Michael Austin
Elizabeth Isenkul
University 150
September 10, 2014
Transition to College
Senior year of high school is when we begin to make life changing decisions. Some choose the military or join the workplace, while others attend college. These decisions are challenging and take maturity. College is an entirely different world from high school. The bare minimum is not accepted anymore and will not suffice; I must go above and beyond the call of duty. Unlike high school, a tremendous amount of studying and independent is done on my own. A transitioning plan should be established before entering college. In order to excel at the university level, we need to make essential changes. Setting goals that we want to achieve for each class and creating a schedule of when to attend class, study and also for free time is a good method for success. College is the process of becoming an adult, which means learning how to become independent and being able to manage our time.
Time management is one of the hardest concepts for some high school seniors to grasp. During my senior year, I did not manage my time wisely. My first priority was football, and I wasn’t concentrating on studying or homework. After football practices I would come home, watch TV, eat dinner, and then go to bed without doing any homework. On the weekends, I always found myself watching college or professional football all day, without studying. I was seventeen years old; I thought I knew it all. I wasn’t worried about my parents telling me to manage my time wisely. We had available resources in the morning before school to study and complete homework, also to study. These resources seemed absurd to me, since I would have to wake up earlier. The first nine weeks report card came back and was dismal. My parents informed me that the first semester is very important in applying for colleges. When the second nine weeks came around, I decided to take charge of my future. In order to be accepted into the colleges I desired, I knew I had to change my immature behaviors. Managing their time in college is mandatory to enable students to excel.
Success means the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors. I searched this definition prior to the first day of class here at Old Dominion University. The phrase that stuck with me was “ the accomplishment of one’s goals.” Once we set goals, we can strive to achieve these goals. Furthermore, to have goals I must have a dream. We must have a dream of what we want to do in life; then the journey to success begins. I will choose the right goals for each class and what I want to accomplish by the end of the course. Without goals to reach the the dream, all we would have is a wish. I will write the dream on a piece of paper and place it into an envelope. When I am searching for the reason why I should be studying or contemplating not going to class, I will open the envelope and regain my motivation to be successful.
Necessary transitions are imperative to making college a place to begin my career. All of the sources I could possibly need are right in front of me. I must take advantage of every single one of them, and explore all the doors that will open for me in return. Time management and setting goals are vital to success.