How to Survive College Essay Example

How to Survive College Essay Example How to Survive College Essay How to Survive College Essay Success College may be intimidating if an incoming student is not given desirable preparation. One of the major misconceptions when entering college is that many students believe it will be Just like high school, which it is not. Also, students need to learn as freshmen the study habits which work best for them. The campus provides substantial resources that the student should take advantage of, but are usually unaware of these services when entering college. Sometimes stress can lead to unhealthy habits which result in even more stress and it becomes a revolving cycle. It is essential for students to learn how to manage their stress. Sometimes orientation and campus tours do not provide enough preparation in order for incoming students to succeed. In order to aid in students college success, I have created a handbook. I have included detailed components in this handbook and have identified key activities and behaviors which will lead the students to success. There are many ways I plan on distributing my handbook, including during campus tours, during freshman orientation, and in freshman classes such as University 100 and introductory Composition courses. Students will be required to read this handbook and will then be tested. Eventually, this group of students will be asked to elaborate how they felt about its effectiveness. The issue of freshman success is highly significant because without a positive and constructive first year, students may feel discouraged and hopeless to any future taking advantage of what college has to offer, a student may find it difficult to adapt to all challenges in the future. It is essential not only to a students academic future, but personal future, that the first year in college is an enjoyable and constructive one. This handbook will provide significant tips and tricks freshmen can consider during their first semester as an undergraduate. Literature Review I have investigated different factors that assist in determining an incoming freshmans overall success in college. Many of these factors are focused on their success academically, but I will also discuss techniques they can use in their personal life. The students transition from high school to college should become smoother after applying the following theories and concepts to their life. Goal-setting Theory Throughout life, goals are essential to achieving anything but in college they come even more substantial. By applying the goal-setting theory to ones academic endeavor, a student becomes more likely to succeed at their highest potential. The goal-setting theory is the discovery that by implementing higher goals, it will guide a person to achieve a greater accomplishment (Phillips Gully, 1997). With college being so stressful, incoming freshmen need to learn the importance of setting goals in order to succeed. Self-Worth Theory of Motivation In addition to goal-setting, creating intrinsic motivation is beneficial. The self- worth theory of motivation declares that ability is directly related to self-worth. This relation is that when uncertainty is present in a students capability to perform, they become uncertain of their self-worth (Martin, Marsh, Williamson, Debus, 2003). When students become intrinsically motivated, versus extrinsically, their self-worth increases which eventually results in higher performance. Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy goes hand in hand with goal-setting and motivation. Phillips Gully (1997) agreed that self-efficacy indicates a students self-identified ability and their personal role of motivation as the students purpose of accomplishing various tasks. This concept directly relates to incoming freshmen because self-efficacy influences their goal-setting options. It has been found that as self-efficacy increases with greater ambitions, the students accomplishments increase as well (Phillips Gully, 1997). Student Engagement Lastly, student engagement is a huge component for ensuring student success. Student engagement is noted as the students commitment to their academic involvement measured by the amount of drive the student dedicates to becoming engaged. While in college, these experiences may be physical or psychological and may not be the same for everyone. Some students may commit more time and energy than others, while other students may choose to spend their energy in different aspects of the academic experience. Student engagement involves: participating in all the opportunities that college has to offer, communicating with professors and staff, Joining various extracurricular clubs or organizations while interacting with peers Ounce, 2012). A few studies have found a correlation between goal-setting and self-efficacy. Phillips Gully (1997) hypothesized that the greater an individual sets their goal, the higher their performance will be after maintaining factors such as self-efficacy. They and performance. This particular study focused on two types of goals: educational goals and performance goals. Educational goals significantly influenced self-efficacy, while performance goals did not. Overall, this study concluded that self-efficacy produced greater self-set goals and created greater performance (Phillips Gully, 1997). Another study that was conducted was related motivation with procrastination. Martin et al. (2003) interviewed incoming freshmen which were identified in either the high or low range for self-handicapping and defensive pessimism. The main hinges the researchers looked at were the students motivation and behaviors behind the acts and feelings they partook in. They investigated deeper into these students personal insights. They found that students who were in the low-range for self- handicapping were more motivated and hardworking while studying. It was noticed that even though the students in the low-range for self-handicapping were conscious of various distractions, they were unaware of the consequences of the various distractions. Overall, when students were highly motivated, they procrastinated less (Martin et al. 2003). Procrastination has been noted to be a process which the mind can use to redirect a persons attention from doing important tasks to believing the next day would better. This concept can be thought of as a form of perfectionism, where students would rather be told they did not try than they were not able to complete the task (Marina, 2006). Self-worth relates to many factors in a students li fe such as procrastination, making friends, and even going to a counselor if needed. When the students ability becomes doubted, so does their self-worth. Hopefully, by making this issue recognizable from the beginning of their higher education, it will reverent them from going further into self-handicapping and defensive pessimism. Junco (2012) did a study to find correlations between Faceable usage and overall GAP. It was found that the frequency of Faceable usage and overall GAP were significantly correlated. As the students Faceable usage increased, their overall GAP would begin to decline. But, Faceable usage was not strongly correlated with the amount of time the student took to prepare for class. Another important result to note is that sharing information on Faceable was highly predictive to the outcome and socializing on Faceable was not significantly predictive Ounce, 2012). Another study was done involving Faceable and the transition into college. Many students stated they loved how convenient it was to connect and interact with people on Faceable. Incoming freshmen also enjoyed Beckoning their future roommates well in advance before moving into housing. Students also felt Faceable was useful in order to connect with their peers from various clubs and organizations. The majority of students felt that Faceable created a sense of community when transitioning to college (Stephenson-Abet Holman, 2012). Even though social media can encourage procrastination, it can help students become more engaged. Twenty years ago, someone may have written a How to Succeed in College handbook and it may have consisted of many of the same factors