Success of College Students, Essay Example

The student that aspires to attend college can follow the S.M.A.R.T goal-setting model. The most important lesson for college bound students is how to set measurable and achievable goals for academic success. In the real working world, many young students enter the business market unprepared because they lack the goal setting skill set. It is unfortunate that the difference between academic success and flunking out of college can be attributed to a lack of learning goal-setting skills. Some colleges require the student to take a Corner Stone class before taking any courses. This course is design to teach new students all the S.M.A.R.T modes, studying techniques and learning and assessment tools.

The S.M.A.R.T goal setting is important because they can apply these goal-setting skills before they enter the workforce. The “S” is being specific about what they want to accomplish. Setting a vague goal can become overbearing because the student has no direction. However, setting a specific goal the student has a better chance of achieving success. The “M” is an important to the student because they need to measure the outcome of setting the goal. This is called actionable strategies that calls for the college student to put into action the goals they plan to obtain. The college student wants to succeed at being punctual to class. The measurable goal would be for the first semester, will leave ½ hour early to class to ensure I am never late during the fall semester. The measurement of the goal may seem unimportant however, setting the specific goal sets in motion actionable task.

The next step is to find an alarm clock that runs without batteries just in case of black out. The next actionable step is the college student will make a pre-plan trip to find out how long it takes to get from dorm to classroom. The final actionable step is to create a tracking system to track each day to measure the outcome at the end of the semester.  The college student can learn at a valuable lesson concerning the “A” which is setting attainable goals. A football player wanted to make to the Hall of Fame as his attainable goal after his career ended. He played every game as if it was his last. The first ballet the lineman made it into the Hall of Fame. However, his one of his offensive lineman set a goal to never miss a game for injury. The offensive lineman did not met the goal because it was unattainable by most men because injury is part of the game. The point is the college student needs to understand how to set attainable goals. The ‘R” is realistic goals for college students. This is very common for college students in academics to set unrealistic goals causing them to either quit college or get bad grades. The best tool for a college student is learning how to set realistic goals. The best way to set realistic goals is ask a mentor or instructor about your goal. Many times the honest feedback will help you set realistic goals. There are studies that indicate that mentors and counseling of college student is the key to excellent academic outcomes (Iarrussi 158).

The “T” is the most important goal, which is time-based goals. The best example is the student setting the goal for not being late to class. The college student set the goal based on time, which is the end of the fall semester. If the student does not set a time limit, the mind naturally will exceed the time limit because it has not been set mentally. The utilization of the S.M.A.R.T can help a student during their entire careers and for a lifetime. In every job situation, the student will be faced with time management tools for success. The early the college student can be introduce to time management strategies they better they can perform in college and in the business world. In the business arena, everything is based on time such as arriving to work on time, the time limit to complete a project, time limit to finish company test, time limit for lunch and breaks. The entire business environment is based on mastering time management; therefore, mastering time management in college is a big advantage in the real world.

Many students do not succeed in college not because they are not smart enough to succeed but they have never learned study strategies that are important to academic learning. The first strategy is the 2-6 method of academic learning and studying. The average student will just use a plain piece of paper to take notes however later the notes are useless. The 2-6 method is dividing your paper into two columns using the left line of the paper as your paper border. The college student uses the 6 columns for notes and the 2 column on the left as a highlighting tool. The next step is to write the main points of the lecture on the left. This system automatically organizes your notes into easy to study materials. This is why many students will purchase used books because they can learn from a book that has the notes and highlights. The student has taken the course and highlighted all the important points from the lectures. The used books will go hand in hand with the 2-6 method of learning.

The second strategy is one the best ones because many times it hard to listen to the meaning of the class or lecture when you are writing at the same time. This strategy is called “Group Notes” which is a group of students takes turns taking notes for the class while the other group members can concentrate on what the instructor is teaching. Many students love this method because some teachers have different lecture styles that may be difficult to write if the lecture is a participatory lecture. The student has to participate in order to get a good grade. The “Group Notes” model is an excellent model for students that are not very good note takers but more visual learners. The third learning method is “Split Page” method, which works very well for many freshman students. The college student draws a line down the middle of the paper use for notes. One side is label class notes and the other side is label outline. The student study lessons will go very well and they will be motivated to study.

The fourth strategy for learning is tape recording the class or lecture notes. The notes can be a great learning tool because you can listen to the recording at leisure time, during lunch or at the dorm just listening to some music. The teacher’s claims instructions or class lectures will help the college student prepared for mid-terms and finals. There is a second key to successful learning using a tape recorder that will ensure the college student passes every test. The student must create a mock test so they can realized how much they have remembered from listen to the lecture several times. Many times the student never test what they have learned from the tape recording, therefore, a mock test allows the student to avoid being afraid of taking the midterm.

The study and assessment strategies can help a college student incorporate with the study strategies. The first step is to analyze each chapter by writing down all the key words or definitions, which are normally either on the side of the page or at the end of the chapter.  The key to study and assessment is reading. The student must learn to read and reinforce reading in study groups(Bartlett 219).The author is giving you the key words to study in order to understand the chapter. The college student can create his or her own word assessment test to memorize and define each key word. The major block with test is students have anxiety prior to take the test. The word assessment helps with the student learning to control their fears and anxiety with practice assessments. The next study and assessment step is to write down all the major sections headings with the primary facts that section is discussing. The study can repeat the study and assessment test that the college student can create. The third study and assignment approach is developing questions before reading the chapter and develop questions after reading the same chapter. The goal is to take away the nervousness of taking a test that you have not seen for the first time. The student that develops pre-questions will learn and experience the testing mode of thinking. The testing mode of thinking is a study and assessment model that helps the student experience a real test setting.

Works Cited

Bartlett, Kerry A., et al. “Resistance to reading compliance among college students: instructors’ perspectives.” College Student Journal 44.2 (2010): 219+. General OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

Iarussi, Melanie M. “Examining how motivational interviewing may foster college student development.” Journal of College Counseling July 2013: 158+. General OneFile. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.