College Success Tip #6
Take Action, Make Success Happen.
This blog post is aimed towards students currently enrolled or prospective undergraduate and graduate candidates (All of my blog posts are). It is vital that you, as the student, complete your assignments, read your syllabus and contact your professor if you have any questions, concerns, or complaints.
As a professor, I have met my share of students each semester who will sit in a college classroom for an entire semester and will choose not submit an assignment or converse with their professor. Some students will show up to class on time everyday, stay in the class for the entire lecturing period, but will not submit an assignment or reach out to their professor. These same students I am referring to do not have any documented disabilities, but they elect not to submit any assignments or participate in class discussions.
Then, the semester ends....... the same students who fail to submit any assignments, receive a final grade of F for the semester. Now, all of a sudden the student chooses to reach out to the professor, converse with the professor, and asks the professor "What assignments can I complete in order to change my final semester grade of F, to an A in this course? I really need to pass this class so that I can register for my courses next semester, and this is also bringing my GPA down. Please let me know something ASAP!"
There are a lot of wrong choices this student made. The reader probably identified most of them, but below are some tips that college students should explore to take the necessary steps for academic success:
1. Generally undergraduate and graduate students are adults. Whether one is a young adult or an older individual, adults should strive to take care of their personal and academic business.
2. As a student it is up to you to ask questions in class, about the class, or anything you don't understand regarding the class. How can an instructor assist you, if you do not inform them the questions, concerns, or complaints you have regarding the course?
3. As a student in order to be successful you must take action and execute responsibility if you want to succeed. No one can get your college degree(s) for you, it is up to you to take the first step to achieve your goals.
4. The professor is not obligated to change a grade for a student after a grade was submited that measured each student's comprehension of subject matter taught, grades for assignments given, attendance, and course participation.
5. The emergency for the student to change their grade due to the choices they made, is not the professor's priority.
Remember success will not happen, if you do not take action!
Giving you something to think about,
Dr. Bryant
