Halfway Reflection
1) Tenaciousness is a competency. What are the behaviors that you have used (or developed) to keep up with the requirements of this course?
I think that the major tendency I have acquired not only for this course but for college as a whole is the ability and habit of keeping up with due dates and deadlines. There's nothing wrong with procrastination if it is a result of prioritization, but learning and understanding the line is something that I see lots of people still struggling with. For example, don't wait to do your blog post until Friday night because you wanted to go to Midtown on Thursday with your buddies then sleep through the next day. You can procrastinate writing your blog post if it means allowing time for activities that yield you a bigger result or are time sensitive.
2) Tenaciousness is also about attitude. Talk about a moment or two when you felt like "giving up." What pulled you through? Do you feel like you've developed a tenacious attitude during the past two months? What experience or experiences most contributed to this?
Reflecting back on the past two months, I've had to learn to manage a lot more activities and tasks that I have ever been required to before college. I can remember a couple of choice weeks in which the work seemed endless and it literally felt like I was drowning just trying to keep my head above water with all these tasks, but I did pull through. I think that the best purchase I've made since being here has been a planner. I bought a really highly reviewed planner called the Panda Planner and it really helped me pull my life together and give me the feeling that I had control over my time again.
3) Three tips. What are three tips you would offer next semester's student about (1) fostering the skills that support tenacity and (2) developing the 'tenacious mindset'?
The most important mindset to have when arriving in college is that of open-mindedness and adaptability. If you come here with the idea that you already know everything and you can rely on your habits from high school to help you succeed, then you will fail. You must be able to think on your feet, observe the changes around you, and learn about yourself and ultimately adapt your efforts and strategies to what works best in this very different environment! With that being said, you can't expect to figure everything out even in just one semester. I'm halfway through the semester and still feel overwhelmed at times and feel like I need to re-evaluate my efforts and strategies.
If you leave with one main piece of advice, please go through life with an open mind and an attitude that encourages you to be your very best every single day!
I've loved reading everyones tips because it seems like we've all had pretty similar experiences. I definitely agree with your final points-- so many people come into college thinking they'll know how to do everything but college always proves them wrong. There's so much to learn and a lot of room to grow. And growth will never stop, so we all have to get accustomed to the growing pains.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that your procrastination rule seemed very unorthodox, but after reading your explanation it does make sense to leave something to the deadline only if you have done it after finding priorities that are worth it. Some people work better when being presented with last-minute projects, and there is nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteKeeping an open mind is a good advice to pretty much anything in life. That translates to positive attitudes and success.
I believe the habit to keep up with deadlines and due dates would be super helpful! Glad to hear you've got that straightened out. I for one need a little work in that area...
ReplyDeleteI like you tip on coming to school with an open mind and to be ready to change. These are things that can be applied to much more that just school. But, it will certainly help anyone who care to listen and follow that advice. Assignments like this always got me wondering does this advise ever get to the intended target we were told to write this for? I remember doing similar assignments in both middle and high-school. Yet, I am unsure if anyone has actually received or benefitted from any advice I or other students have left behind for others to take in and use to their benefit.