Friday, June 8, 2007

Three Habits of Highly Successful Students

Make a commitment: This means being organized, setting aside time dedicated to studying for this class, identifying College resources that may be helpful to you, taking responsibility for your choices, and developing a work ethic. If you are having trouble in this class (you don’t understand what it seems you should), don’t just sit there, do something; you can come see me during my office hours, go to the Writing Center, ask a librarian for help, etc. You can’t expect your boss or friends or loved ones to accommodate your school work; you may need to make sacrifices, such as cutting back on TV or drinking or even work. You may find yourself having to make difficult choices, such as choosing between doing homework for this class and spending an important day with a loved one; you may decide to prioritize your loved one and not do your homework for this class. Fine, but be an adult and take responsibility for your choice.

Another important aspect of making a commitment is viewing this course not as preparation for the rest of your education/career/life, but rather, as an experience on its own. This course isn’t simply preparation for the rest of your life, it is your life. For the next fifteen weeks for ten hours a week, this is your life. Commit to that. Engage.

Accept the challenge: Accepting the challenge means being an active, rather than passive, learner. Passive learners wait receptively for information and knowledge to find its way into their brains, dutifully following directions and meekly accepting everything the textbook and I say. Active learners come to class prepared, having thought critically about what they read or what they did, and ask questions and consider possibilities other than what have been presented to them. Active learners are engaged and critical, focusing on making connections between ideas, whereas passive learners focus more on memorization of concepts.

Accept that you will be asked to do things in this class that you don’t already know how to do. (Duh—if you already knew how to do everything this class covers, you wouldn’t need to take this class.) If you refuse to accept the possibility that you will not succeed, you will not ever grow. Not in this class, not in a job, not in a relationship. I often have students drop a class after receiving their first graded assignment back and receiving a grade less than A. When they come to tell me they are dropping, they often say, “I have very high standards for myself and I cannot accept a grade lower than A.” Think about this: is dropping a course because you receive less than an A on a paper evidence of high standards or low standards?

Quit whining: Being in school is hard work. You’ll need to do lots of reading, lots of writing, and lots of thinking. You’ve made the choice to be in school. Take responsibility for your choice and don’t whine about the reading, writing, and thinking. Put your energy into the work rather than the whining.

For more tips, check out this and this.