Personal Responsibility and College Success Essay example

When I was a young child I was shy, socially awkward, and horribly insecure, so when I realized popularity would never be my strength I decided to put all my efforts into what I was good at: school. As early as kindergarten I was identified as an advanced student and teachers quickly highlighted my efforts as exemplary to the other students. I fed off the high praise. The better I performed academically, the greater the approval I received, the better I felt about myself, so as a naive child I determined my self-worth and academic performance were inherently linked. As long as I was successful in academics, I would be a successful person. For years, I believed that, putting school beyond all else.

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.

My parents think of themselves as primarily self-sufficient. Because of this, we live on the peak of a hill in the middle of nowhere, far away from the hustle and bustle of our old home in the city. Although this is their ideal life, they realized that it may prevent me from expanding my own horizons. They have always encouraged me to follow my interests, even when it meant moving away from home at sixteen to go to college. Throughout my entire childhood, they have done everything in their power to ensure that I am prepared for the future. I believe that my parents have crafted me into a well-rounded individual by proving to me that any person can define their own version of success.

Nowadays, tuition and expenses are exceedingly high, to the point that some students are forced to drop some of their courses or even worse stop going to school and continue working. Further, the average student who graduates today from a 4-year school owes $28,000 in student debt. This has alarmed government officials and concerned citizens alike; as a result, yielding many state and federal level proposals aimed at decreasing the financial burden of students. One campaign which recently launched last September 2015 and supports the advocacy of alleviating students’ debt is the America’s College Promise Act, more commonly known as the Heads Up America Campaign.

America always considers education as a basic need to develop one 's personality and character. This is why it proclaims that every student in America deserves a fair chance at a higher education. It is common belief that a highly educated pool of workforce can better help in economy 's growth competing on global front. America’s College Promise Act is also an effort to promote higher education and make it affordable for economically weaker section of the society. This act was unveiled by president Obama by initiating a two year community college program free of cost for responsible students. This scheme is aimed to let the students earn first half of their bachelor 's degree and earn needed skills at no cost. This Act also relieved many students of a lot of stress that they experience in college due to the high prices that only few can pay with little struggle. The opportunity for education should be easily attainable by any citizen to further progress the country and its population. The America’s College Promise Act, therefore, is not only beneficial for the general population but also for economic prosperity.

Determining college readiness is an essential part in determining who will qualify as a good candidate for admission into a college or a university. The last thing that colleges want is for students to qualify for admission and drop out, this affects drop out rate and graduation rate. According Robin Chait and Andrea Venezia (2009),

Personal responsibility requires one to finally accept the truth that you are responsible for your own actions. Most of the time when mistakes are made, the initial reaction is to point a finger or find an excuse rather than accept involvement. Personal responsibility is the key to College success because at times, most students find themselves falling short of what lies in between these two. Some examples of are turning in homework assignments at the last minute, running late for class, and cramming for a test. As noted by Sullivan (2011), “Personal change also

Success in college requires one to identify key aspects of personal responsibility, understand the relationship between personal responsibility and college success, and establish a specific plan to follow that will ensure he or she incorporates the various elements of personal responsibility in every facet of his or her college experience.

There is a certain criteria which a college must meet in order for me to feel that a truly beneficial education can be gained from it, and with the costs that go into college it is highly important that this criteria be met. My first choice school would have definitely met my personal requirements, but in the event that admission to this college was not granted to me my previously used checklist would be applied to my three options in order to determine the best school for me.

Personal responsibility to me means taking accountability for your own actions, Making a commitment and sticking to it. In order to be a success in college, you have to apply your life learned lessons to the equation, to balance both school and out of school priorities. Because You are responsible for the choices you make, you are ultimately responsible for your success. Becoming a master organizer and learning how to manage your time efficiently, will help you achieve your goals. Taking responsibility for all that happens while you are in college will help you prevail in areas, where you may have lacked confidence. Critical thinking and a desire to succeed will help you accomplish your goals.

Although I help out my classmates as much as I can, I constantly emphasize the importance of goal setting for younger kids such as my younger family members. Helping someone choose wiser decisions and giving them knowledge about their future is very important to me. I distinguish a very good, admirable attitude while introducing my personality. This proves to others that I am friendly and well-mannered because who wants to be around someone with a non-caring, rude attitude. Inside and out of the classroom, I am held accountable for all of my work and studying. I must say that college is not like high school, which is another reason I inform high school students that our parents weren't lying when they said it. It requires more time, your own studying, and other responsibility that you have to be able to

Developing their own study skills is part of finding out which skills students have already mastered and are efficient in. When students effectively develop these study skills it will help them to be able to succeed in any training session or class. Many students suffer due to the fact that they never do learn how to effectively use their study skills. Once students find out which skills they have already mastered and are efficient in they can figure out in which area they are lacking. In developing good study habits it is also best if students make a plan of action so that they can best use their time in order to reach their goals. At any time a student can alter or change their schedule if they need to, students just need to realize the importance of sticking to a plan or schedule. Being tired greatly reduces a person’s ability to study so students should never try and plan study time when they know they will be tired. If students study while tired, it will cause them to begin disliking study time. Eating is also very important for the development of good studying habits. If a student tries to study on an empty stomach they will not be able to focus on the material. Usually studying and average of one hour after eating is a good rule of thumb to follow. Students need to be aware of their study time as well, if a student studies to long they will began

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.

In the novel life lessons:two experts on death and dying teach us the mysteries of life and living. The novel talks about many lessons such as

Even though a person taking on too many responsibilities can lead to his or her downfall, personal responsibility can lead to success in higher education. Because responsibility is the force that binds an individual to the course of action demanded by the goal, personal responsibility can incur beneficial habits and admirable behaviors that will advocate successful outcome. The state of New York once sought to raise $24 million in donations to give to poor residents as an incentive to stay in school, stay at work, and stay on track (Traub, 2006). I will be revealing some examples, to implement, of personal responsibility and