Transforming Personal Responsibility into College Success
Kerm Roberson
University of Phoenix Transforming Personal Responsibility into College Success

Personal responsibility can be defined as taking responsibility for your actions and accepting the consequences that come from those actions. Not only is this fact true in everyday life, but it can also be applied to being successful in college as well. Even though some students that lack personal responsibility can still be superb students, students who exude high levels of personal responsibility will be successful in college. This works because students who commit themselves fully in all aspects of being a responsible student will succeed in college and students that study often typically thrive in college. Students who exude high levels of personal responsibility will be successful in college. Let us face the facts; college is not an easy task for many people to not only complete, but also to be successful at it too. College takes dedication, determination, hard work, and personal responsibility. Without developing and honing these skills it would be very difficult to flourish at a collegiate level. Students must realize that they will get out of college what they put into it, so why not put in a maximum effort, especially because attending college is rather pricey and time consuming. To be successful in college studying is a major requirement and students who study often typically thrive in college. College level courses require several hours a week of studying (per course) to prosper and maintain a high level of excellence. Students must figure out which study methods work best for them and to determine what their personal strengths and weaknesses are. There are several ways to study successfully for college. Some examples are using study groups, taking notes, using an outline format to help retain the knowledge learned, recording lectures as well as countless others. Figuring out what study methods works best for each individual is half the battle. College students must figure out what methods of studying work for them or they are destined to underachieve in school. According to research presented by Megan Balduf, “… other aspects of participants’ experiences contributed to their underachievement: inadequate study skills, poor time management, and internal versus external motivation. Because grades always came so easily, participants did not learn adequate study and note-taking skills” (Balduf, 2009, p. 285). The transformation from high school to year one in college is by far an eye opening experience for most people. Especially when it comes to the expectations that college professors require from their students. This expectation is a night and day difference from what high school teachers require from their students, this difference causes quite a few individuals to underachieve and experience academic failure. “Success in college is not simply a matter of students demonstrating academic ability. In addition, students must master the ‘college student’ role in order to understand instructors’ expectations and apply their academic skills effectively to those expectations” (Collier & Morgan, 2008, p. 425). The most important reason students who exude high levels of personal responsibility will be successful in college is because students who commit themselves fully in all aspects of being a responsible student will succeed in college. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, seventy-four percent of professionals felt that striving for excellence should be a major focus for college students when it comes to personal and social responsibilities. There are many tactics, besides studying, which can help students be successful and responsible. Sound note taking and examining them thoroughly helps when reviewing for examinations and writing term papers. Another valuable technique for students is utilizing a daily planner for their courses. It is imperative for students to map out their week so that they can visually see what assignments and readings are required for their courses on a daily basis. This very approach to studying by planning out their week on a daily planner is a new method to me and one that I have implemented into my college routine. I am very excited to see how this style can benefit me in being the best student I can be and exuding my personal responsibility. Another major aspect of personal responsibility is time management. Managing your time is a very important part of every individual’s life. Whether it is managing your daily lives, family, work, play or school it must be done with the utmost precedence in order to be successful. Megan Balduf states in her research the following about college students who transfer from successful high school careers into college unprepared that, “from a failure to manage time well to an inability to adjust to independent life, these high-ability students no longer succeeded at their expected level” (Balduf, 2009, p. 287). Now it is possible to be successful in college without having a great deal of work ethic. Some students do not put forth the effort to be as successful as they can and just float by on subpar grades and taking relatively easy courses just to graduate. It is a sad fact of life that a student that barely graduates are still considered a college graduate, as long as they have a diploma to prove it. I used to fit into this category of student and not take college seriously. It was this type of complacency and lack of work ethic that at one point and time caused me to become a college dropout and in debt with student loans. However with age comes wisdom, and I have learned from my previous errors and am approaching college with a whole new perspective. In conclusion, although some students that lack personal responsibility can still be a superior student; students who exude high levels of personal responsibility will be successful in college for two main reasons. First, students who study regularly typically thrive in college. Most important, students who commit themselves fully in all aspects of being responsible students will succeed in college. All that hard work and determination will pay off in the end, when an individual can say they graduated with honors and can say that they gave college everything they had without any regrets. Not only will this resolve pay off in college it will carry over into every aspect of one’s life bringing enlightenment and personal responsibility nirvana. This is definitely the way I am approaching college because it is not only the responsible thing to do for me personally, but also for my fiancée and daughter as well.

References
Balduf M. (2009, Winter). Underachievement among college students, Journal of Advanced Academics, 20(2), 274-294. EBSCOhost.
Collier, P., & Morgan, D. (2008, April). "Is that paper really due today?” differences in first- generation and traditional college students' understanding of faculty expectations. Higher Education, 55(4), 425-446. EBSCOhost.
Skelly, K. A., & Laurence, S. T. (2011, June). Tracking college readiness. School Administrator, 68(6), 32-36. EBSCOhost.