Getting more from your college experience
Jessica Schwalenberg
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
As mid-term grades are coming out some of us are wondering how we can kick things up a notch, be it up to higher grades or more satisfaction in our education process. Adrienne Rich once said "You cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education: you will do much better to think of being here to claim one." A good college education is earned with positivity, responsibility, respect, and involvement.
With our responsibilities for class schedules, tuitions, homework, and time management we often forget about our attitudes until we notice someone else's. Reinforce your own positive attitude, no matter what, it is the most important tool you have when trying to manage your responsibilities well. Whining, making excuses, and procrastinating never get us the good results we want, or make us feel any better. If you catch yourself in one of these activities, please consider a better use of your valuable time and energy.
Let's take a look at some other ways that you can manage your responsibilities well. Keep a schedule, and prioritize your homework and other tasks. It is important for balance to leave some room in your schedule for fun things like socializing and TV, but we also need to remember to stay focused on those high priority assignments or projects. Good time management is a balance between doing the highest priority things first, and knowing when a project will need to be done in more than one installment. Practice making better choices for yourself more and more every day. Come to class prepared. Prepared and attentive students are the most willing to participate get the most out of their education.
Offer your voice in your classrooms, and make sure to speak up when you have a question or comment. Get in on the online discussions offered on D2L if available. This creates a connection to your class material and your classmates that you can count on when you could use more motivation to keep going. It is like the old saying "you get out what you put in". I also encourage you to get involved in things that interest you around campus. Many of the student clubs offer a great way to meet new people and feed your curiosities, increasing your overall motivation to participate.
It is also important that we create for ourselves a respectful environment in which to learn. Showing respect to all enriches our experiences by creating and strengthening positive associations. Furthermore, I'd like us all to practice extending this respect to other people's ideas as well. Be thankful that we all think a little differently. When put into positive combination, our diverse ideas are what make us so great. We all feel overwhelmed by our workload at times; an effective way to cope with the pressure is to know who you can turn to for help within your positive environment.
Need Guidance? Please send your questions and concerns to just_ask_jess@ymail.com
With our responsibilities for class schedules, tuitions, homework, and time management we often forget about our attitudes until we notice someone else's. Reinforce your own positive attitude, no matter what, it is the most important tool you have when trying to manage your responsibilities well. Whining, making excuses, and procrastinating never get us the good results we want, or make us feel any better. If you catch yourself in one of these activities, please consider a better use of your valuable time and energy.
Let's take a look at some other ways that you can manage your responsibilities well. Keep a schedule, and prioritize your homework and other tasks. It is important for balance to leave some room in your schedule for fun things like socializing and TV, but we also need to remember to stay focused on those high priority assignments or projects. Good time management is a balance between doing the highest priority things first, and knowing when a project will need to be done in more than one installment. Practice making better choices for yourself more and more every day. Come to class prepared. Prepared and attentive students are the most willing to participate get the most out of their education.
Offer your voice in your classrooms, and make sure to speak up when you have a question or comment. Get in on the online discussions offered on D2L if available. This creates a connection to your class material and your classmates that you can count on when you could use more motivation to keep going. It is like the old saying "you get out what you put in". I also encourage you to get involved in things that interest you around campus. Many of the student clubs offer a great way to meet new people and feed your curiosities, increasing your overall motivation to participate.
It is also important that we create for ourselves a respectful environment in which to learn. Showing respect to all enriches our experiences by creating and strengthening positive associations. Furthermore, I'd like us all to practice extending this respect to other people's ideas as well. Be thankful that we all think a little differently. When put into positive combination, our diverse ideas are what make us so great. We all feel overwhelmed by our workload at times; an effective way to cope with the pressure is to know who you can turn to for help within your positive environment.
Need Guidance? Please send your questions and concerns to just_ask_jess@ymail.com
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