When I had
the opportunity to visit my high school and speak to a couple classes about the
Hixson Program they was one thing I stressed most; how ready I wasn’t for
college academia. I thought I was going to be able to float through college
courses just like I did in high school.
I believe this is a common mindset that can be damaging to a college
career.
Too many
students have to retake a remedial course or are forced to drop out and even
miss out on attaining a degree. They tell us there are three major factors
influencing student success; Ability, Personal, and Circumstance. They have group together the individual
factors that contribute to student success.
Socio-economic
status, family situation, and geographic location are factors that are grouped
under circumstance. These are condition
that we must live within and where we have come from. This includes everything
from ethnicity and family background to even having a job in order to support a
family while getting an education. These
are factors we have little or no control over but have a significant role in
influencing our experiences. These
factors often influence our time and energy, both of which are important for
college success.
Placement
test scores, ACT/SAT, and high school records are listed as ability factors and
noted as being previously attained. What
is important about these is the difficulty required to change these once they
have been determined. We cannot go back
and improve our high school records and placement test can only be taken so
many times. These factors can play a significant role in our futures.
Self-perception,
attitudes, problem solving, values, and behaviors are all under the category of
personal factors. This is by far the most controllable of the three
factors. We have the ability to motivate
ourselves to maintain confidence and practice critical thinking. I believe these factors included under
personal can make up for almost all of the other factors.
~Easten
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