College Success Strategies

Anyone who knows me, knows in so few words that I could best be described as a complex or better yet, imaginative person. I am a person that is easily fascinated by all things thrilling and prove to be challenging. Growing up, I was raised with the mentality that anything you think, work hard for, and plan for, you become. So inevitably, when I got informed about this assignment, I went big with my top five career choices and pushed the desires of my heart outside of my comfort zone. In today’s society, the occupational field is getting more and more competitive because of the high demand for well-qualified and rounded individuals. Education doesn’t stop after high school because after graduation no one will babysit your choices and tell you

Reading over the Columbia College successful strategies article and the Rasmussen College 6 time management article, I have learned some helpful tips to get me through my college experiences. The two strategies that stood out the most from the Columbia College article was, how you need to break old routines and set homework hours for a time your child might be asleep. (Columbia) These two strategies caught my attention the most. I currently work on my assignments when my child is asleep. As for breaking old routines, it is so difficult for human begins to get out of old routines or accept change. I am hoping as time progresses I will be able to accomplish that with ease. As for the Rasmussen College article, one of the student's states his

A quality education ignites a thirst for learning that forms a foundation for an affluent community. Unfortunately, an embarrassing amount of high school graduates of Bogalusa, Louisiana, are not thirsting for higher education. In 2011, City Data reported that 72.9% of adults, aged 25 or older living in Bogalusa, Louisiana, has a high school degree, but only 12.0% of the same population has earned a bachelor’s degree. This is an obvious problem for the individual students who decide not to go to college but the lack of higher education affects the entire community as a whole. Without a bachelor’s degree, students are less likely to be employed, more likely to live in poverty, and are less active citizens of their community. Students with a low level of education are also more likely of welfare dependency and crime. In order to raise the 12% college educated citizens in Bogalusa, high school juniors and seniors of Bogalusa High School should be required to complete a college success course before graduation.

Just a few weeks ago I was filled with anxiety about going to college for the first time. I asked everyone that I ever knew for advice about being successful in college. Most of the advice was to use all of my resources such as tutoring. While this is great advice I know there is more that I will have to do to be prosperous. In this situation, my personal characteristics, qualities, and strategy skills will all have to be strong. Having these aspects are beneficial and will help anyone thrive in college.

Lets get one fact out of your head: "There isn't a single major that is strictly successful or unsuccessful. It is true that some majors tend to earn higher salaries that others. But studying a certain major doesn't guarantee anything. What guarantees your success is what you do outside of your major.

University of Alabama Early College will help me achieve my college goals by helping to prepare me for my future. I hope to gain a sense of independence, knowledge and self-worth. Enrolling in college while in high school will challenge my intellect and study habits as well as give me insight into what college life will be like. It will allow me to see how vigorous college work is in comparison to high school. I can adjust my study habits now to ensure I will succeed in future classes. Early College will allow me to experience a fraction of the challenges some face during freshmen year thus allowing me a higher probability of success. Having that insight will be immensely invaluable. Being college ready is a very important goal of mine.

College success has five major factors that that are related to student performance. In his book, “Motivation and Personality”, American psychologist Abraham Maslow asserts that the five factors of academic success are physical needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs (as noted in Petty, 2014).

My purpose is to show my individuality and to express myself. This is for others including myself, to see and to remind us that our identity is very complex.

A challenging, and rewarding career has always been a requirement when planning my future. When choosing a career, children are often told to do what they love. I knew from an early age that I liked being challenged, and using

While growing up, many adults would ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I did not know how to respond to them back then and I still do not know but now I know some qualities I would prefer in a career. I desire a career I truly enjoy, not one based off of pay. Having a career where I follow instructions will be ideal. Despite following instructions, others must acknowledge and consider my ideas. However, the most important aspect of a career to me is to improve the quality of life of the community. It is vital to start exploring careers now to make a good lifelong decision.

Continue using, learning, training and adapting the skills to new environments are all necessary to maintain the skills I already have and are motivated to use. According to Fabricant, Miller, and Stark, We develop skills thru past employment, experiential learning, past courses/projects, extracurricular activities and volunteer work. (Fabricant, Miller, & Stark, 2014). I can continue to educate myself by taking classes, reading, and researching more about these skills, asking for help when I struggle and by never giving up. Other options are join groups that help develop these skills or volunteer to help others. I could also start using these skills in other areas of my life to get more practice with them. I currently volunteer at an elementary school reading to children and at a DV/SA shelter. These experiences are allow me to using my skills and gain new ones every day.

Signing up for Career Development was one of the best choices I made this semester (probably the only one). Not only was this class informational and productive, I was able to gain a different outlook on why I am in school. The book that we read in class, “You Majored in What” also helped me to confirm why I choose the major that I am taking now. I learned things from Chaos theory to how to succeed in an interview. The class taught me viable life lessons and helped prepared me to face real world situations in my career.

There is no other place in the world like college. Although only a few people are able to take on the phenomenal experience, not all are able to successfully finish. There is probably no other period of time where students will have more choices, more free time, and as wide a range of activities while also having to remain focused in their classes. In The Freshman Year At An HBCU, Kelly DeLong documents the lives of college students attending a HBCU to explain their expectations and accomplishments, as well as their failures and conflicts during their freshman year. The book provides a guide for freshman readers on what to do and what not to do by revealing the mistakes and successes of the college students interviewed. Freshman readers should be able to relate, respond and learn from each interview in their own specific way to understand how to reach academic success. In order to ensure academic success in college, students must manage their time effectively, choose their friends wisely, and communicate with professors regularly. Each topic is important because they will lead to success in the classroom, a social life and getting through a long first-year.

Being a college student is not as easy as putting icing on a cake. There are many things a college student must learn. But out of all those those things they must learn, the most important is learning how to become a successful college student. To achieve that, a college student must maintain a good attendance, take advantage of their school’s resources, create a weekly schedule, build relationships with their professors and last but not least, visualize their success.

Finding a specific career path can not only be difficult, but it can also induce bouts of anxiety, anger, and sadness over a crucial part of an individual’s life. Settling on a career can be unnerving when thinking about the fact that this is the career that you spend thousands of dollars on in college, that this is the career you will work in until you retire. With this course, I’ve found that it has been easier to narrow down a goal towards finding a career. Through career assessments, different assignments and discussions, I have realized what my barriers and strengths are. Overcoming these and improving these skills or applying them to an actual career assisted me in narrowing my goal as well. I am now able to clearly see the advantages and disadvantages of my career goal and to think clearer about the next steps that I will take after this course.