Planning for Success
Post by Cait Boyce
When I was a freshman, new to the world of lecture-style classes and 100-page reading assignments, I realized that I was going to have to rethink my battle plan to succeed in college. Compared to high school, it’s a whole other animal. I guess I never believed anyone else telling me, “As long as you work hard, you’ll do fine!” I think my mind just didn’t listen to the part that said, “as long as you work hard.” I just assumed I’d be fine. How wrong I was.
Finally, I sat down at my wooden desk in my small dorm room and pulled out paper, markers, scissors, and tape. I took an entire sheet of paper and scribbled on it, “CAIT’S PLAN FOR SUCCESS.” I then wrote the names of all my classes and professors on pieces of paper, and cut them into circles. After that, I started listing specific things I could do for each class to ensure success. For my geology class, I had a list that looked like this:
- Go to class!!!
- Read the chapters we’re covering in class – BEFORE class!
- Go see the lab instructor for help each week
The reason I had this list is because each of my classes were different and each of my professors had different expectations. Geology, for example, was a huge class, and the professor was too intimidating for me to talk to, but the lab instructor was really nice, so I decided to get help from her instead. The professor also didn’t assign readings, but he did have a required textbook, so I went through and figured out which chapters I could read to prepare for the lectures.
My “Plan for Success” was different for each class. My ancient literature class required a lot of writing, and being a procrastinator, I knew I would struggle to get the essays done on time. I set myself an over-arching rule that I have used ever since then for all my classes: “Never, ever, ever do a big assignment the night before it’s due.” What that rule meant to me was that I could not start a big essay or project the night before it was due NO MATTER WHAT; so even if I hadn’t started it by then, I couldn’t start it the last night. If I wanted to turn it in at all, I’d have to get it done earlier. Following that rule has helped me cut down on stress drastically in college.
I finished CAIT’S PLAN FOR SUCCESS and taped it to my dorm room wall. It looked like this:
In retrospect, this level of organization is almost embarrassing.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you fail to plan, then plan to fail?” That’s how it works in college. You might have a few classes that you can slide through, but for the most part, you will not succeed on accident. College can be a stressful time, but having a “Plan for Success” can help you through it!
I will agree with the quote above saying “If you fail to plan then plan to fail”. This is what actually in my mind every time I want to achieve something. I set thorough planning. I put them on a list for me not to forget what did I planned and I put check marks for every plan that I have accomplished. Sometimes, there are things that will happen which is out of our control but it does not mean to let go of your plan. Stick to your plan and the possibility to be successful is close.
Pamela
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