As You Prepare For Another Year Of School, pt. 1
by on Aug 23rd, 2010 at 6:14 pm
The summer break has come to a close and while I think we all, to some degree, mourn its passing, we still find that the excitement and promise of a new school year is something to savor.
Some of you are starting the grand adventure of college. You have left home for the first time. The hope of expanding your mind is strong. If you are anything like I was at the beginning of my freshmen year, there is also a sense of fear that accompanies such hope. Can you handle the academic demands of college courses? Did you pick the right major? Is it really possible that you will make a new circle of friends that will most likely cause your friendships from home to pale in comparison?
The rest of you are returning to resume your academic pursuits. The questions of freshmen year are, for the most part, answered and now new ones are upon you. What orgs and extra-curricular activities will you join? Are you meeting your academic goals? What are you going to do when you graduate? Are you going to graduate?
Regardless of your situation, the beginning of the school year is the best time to consider education as a whole. You are not yet encumbered with homework, exams, social activities, and other responsibilities that always seem to increase as the year continues. Now is the time to think about what education is and how it can best be utilized. Here are just a few thoughts to help you approach the school year with a purpose:
YOU WILL ONLY GET OUT OF CLASS WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT
If you go to class expecting to learn something, the chances are pretty good that you will, surprise, actually learn something! If you go to class and only fulfill the requirements of your work because it is necessary to marked “completed” on your transcript, you will most likely consider the course a waste of time and of little value to your life.
The benefits of a class directly correspond with your willingness to commit to its design. Make a decision to invest yourself in your studies and you will be surprised at how motivating the class will become, not only within the semester itself, but years from now as well.
YOU WILL NEED TO DECIDE WHAT MATTERS MOST: GRADES OR LEARNING
Usually, a student who effectively learns a subject will finish a course with a good grade. However, you might find the classes that impact you the most are the ones that provided the greatest struggle or challenge to a perfect grade. There is such a thing as acing a class and learning nothing, and there is also such a thing as just passing a class and learning the subject significantly.
One of the best examples of this paradox occurs when you have to write a term paper or work on a presentation. If you give your all to actually researching the subject, formulating a strong argument, and communicating it effectively only to receive a grade that does not seem to match your level of effort, accept it gratefully. You will actually remember that argument long after the grades are a factor in your life.
Too many students live under the tyranny of the grade point average. Obviously, undergraduate students who want to pursue future degrees need high GPA’s to get into competitive graduate schools and degree programs, but you will use what you learn in school more than you will use what you earned as a grade.
CHOOSE TO EMBRACE THE STRESS OF COLLEGE
Academic rigor exists for a reason. For most programs, the stress that is pressed upon the student is designed to strengthen him or her for the even greater pressures that exist in the profession.
Unfortunately, I hear way too much complaining from students who feel like they are overworked and overstressed. Curiously, the only solution offered seems to be a reduction in the level of coursework. Nothing is ever said about sleep regiments, study habits, extra-curricular activities, or just growing up and accepting the reality that life is stressful.
Students that thrive in this environment ultimately accept and embrace the stress and difficulty that accompanies their programs. The “real world” is a ruthless environment. It has no sympathy for people who fail to turn in their work simply because they feel stressed. Your academic rigor could be a device of God that trains you to prioritize, persevere, and gain the strength necessary to help you face even greater responsibilities and stresses later in life.
More to come tomorrow...