How to be Successful in College - Personal Statement Example

Full How to be Successful in College In the modern world where college education is becoming more and valuable, it is important that students finish their degrees successfully. Obviously, people who went to college have advantages in employment over those who just finished high school and likewise, college graduates have better chances than those who were not able to complete their programs. However, one’s advantages are increased even more when a student graduates with flying colors. While some have clear visions of their future and seem to know just how to achieve their goals, many others grope in the dark about the things they need to do for them to succeed in college. Therefore, this writer wants to look deeper into what successful students do that others are not doing, to help desirous students to be well-guided in achieving their goals. The writer will particularly discuss what needs to be done even before one decides on his major, what successful students did during their college lives and how to react in a given situation inside the school campus. Getting into college is not an easy task because there are qualifying exams one must pursue. However, when a student is not ready for such, failure is at the door of his college education. Therefore, before anyone applies to any university, there a number of necessary things to consider. Perhaps the first thing every student thinks about when they consider college education is the school they want to study in. Most students want to go to highly recognized universities because of the perception of the quality of education offered there. However, not everyone is able to afford the high fees of the big universities so most are left with the choice of finding cheaper schools. This should not dishearten students though because there are also cheaper schools offering great educational services. So, how will you know a school is good? Mark Mach points out in his book “How to Succeed in College”, that students should not rely on tours and website or pamphlet information and one should be flexible when choosing a college (5). Relying on information published by the school can be misleading as the aforementioned author exposes in his book. Of course, any college wants to be patronized and so they present their profiles in the most enticing manner. This technique often creates dissatisfaction among students and consequently, will affect their performances in school. For instance, Mach shares about his disappointment over his first college. He claims he was shown just the good stuff in the school during his tour and thus, misleading him in his expectations and eventually disappointing him. This, he says, is his motivation in writing his book. In addition, Mach also advises that students should at least apply to six or more colleges of varying standards to have better choices. To do this, one has to have a list of realistic college qualities that are highly regarded by the student and such will become his criteria in looking for a school. There should also be an in-depth research about the schools that one wants to apply to. The second but equally important matter to consider is one’s major. So many young students are often influenced by their parents or friends so that they often commit mistakes in deciding about their major. However, it has been said many times by several experts that students should choose a major which satisfies their inclination and interest. Mach again gives essential advice telling students to “take a variety of classes during your first year in college but do not take any upper division courses yet” (10). This will give the students more time to discover their interests and make an independent decision about their majors according to their abilities and capabilities. He adds that goals should be clearly identified so that students will be able to paint a clear picture of what they are trying to achieve even before they get into the first step of the educational ladder. Speaking of goals, students should set feasible objectives and be decided to achieve them regardless of the hurdles they encounter. In a Time magazine article, Annie Paul exposes the words of wisdom of a number of successful college students including Tia Fuller who suggests students to “set goals and make them real” (Paul). Realistic goals enable students to focus on their visions even when times get rough. In relation to the advices offered by Mach, astrophysicist Neil Tyson says students should pursue passion and not A’s. According to him, curiosity, interest and fascination helped him excel in college. Furthermore, he comments about his observation as a professor, that ambition and motivation outrank grades. Perhaps the most important among the hints given by the successful students in Paul’s article is the one by Dean Baker who challenges student to read and think actively. Reading and writing are unavoidable parts in college life so that while students are on them, they should read and write with deep critical and analytical thinking. Inevitably, challenges of many forms and weights will be encountered in college. This is not a foreign concept to students but why is it that there are so many individuals who are not able to stand strong and overcome their challenges in school while others succeed? Could it be because some have worse life conditions than others? Many people would perhaps be understandable and considerate about students unable to finish college due to financial constraints or other issues. Interestingly, Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld prove that difficulties could actually be used to a person’s advantage. Looking at the college success of different groups of people in America such as the Chinese, Mormons, Jews, Blacks and Whites, the two aforementioned researchers discovered three common traits among them. “The first is a superiority complex — a deep-seated belief in their exceptionality. The second appears to be the opposite — insecurity, a feeling that you or what you’ve done is not good enough. The third is impulse control” (Chua & Rubenfeld). The first two characteristics may be difficult to imagine but the authors explain that such contrasting values seem to strengthen the students’ assets rather than depreciate them. For instance, Mormons highly regard themselves because they believe that they have a higher purpose here on earth that is set by the Omnipotent God Himself. However, as individuals, they also have insecurities but such weaknesses are used as motivations for them to do even better. This means that it is not just positive characteristics that can be used to one’s advantages but even negative and shameful circumstances can become motivational drives to success. Lastly, the authors suggest having impulse control which simply means becoming critical, analytical and logical in making decisions instead of impulsively acting on the spur of the moment. References Chua, Amy and Jed Rubenfeld. “What Drives Success?” The New York Times: Sunday Review. January 25, 2014. Web. November 3, 2014. . Mach, Mark J. How to Succeed in College: Choosing a Major, Transferring and Completing Your Degree in Four Years or Less. Maryland, USA: Scarecrow Education, 2004. Print. Paul, Annie Murphy. “Secrets of the Most Successful College Students”. Time: Education. March 13, 2013. Web. November 3, 2014. . Read More