Success in college is an interesting question. I had a really rough first year. Multiple C’s and two classes I had to retake. I was put on academic probation. I was not involved in any clubs or extracurricular activities. Adjusting to college from high school was very hard. The two were absolutely nothing alike. I considered that an objective failure. I had not learned much and did horrible in my classes. But I sat down and pulled myself together. I spent huge amounts of time on my classes and really exerted effort. I went from academic probation to dean’s list. From D’s to A’s. My cumulative GPA is currently 3.6. It would be 4.0 to 3.99 if you disregarded my first semester. On top of all of that I joined the robotics team here at NIU. My parents are proud of me and consider me
Internships are a huge deal in engineering and I haven’t managed to get one yet. Experience seems to take precedent over all else and I’m panicking as I become a junior with no internship. Classes have spiked in difficulty and for the first time in a while I’m not confident in my understanding of the material no matter how much I talk to my teaching assistants or professors. It not like my previous semesters were easy, I had calculus, and calculus based physics, those types of weed out classes. But things just keep stepping up in difficulty. Classes and concepts build on each other, and if I’m not preparing myself for my future classes am I really setting myself up for success? I don’t feel successful, I feel worried. At the same time my parents talk about how impressed they are and I see employers circle my GPA when they look at my resume, but it feels empty. I feel like I need to spend more and more time on school for worse grades. But it is something I need to deal with. I can’t just give up and drop everything. It just feels like I’ve got cognitive dissonance, one side of my brain is trying to tell me I’m doing great, and the other half is freaking
When I first came to college, I did not have a solid idea of what the experience would be like, but I was excited for this new chapter in my life. I enrolled in courses I though I would excel in but a couple of weeks into the quarter, I felt unprepared for the fast-paced courses that I seemed to be struggling in but that my peers seem to of been excelling in. Early on this cause me some hardships suddenly I did not feel that I was as smart or accomplished as they were. As a result of this my grades in my courses suffered early on. As time progressed, I became friends with a group of people who were also in my similar situation, they were first-generation college students, students, this great support network of students allowed me to gain more confidence in my academic ability and with the help of my lab work, I began to see that I could excel in college.
College is around the corner and that means everyone should have their mind set out on which college they want to go to and what major they are interested in. However, they do not necessarily know what they are getting themselves into on how college will really be like. Nor do they know if their academic skills will help them out in the real world. Unfortunately, I am one of those people; not knowing what to expect in the near future and unaware if I am ready to handle myself out in the real world. However, I want to change that and transition my mind from not having a single clue to being prepared on tackling obstacles over the years.
In “Choosing Success in College and Life”, Carol Kanar exposes students to the foundational skills that they will need to develop in order to be successful in the college setting. Effective interpersonal skills and understanding that people are the biggest resource can be two of the biggest factors in how a student assimilates to campus life. Students can be intimidated by all of the offices and professional titles that surround them when entering this new surrounding. It is important that students understand that their desire to succeed is met by college professionals’ mutual desire to see the same. The blueprint for this success should first begin with the students’ inner belief in themselves. Second, the student should familiarize themselves with all that the college has to offer by way of various supportive offices, support groups, and clubs. Finally, the students should begin to set scholastic, life, and financial goals for themselves.
My college career started with me just going to school to take PE classes while neglecting my main required core classes and always pushing them aside without any urgency to succeed in finishing school. A couple of years would go by with little to no progress and lack of motivation to succeed in finishing my college required classes. Soon landing a career oriented job and finding myself dropping out of college to focus on my work career. From this point and time I would learn the importance of school and the value of finish college through my years of experience at work. This awareness of value in finishing college would motivate me to want to go back to school. Soon I would find myself at American River College counseling center. Here I was coming back to school unsure of myself and in an environment where I previously never found success in school. After meeting with my counselor I was recommended to take a college success course. This course is part of a program called the Accelerated College Education (ACE). Because I was able to learn along the years being out of school the importance of gaining an education I gained a new motivation for school, signed up for this ACE program, and enroll in the college success
College isn’t like high school where you could just be happy all the time hoping that you’ll wing it to be successful or to barely pass your classes to graduate. What is success or how can I be successful? That’s the question I asked myself on the first day of college. Success in college is the main goal of college students, but finding it is another subject. Most students think that to be successful in college is to get good grades, which is true. But the question is how you will attain that. There are a lot of ways to accomplish your goals and come out on top.
