How to Succed in College and Avoid Dropping Out

College success can be defined in several ways depending on a student’s goals and why they enrolled in the first place. Some students focus on completing the next class task or assignment and overlook the overall effect that education plays in their future life. Which is why it has been observed that other than students dropping out of college due to financial constraints or personal problems, most students drop out because they have trouble passing their courses.

What college success means to me is being able to complete my life’s dream of the Computer Science course and successfully get my Masters Degree. My definition of success is to achieve the set goal in the given timeframe or less, and be able to connect with people from all over the world. To achieve this, some of the strategies I intend to use are:

• Allocate time daily for school work and follow through
• Actively participate in classes and complete assignments/tasks on time
• Utilize my instructors and peers, share ideas, concerns and work together to improve where I and my course mates have weaknesses
• Join a study group
• Improve on effective note-taking skills
• Make use of the resources provided to me by the school such as libraries and staff available to ensure my academic life is less challenging
• Learn to effectively read and understand course material, this allows me to improve research and writing skills
• Allocate sufficient study time daily

In order for me to achieve this, deliberate efforts must be made every day. I believe when you do something daily, even when you don’t like it or understand it, it soon becomes a habit. Consistency is key. Without overlooking the fact that unforeseen challenges will come our way from time to time, the ultimate goal must never change. Unless in extreme cases, the goal can be adjusted but never abandoned.

I do have concerns that may affect my performance academically. At the top of the list is, limited to no financial accessibility. Especially that the term is already getting closer to exam time every waking day. Another concern is not being able to manage my time well due to family commitments. For me, I feel these are major contributors that can affect my grades. As for the other concerns, I am positive they can be overcome especially that I have instructors and academic staff that are ready to help me whenever they can when it comes to school work, and a group of students who, once we get comfortable with each other, we will be stronger together.