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What Is Success in College

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Submitted By macyk123
Words 1578
Pages 7
Macy Koon
Dr. Thompson
COLS 1001
11 December 2015
What is Success in College What does it take to succeed in college? When I think of success I think of achieving something that I have desired, planned or attempted. A successful college experience for me would be developing important study skills such as how I can study, what I can do in and out of the classroom, and how I can manage my time. It is often claimed that the most successful college students attain success because they are only smart and study hard. Success in college for me goes beyond intelligence and hard work. It depends on my motivation and developing good study habits. My motivation is the reason I am at college. No one motivated me but myself. In the book What the Best College Students Do, Ken Bain talks about how making straight A’s is nice. I agree with him. He also says that straight A’s hardly guarantee a happy or productive life. In order to succeed it takes a personal sense of purpose. To have success we need to make good decisions and have self-confidence. In order to be a successful student I need to be a risk taker and make connections. Rather than chasing success, I have to achieve it. Bain details that there are three types of learners: surface, who do as little as possible to get by; strategic, who aim for top grades rather than true understanding; and deep learners, who leave college with a real, rich education. In high school I was a surface learner. I did not always apply myself like I should have. Doing the bare minimal was what I did to make the grades. Now that I have entered I college I have realized that I cannot be a surface learner anymore. I have to take the time to prepare for every assignment. I need to be a deep learner in order to succeed. In the book Bain introduces real-life deep learners. They all had their own insights but had common patterns in their

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