So, you’re watching the Big Bang Theory and on comes a commercial from University of Phoenix. More than likely they’ll showcase a previous student and how it changed their life and it’ll move you. You’ll think, “I can do that.” So you enroll and start your first class.
What that commercial failed to show you was how hard going to college really is. Whether you’re a traditional student or an online learner, you need a certain set of skills to be successful. Here are five skills that will help you be successful in college.
Skill #1
Become a master of time. What does that mean? It means that you need to find time each day to invest 1-3 hours into reading and completing assignments. Utilize your time eating lunch, going to the restroom or breaks at work to invest in your educational future.
Skill #2
Crack the whip and stay disciplined. This might be the most important and hardest skill of the five. Life is busy and it can get busier with social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, FourSquare and Google+ to name a few. Instead of spending 5, 10, or 15 minutes on social media, re-direct into your coursework. You must drill it in your head that school is first and not last, as evidence of waiting until an hour or two before the assignment due date.
Skill #3
Be a leader not a follower. In college, no one reminds you that you haven’t been in class or missed homework or an exam. They only sure-fire way you’ll know is when you receive a “0” for a grade. The blessing and the curse of college is that you’re on your own. So you constantly have to push yourself. You have to want it more than anything else.
Skill #4
Be thick-skinned to navigate life’s ups and downs. Let’s be real, life is a roller coaster. One minute you’re flying high, the next minute, you’re in the slums of depression. That’s life how you deal with it is what matters. You must be able to weather the storms that ravage your life from time to time. Unfortunate things occur such as death, divorce or the birth of a child, but you can’t let that derail you. You may think you can take a semester or two off and come back. This is a fallacy. Once you drop a class the likelihood of you coming back is slim to none.
Skill #5
Become a visionary-a dreamer. Look around you. Everything you see, touch, smell and feel is a direct result of someone’s dream. Frankly, you’re a dream of your mother and father. No greater power exists than that which is in you. Think of a visionary as headlights on a car. Can a driver see in complete darkness without headlights? No. They’ll crash. Likewise, you cannot expect to get somewhere if you don’t envision yourself there first.
Mastering these five skills may not take a course or two, a semester or two, or even a lifetime. But, that shouldn’t stop you from aspiring to master them.
Resources
What to Expect When You Enroll in an Online Class