I am including like, how to study, using resources, and finding intrinsic motivation. But, there is a major factor that was not present back then, social media. Social media has added a whole spin on things in todays society, making it more difficult to be intrinsically motivated and achieving a I have created a How to Succeed in College handbook which will be distributed during campus tours, freshman orientation, and in classes such as University 100 and introductory Composition courses. The distribution of handbooks during campus tours and freshman orientation is mainly to ensure that all incoming students have received it. But, the purpose of distributing the handbooks in introductory courses is to assign this material as a required reading. These handbooks will always be available in many offices on campus, including academic advising, learning resource center, and the university writing center. In addition, they will be available for download in a PDF file on the schools website. University 100 is a class focused on college success, so this handbook would support the curriculum. This class will require students to read over the handbook and rate themselves at the beginning of the semester in specific areas such as preparedness, confidence in success, and work ethic. This same survey will be distributed at the end of the semester so students can compare their scores. Throughout the semester, the student will have one-on-one meetings with their professor to ensure their success. The introductory composition courses are meant to support incoming freshmen in the adventure of improving their composition skills. This course helps facilitate a new approach to the students hinging and writing development. One main goal of the introductory composition classes is to acknowledge the vast differences between high school and college. By using this handbook for writing assignments, it ensures that the students will read it. In addition, it will support freshmen throughout their first year undertakings. The following are significant factors incoming freshmen should consider applying to their college experience. It is useful to apply these strategies to a persons life, academically or socially, in order to become highly motivated and will achieve greater success. By setting realistic goals, becoming intrinsically motivated, having high self- efficacy, and engaging in student affairs, a person will ultimately prepare themselves for success. Realize That College is Different than High School In college, expectations are much higher for everything: exams, reading, essays, participation, and attendance. A way to ensure that students achieve their highest potential in college is by setting attainable goals. If a student receives a C on the first exam, it would be beneficial to set a goal to achieve an A or B on the next exam. As a detent, it is crucial to create a will and develop a drive to do well. By becoming intrinsically motivated, students challenge and empower themselves to accomplish tasks without needing an extrinsic force. As opposed to high school, there is no parental push to make students attend class. With all the separate factors that are different from high school, students may find it difficult to transition into this new way of life. Find Which Study Habit Works Best Students need to learn the concepts of how to study. Also, students need to realize that what study habit works for their friend, may not be the best for their individual personality. There are different types of learners and it is important for a student to fugue out how they learn: visually, auditory, synthetically. Some study strategies include creating outlines, taking notes, highlighting important sources, and creating flash cards. A students self-efficacy may become greater after developing study strategies. Once a student becomes competent in studying, their perception of Campus Provides Students pay various fees with tuition and never utilize those services so their money is essentially wasted. Different resources include the learning resource enter, the university writing center, academic advising, and the health center. These various organizations are created to help students set short-term and long-term goals. The learning resource center and university writing center can assist in setting and accomplishing various academic goals. Academic advising is very useful when creating goals in a students personal and academic life, while providing a structured plan for their future. The health center provides basic health care, as well as counseling services that students should take advantage of. Seeking out counseling revise has been given a stigma which students should not be ashamed of. The counseling center can help students set goals, become motivated, and increase their self-efficacy. Choose a Healthy and Sane Lifestyle One way to create a positive lifestyle is to make friends in class and in the dorms. Student engagement is very prominent in a students first year in college. Also, exercise not only does the body good, but the mind as well. Staying active helps maintain motivation and promotes a higher self-efficacy. A student should know that it is perfectly acceptable to have some them time. Finally, as hard as it may seem, do not fall into the trap of procrastination. A student can avoid procrastination by setting goals, becoming intrinsically motivated, and engaging in different aspects of student life. Evaluation There are various different methods I can use to conclude how successful my handbook was or was not. Some of these methods include conducting campus-wide surveys, creating focus groups, and producing an app for the Phone. The surveys would include questions about how useful they felt this handbook was, any suggestions they would like to add, and how to better improve the handbook. By conducting these surveys, it may provide me with input for possible things to add or remove from the handbook. I would like to create focus groups with students who read the handbook prior to starting college, during their first year of college, and after they have been a student for at least two years. In the focus groups, we would discuss topics such as the students overall experience as a college student and how well the handbook prepared them. By conducting a focus group with a diverse group of students, it will provide supplemental information to how effective this handbook as been to students at different stages, not Just incoming freshmen. This will help gauge who my audience is and how effective the handbook is by hearing students feedback. Finally, I would produce an Phone app that will help students utilize the strategies the handbook mentions. For instance, it will have an option for students to create a short-term and long-term goal at the beginning of each semester. Following the semester, the student will be reminded what goal they set and determine if they achieved it or not. The app will also have different functions such as a grade book, a Allendale, an exercise log, and upcoming events at the school. By producing this Phone app, the students will receive important resources that will encourage their success as a college student. Discussion A future research topic may include the effectiveness of campus tours and freshman for incoming freshmen. It is irrational to believe that one handbook will change the lives of all incoming freshmen. But, providing better resources and events that educate students may help the difficult transition better. This research could consist of surveys or interviews conducted after events like orientation or campus tours. Some aspects discussed may include: how useful these events are, what additional information may be useful, if two days of orientation is too much, and if moving into housing earlier could help students better adapt to the college lifestyle. Overall, students experience many unexpected problems when starting their college career. Making the transitional shift from high school to college can be difficult. Students should not be afraid or nervous to ask for assistance when needed. In addition, they should figure out what methods and habits work best for them while using the resources that are available.