigger picture is the expectations that you have for yourself in the future. This is a goal or your dreams of becoming a doctor, lawyer basically a career. In order to get to that bigger picture you must have determination. Determination is the act of coming to a decision with firm purpose.

While college is stressful it is also a fun and exciting experience, so when picking your college remember that it will be the first real decision of your individual life. Many college students will find out that their college choice doesn’t suit them for many reasons like culture shock or home sickness and will leave to another college. Incoming college students that take more time visiting and researching their college will avoid setbacks like this. The faster you can adapt to your surroundings the better off you will do in your classes and in your life.

Works Cited

Grohol, John M. “10 Highly Effective Study Habits.” PsychCentral.com. N.p., 19 Mar. 2008. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.

Jones, Jane Scheier. “Zzzzzz Time: Sleep Does More Than Bring You Sweet Dreams.” CollegeView.com. N.p., 12 Sept. 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.

Lucier, Kelci Lynn. “College Student Time Management- 8 College Student Time Management Skills.” About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.

Marano, Hara Estroff. “The Art of Resilience.” Psychologytoday.com. N.p., 10 June 2011. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.