College success is more of an art than a science
By Bernard Londoni,
The very first day students take a step onto college campuses, thousands of questions blow their minds. They meet with new people; embrace multitudes of cultures, and face a new life style very different from the one they lived before. I personally faced this situation as my school located in south-Florida attracts people from extremely varied backgrounds. I was nervous when I faced this situation, and all I remember is that I did all I could possibly do to overcome the challenge. Sitting in the dining room on the first day, I heard more than ten languages spoken, and everybody was busy asking one another where they were from and what they were interested in studying.
Listening to my fellow students, I quickly realized that everyone came to college believing that education was the key to success. The extraordinary stories and dreams I heard inspired me, and I was driven by an inner force to take the challenge the very first day to accomplish what I promised myself to achieve. The process of succeeding in college is more of art than a science. I just thought I needed to set some boundaries before it was late. I hate rules, but I couldn't help to set some up for myself, and promised myself to follow them. I learned that many students have come to college with good motives to graduate; however, a great many leave school without a degree; thus, the first promise I made myself was to clarify the true reason why I came to study to college in the United States, what I wanted to achieve, and how I planned to achieve it. This commitment helped me stay on the right track, focused on my education.
Unfortunate situations can ruin the rest of one's life. I needed to refrain from getting distracted by unnecessary material distractions that captivate most college students. As success does not fall out of the sky, I didn't want to limit my learning experience to just sitting in classrooms. There is a lot happening outside the classrooms; I took the very best approach to take advantage of these opportunities. I got involved on campus and in our local community working in a variety of projects. This involvement provided me with unlimited amount of opportunities which in turn helped to build my leadership skills.
I came to realize that there is nothing we can't achieve; all it takes is the courage to pursue one's dreams, and that the only way one can get where one wants to be is by taking risks and following one's heart. Abraham Lincoln once said” Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” The determination I had from the very beginning was what helped me to go the extra-mile; I swore to defeat failure and asked myself what I could do to accomplish the very best I wanted. As o ur thoughts lead to action I needed to take some proactive actions to measure up. There is still a long way to go, but no matter how the long the road might be, one's focus and determination will be of paramount importance to help one to finish the race.
Article written in August 20, 2008