I can reflect on my days as an undergraduate student (yes, many moons ago!) and the things I wish I knew ahead of time, or at least paid meticulous attention to. Before I proceed, let me address some following things that could potentially come to your mind as questions about my perspective, okay?
1. Yes, college is important. I believe education is vital, especially in today’s economy. Have you been paying attention to the potential election? Please, keep all of our candidates in prayer!
2. Doing well in your courses, practicing great study habits, all will help you to obtain a high GPA. You are paying for your degree, so shoot for that 4.0!
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let me get to the real reason for this blog…
As an educator for the past 7 years, one area I have witnessed students struggle in is the capacity of LIFE SKILLS and AUTONOMY over their own education! What are life skills? How does autonomy over their own education look like? Well, take a look below…
Life skills include the following:
- Time management
- Discipline
- Effective decision making
- Embracing diversity
- Developing as leaders
- Proper study habits
- Best note take/test taking strategies
- How to develop healthy relationships
- Dealing with transition
- And much, much, more
Autonomy over their own education:
- Staying up to date with financial aid
- Researching grants/scholarships
- Going AND paying attention to class
- Learning about on/off campus job opportunities
- Staying up to date with how many credits they have earned
- Setting a 4 year academic plan on the road to graduation
- Meeting with their academic advisors
- Meeting with their professors
- Asking for help
- Getting involved on campus
- And much, much more…
Why am I bring all of this up? These are areas that most students do not learn in high school, but have the BIGGEST impact on whether they stay in college, perform well, and graduate! These are transferable skills that are not only utilized in your core major, but the positions you will seek outside of college once you graduate. My challenge to you is to take a deeper look at what you want your college experience to be, and prepare well!
I leave you with this quote: “Proper preparation prepares you to plan perfectly”.
Author: Elvis Gyan
Elvis Gyan serves as an educator at Montclair State University located in northern New Jersey. In addition, he serves as a leader for QUEST/YAM, and the Teen ministry, as well as a life activity group facilitator. Furthermore, he serves as part of the Pastoral Assistants team. Elvis is currently pursuing his Masters of Divinity at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, NY. He enjoys running, reading, eating, and relaxing.
Facebook: Elvis Gyan / Twitter: 1_more_phase / Instagram: Mrgyan1 / Snapchat: elvisgyan