It is perceived that college graduates will make more money and be successful in their lifetime. Although it may seem that college graduates are more successful in the long run, which they can be if they are motivated. Anyone can get a college degree but what one does with it is what determines their future. President Obama has called it “an economic imperative.” The rate of return on education is 10%. If one goes to college an extra year he/she can earn an extra 3,000 a year. If one attends a 4 year then he/she can earn up to an extra 12,000. Attending college can cause anxiety because of how much one may pay. In the future it will pay off because it 's given one a way to provide for him or herself. The rate of return has increased tremendously with some colleges providing financial-aid. Along with colleges having financial-aid and high
Around half of students get jobs out of college (Wei). That is an frightful statistic that inclines people to conceive that attending a more competitive college is necessary to job attainment. Each American dreams of becoming a successful person, one who reaches their goals, maybe has a family, and a steady income. Some seem to regard that in order to reach that level of success they must attend an elite school, a school that is usually private, and only admits fewer than ten percent of applicants. The Ivy league receives much attention among the elite schools. “Only 0.4 percent of undergraduates attend one of the Ivy League schools... too much attention is paid to these eight institutions” (O'Shaughnessy).
Everyone wants to better themselves in life…right? No one wants to graduate high school and be stuck living with their parents or only make minimal wage. There are plenty of ways to have a better life, one in which is attending college. If a person attends college, they have a more likely chance of making more money, being more successful, and securing their future financially. Going to college not only leaves someone with better opportunities but it can instill in a person responsibilities, persistency and work ethic. All of these things are important unless a person is born into a rich family and are automatically given a job, the rest of civilization has to work and that is where college comes into play.
My action plan to be successful in college is straightforward I will succeed by completing a few simple steps which will guarantee my success in college and even my high school college classes. The effort I put in will determine whether or not I pass my college classes. I will need to attend class daily also participating will be important to passing and I will be completing my work correcting it and turning it in on time to maintain a good grade and succeed. Doing these things steps will most definitely push me in the direction to passing my college classes. I will need to stay motivated mentally and believe in myself. I know I will need to be prepared for the long road ahead many fail to complete but by following my steps I will be able to conquer my goals to pass my classes and college in general.
I’ve also always had the inner drive to perform well athletically far beyond what I achieve academically. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the same success athletically, as I have had academically. I’ve come to enjoy athletics enormously. Athletics have become my teacher and the will to learn, thrive, and achieve more than where life’s circumstances have placed me.
Like many, my first semester at college brought great challenges and new experiences. I was in the Division of General Studies with a goal to transfer into the College of Engineering through the Pre-Engineering Program (PREP). The learning curve to adjust to the new rigor of coursework was more than I anticipated. I adjusted my study habits, and began to seek additional help from TA’s and professor office hours. As the semester went on I began to realize that I was working so hard toward something that may not be the best avenue to reach my desired career path.
As I entered high school the pressure to succeed and live up to my parent’s expectations increased. I joined clubs that my parents approved of, I took classes that would look good on my transcript, and I studied 24/7 to keep a good GPA. Seeing the people around me happy and proud of me was a good feeling. I stayed up all night just so I could study and get good grades that would make my family and teachers proud. Junior year I never got more than four hours of sleep a night. I was a zombie just going through the motions of life. As I began to look for colleges, the pressure to be #1 grew. My parents took me on countless college tours, thirty seven to be exact, in order to find the “right school for me.” My parents drove me around the country visiting tons of top engineering schools. Occasionally we would visit schools I wanted to visit. But every visit went the same. If my parents chose the school they smiled the whole tour and spent the car ride home talking about how great it was. If it was a school I chose
Success can be defined in several ways but personally, I consider being successful as working hard in a field that creates passion, fulfils your desires, and ultimate becoming a better version of yourself through achieving personally goals. Often people deem success from your net worth, such as how much money you have in the bank, the quality of material items possessed, and your overall richness. My idea of success is being rich in knowledge, passion, love, having complex connection and fulling your ultimate desires while also helping those less fortunate than you. It’s not always about the money but rather doing something you love. Someone that consider to be successful is Victor Hernandez, my dad. Previously Victor was a high school math
Those obstacles have made me a stronger person than I was before and I am thankful for them. I also have God to thank because without him, I wouldn 't have made it through these past four years. He was with me the entire journey, even in the moments where it seemed like he wasn 't. With college I will further my computer career making more successful in the field I enjoy doing. The gateway to a good future is college and that is why I plan on going to college. College is the most important goal of my life. It is the goal that I mostly focused on throughout my entire career. This year is the most important year of my life: it is the turning point of my life. The way I act, what I do, the classes I take. Everything matters. My future is before me and I am not sure if I can walk the road which I plan. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Life is a journey, not a
Academic Success, the goal of most students, requires: effort, perseverance, and motivation. Although most want it, many fall short; not because they are unintelligent, but because they lack the drive and mindset necessary to achieve it. A negative outlook can lead to many troubles down the road; authors Carol Dweck (“Brainology: Transforming Students’ Motivation to Learn”) and Rebecca Cox ( “ The Student Fear Factor”) share the same beliefs; a student's mindset is crucial for the basis of their academic performance.