Essential Skills For College Students

Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.

What we get out of the college experience, we use in our day to day lives. Even the things we think aren’t important or useful end up becoming helpful. The material we learn in college is fundamental when it comes jobs and life in general. We are taught to make choices. We are taught how the real world works, and how to turn our education into our way of life. “…the really significant education in thinking that we’re supposed to get in a place like this isn’t really about the capacity to think, but rather about the choice of what to think about.” (Wallace 199).

For first year students coming straight from high school, college life can either be very exciting or overwhelming depending on how well one prepares for it. Some have the notion that college is fun and is all about partying, while some believe that it is an environment in which they can achieve the ultimate freedom thus escape the stringent rules made by their parents at home. Others look forward to experiencing a different learning environment while being exposed to different cultures and sharing different academic knowledge. Successful assimilation into college life is determined by the student’s capability to transform into the new role of a college student. Numerous students face challenges they have never experienced before which can

According to Lupien, McEwan, Gunnar, and Heim (2009), going off to college involves significant adjustments to their daily routines; sleeping and eating habits, time-management skills, and stress levels will be altered in one way or another. First-year students have to adjust to the new school environment, different social settings, and new schedules, all without the help and guidance from their parents, who have been there for them for eighteen years. Over 30% of college freshman report that they feel overwhelmed (Klainberg, Ewing, & Ryan, 2010), where some students even opt to work as they juggle their class and work schedules. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved in society in a positive manner, allowing contribution of their ideals and values to others.

Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle in their book “Rereading America” feel that commencing college is a very disturbing experience. So many things we have to deal while starting college, but the major challenges are expanded difficulty levels and higher expectation which we are not familiar over the years of high school. In order to solve this issue, we have to remodel ourselves by taking up the challenge and rethink about our strength and flaws. To succeed in college we need to be mentally strong and dedicated towards our goal.

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

Self- Discipline and scheduling effectively are critical factors when it comes to successfully managing your time. Having self-discipline is a vital necessity, when you are preparing for college success. Deciding to study for an important exam, or hanging out with friends, will need to be carefully decided. If you chose the obvious, Studying, you'd eliminate unwanted stress like, cramming days before the exam. Being self-Disciplined means you have control over your behavior and you do not make decisions on impulse, instead you make your decisions logically. Accomplish everything you can complete today and do not put it off for tomorrow. Creating an effective schedule will be a helpful tool when it comes to your college success. In order to plan

The transition from high school to college is a notoriously daunting experience for students entering, arguably, the most important years in their lives. Everything that a student has come to know about academics, for the most part, are to be radically challenged. Many different factors go into the change, and any particular one can be enough to overwhelm any given student into becoming an emotional wreck. Whether it be living on one's own for the first time, drastic schedule changes, or becoming socially involved, these responsibilities are just three examples, among the seeming hundreds. However, a perfect balance between these responsibilities is a major key in not allowing the stressors to take one captive.

College students represent a unique culture that have a multitude of needs that differ from other populations. College for many individuals is an opportunity to express their individualism and experience personal freedom. For many, this is the first time they are away from a structured home life and they are now able to make their own decisions. Now autonomous, they are free from punishment and reprimand from their parents because they are away from home and their actions are hidden by distance. This is an exciting time for the student as they are confronted with many new scenarios. Students are faced with finding new groups to be a part of and discovering ones’ identity becomes a new

I think the most important skill that a college level student needs is discipline. How many movies have we watched that have college students partying their college years away and then regretting it in the end. A disciplined person can make the most out of a college education. With the rising cost of a college education we need to make the most out of the time we have. The average cost in 2004-2005 of a four year private schools is $20,082 (up 6% from last year) and the average cost of a four year public school is $5,132 (up 10.5% from last year), (2004-2005 College Costs, http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,6-29-0-4494,00.html). With the rising costs of education a person needs to be disciplined to make the most out of it. All these skills, time management, critical thinking, and discipline are keys to success in college. I began my college education in 1991 and these skills are probably the three that I use the most. Time management is a skill that I have been trying to master since I began my college education. I not only need and utilize this skill for college but for my civilian job. I think being a college student has made me better at managing my time but I find I still struggle. Discipline plays a key role in time management, or at least for me it does. When I make daily lists of things to accomplish I lack the discipline to go back at the end of the day to check off things that I did accomplish.

College campuses are swarming with “new adults”, most of whom are still in their teens and are often living on their own for the very first time. They are learning how to make decisions for themselves and are figuring out who they want to become. College is designed to help them in this process. It allows them to mature and grow through experiences and trial and error. High stress, threat to one’s previous identity through failures, and

The transition from high school to college is not only an exciting and challenging time, but also a great milestone in one’s life. There are several differences between the lives of high school and college students. Some individuals will be able to jump right in and adjust to this change seamlessly, while others may take years to adapt, or never even grab hold of the whole college experience at all. High school and College are both educational grounds for a student to grow and enrich their lives with knowledge. Both are like puzzle pieces: on one side they fit together, but on the other side they are something completely

With the switch from high school to college, students will be changed for the better or worse. An article titled “Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond” written by Randall S. Hansen, a retired professor, explains that college does not need to be complex as most make it out to be. In college, the first week is essential to all students “It is during this time that you make critical decisions that will have an effect on the rest of your life.” (Hansen 1). Many kids drop out of college early due to their participation in the party scene. Students who are dedicated to their education receive the true college experience. Hansen explains that scholars should relax and participate

3. Managing time can be quite stressful for anyone as busy as the modern day college student. Many students lose sleep or feel as if they just don’t have enough time to accomplish what they need to accomplish.

There are a vast majority of problems that students may encounter when transitioning from high school to college. For starters, college is extremely fast paced. Because students do not attend the same class every day, professors will expect you to be able to work at a much faster pace in order learn all the topics that need to be taught for the class. In order to get all the key points across, there are many weekly readings that professors assign to their students. While many students coming in to college may already be used to reading outside of the classroom, the amount of reading and the difficulty of