by Jasmine Barnes
As all students know, college is difficult. It is especially difficult to balance social life with classes while still getting the appropriate amount of sleep. Currently, I do not think Whitworth is making enough resources available for students to be successful. Some students, including myself, believe that we are on our own to figure out how to manage our lives.
Although Whitworth has the Student Success Program, it’s exclusive to students who are on the verge of failing, currently failing or dealing with life issues.
Academic advisors are mainly there to help with registration and class and future planning. The counseling center offers emotional support to students up to six free visits per year.
It is tough to find some resources on campus that can assist students with problems currently happening. I think that Whitworth should start, or at least let students know about, more programs that help with life management.
For instance, Whitworth’s Career Services Center has many resources for students. Workshops for time management, study skills, note taking and even personality tests could be more accessible. Knowing about, and ultimately taking advantage of, these things would be incredibly beneficial to the student body and could increase student performance.
Until more things are made available, I decided to give a few tips to students from a book about college success titled “Your College Experience” by Gardener and Jeweler.
First of all, design an exam plan. Exam plans include which chapters you study per day and how you are going to approach the test itself.
Always remember to sleep. Sleep is the most important part of your success in college and your ability to maintain your mental health.
Take online quizzes to figure out your learning style and your personality in order to figure out the best way to approach your learning.
Keep in mind that grades are not everything. The purpose of college is to learn things that will help you with your future career.
Next time you don’t get the grade you wanted on a test, focus on the fact that you still gained knowledge from that experience.
Don’t be scared to ask for help. Just because I do not believe that there are enough resources readily available at Whitworth, a little investigating can get you to the help you need.
Organization is also key to success. Always keep a planner. Write out your goals for the week, month, year, etc.
Always be taking notes during class. Even if it is something you find easy, writing it down will help you to stay focused and make the knowledge stick in your head. Then when it comes to test time, you can review your notes as a way of studying.
Although I haven’t offered all the advice needed for success, I hope this helps students begin the process of becoming more successful.
Student success is all based on effort and determination. Anyone is capable of doing great things if they just put their mind to it.
Contact Jasmine Barnes at jbarnes15@my.whitworth.edu