Tag Archive for 'College Success'

All Any Wants is Just a Little Appreciation

So yesterday afternoon, I was totally listening in on two colleagues talk about their boss. They mentioned how their office, one of the offices on the college campus, is short staffed because their co-worker was let go. As a result, these women said that they were being asked to do their own work and the work of their colleague who just left. In this conversation, they complained about not being compensated for it, but the majority of the conversation was about how unappreciated they felt.

I’ve always known that people are more likely to quit their job when they do not feel appreciated, rather than for monetary reasons. And then I started thinking about the average college classroom. At both of the colleges I have taught, it always starts off with a classroom full of students for the first couple of weeks, and then all of a sudden, students begin to diappear. Now there are also financial factors that play a role in why this sometimes happens, but I started thinking about appreciation being a factor too.

Anytime I’m collecting an assignment from my students, I always thank them for turning it in. When I conference with them about their essays, I always point out the things they did well, as well as the things they need to improve on. I always ask them how their weekend was or how their day is going.

In return, my students do the same. Most of them show excitement about coming to class, and our classroom ends up being a learning process filled with joy and excitement. My students feel comfortable asking questions because we create an environment in the beginning of the semester that not only do the students appreciate me and I appreciate them, but they also appreciate each other.

Each person in the classroom plays a role well or poorly the class runs. So you do what you can do to show your teachers and classmates that they are appreciated. Even just a simple smile can make a difference.

Published on Thursday September 23, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Get Involved on Campus and Make Some Friends

Going to college is far more than just the academic experience. It’s also a time to grow into an adult, learn how to balance your schoolwork and social activities, dicover more about who you really are, and meet new friends.

Sometimes this can be a scary thing to do because you have known all of your high school friends for four years or more, depending on how long you lived in your school district. But making new friends, who resonate with your personality, will make college a much more wonderful and fun experience.

Start talking to the people in your classes. Join clubs, a sport team, or a organization on campus that you are interested in. Then you’ll meet other people with the same interests as you.

When I was in college, I met a lot of my friends from my cheerleading team. And then I made friends with the friends they were meeting. I’m still very close with my college friends.

Everyone goes to college not knowing what their journey is going to be like. Linking up with like-minded people will give your journey the full college experience.

Published on Friday September 17, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Practicing Detached Involvement in the Classroom

Being engaged in the information you are learning is, of course, super important when it comes to being successful in college. However, try not to label yourself according to how you are progressing in your classes. Remember that everyone progresses at a different pace, and you have the entire semester to do what it takes to be as successful as you strive to be. 

In the beginning of the semester when I start returning essays back to my students, I always notice that their first set of grades can either become a brutal blow to a student’s self-esteem or a boost of confidence. Either way, your grades do not really say anything about you as a person but serve as an indication of what you need to work on to be successful in your classes.

I have seen students start off well in the beginning of the semester and then slack off because they think they are sure to pass with a high grade in the class. I have also seen students who begin the semester with weak grades and work hard to get really high grades at the conclusion of the semester. Either way, detaching yourself from the grades you get and using them as a tool to help you grow in the learning process is the way to go. It keeps you striving for more to improve on and will prevent you from giving up when things seem a little tough.

Believe it or not, your professors are not expecting you to walk into the classroom knowing everything they have set out to teach you throughout the semester. If that was the case, what would be the point for the students or the professor to even show up to class?

Look at your assignments and exams, see what is working for you and continue doing that. If you notice that something seems tough, go to your professor or your school’s tutoring center for extra help. You can even make a friend with someone else in the class who seems to understand the information you are learning. Everyone explains information differently, so hearing the information you are learning from someone else might just give you the tips you need to move forward successfully.

But by all means, do not give up. You are not your grades. Do your best and remember that your best in each class will differ because some information will be easier for you to learn than other information.

Published on Wednesday September 15, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Strong Teams Win Championships

The other day I was talking to my oldest, high school age, nephew about working on group projects  in school. Although there’s a bit of an age range between us, he described his group project experiences to be very similar to the group project experiences I had in high school. There was always at least one student who did nothing, another one who partially participated, and one or two who did most of the work.

That setup does not work well in the workplace because your colleagues do not want to pick up your slack, and your employer could possibly give you a poor evaluation or terminate you because of your lack of participation. Prepare to excel in group projects well before college and when you get into your career field.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, has his or her own particular strength. The leader of the group, which is usually obvious in the beginning of the process, should get each member of the group to write down what part of the project interests him or her most. If the interest in each person is identified, that’s usually also that person’s strength. People want to work on things they are good at doing.

Let each person create their own task list for their portion of the project. Set a deadline for the entire group to get together and present that task. These two simple steps will get the project completed without some people participating and others not.

In the workplace, everyone must participate. Employers notice if someone is slacking and who is apt to take the lead role in group projects. Practice being a good team leader now, so you’ll be an excellent team leader in the future.

Published on Friday July 2, 2010 in Broadcast, College Success, On the Job and Professional Skills. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Financial Aid is Not Free

One day I was talking to one of my students outside of the classroom. He was not performing well in class, and I was offering him tutoring services from myself or the tutoring center. He said one of the main reasons he was not performing well was because he worked a lot.

While I was talking to him about options of balancing between his job and school, he said, “I’m not paying for school anyway.”

I said, “Oh really? What methods do you use to cover your tuition?”

He said, “I’m on financial aid.”

I said,” You do know you have to pay financial aid back….don’t you?”

“No I don’t,” he said,”that’s why it’s called aid.”

Let me dispell the financial aid myths for you right now. This stuff can be extremely confusing for both students and parents. There are three types of financial aid and there are huge differences between each of them.

1. Grants: This is the free money you aren’t responsible for paying back. This free money is usually awarded if you get a scholarship, you have exemplary grades, or you qualify to be in extreme need of the money based on you or your family’s financial situation. You can also get a grant if your employer provides tuition reimbursement.

2. Most students take out loans without even realizing that they’ll have to pay this money back. Popular loans are from Sallie Mae, Stafford, Perkins, and Plus loans. Approximately six months after graduation, the loan companies start sending you bills for the money you owe. The interest rates on these loans are usually rather low. The ideal behind them is that when you graduate, you’ll be able to find a job and pay them back. The loan companies tend to be flexible in working out payment plans, as long as you are responsible in paying on time.

3. Another way to pay for school is to find out any work study your school might have to offer. They don’t normally pay too much, but it’s at least something you are paying off gradually while you are in school, instead of the lump sum you’d be asked to pay six months after graduation.


Published on Monday June 28, 2010 in Broadcast and College Success. 0 Comments Tags: , , .