A Plan For College Success

I am the first person in my family to have the opportunity to attend college. It is crucial that I do well. Nothing against my parents, but I want to achieve more than they have. I know that college is the first step in my lifelong journey. In order for me to be successful in college I must establish goals, play to my strengths, and study hard because college success is the foundation for the rest of my life.

It may sound easy, but establishing goals is harder than you would think. I often ask myself: “Where do you want to be in five years?” Before starting college, I had vague goals like, buy a house, or make good money. These are not a good example of goals. Now that I am a college student I realize that my goals need to be descriptive. Instead of vague goals, I build a mental picture as a point of reference. Dreaming of that four bedroom, two story house with a beautiful picture window overlooking the ocean gives me the drive I need in order to succeed.

I am taking an extremely useful class this term called Foundations for College Success. In this class we explored our strengths through an assessment called Strengths Quest. Taking this assessment has enlightened me, showing me who I really am. I have found that I am strategic, adaptable, and that I have great appreciation for knowledge. What does this have to do with college success? Everything. I have the ability to solve problems. I know that I can easily transition between teachers with different teaching styles. I am open to taking classes on topics I am unfamiliar with because I love to learn. Knowing my strengths has given me an abundance of confidence. Confidence is a key to success.

The best way to truly be successful in college is by studying hard. There is absolutely no way that I would have a B average in Algebra if I did not study hard. I learned an extremely helpful “rule” for studying. The theory is that you should devote three hours per week to studying for every credit hour you are taking. For example, a full-time student taking 12 credits should be prepared to study for 36 hours per week in order to master the material. For some people this does not seem realistic. I mean, how many hours are in one day? But I can assure you that if you follow this rule your grade will reflect the hard work that you have put into learning each topic.

The effort that I put into college reflects who I am as a person. I will apply the skills that I have learned in college to anything that I do in life. By establishing my goals and working hard at achieving them I am sure that I will be the first person in my family to graduate college and earn a degree. I want to ensure that I am a success in my career, and I can start by being successful in college.