Entry #4: How do you measure success?

The life strategies used to become more successful seem to differ not only from person to person, but factors such as age also come into play. These strategies aren’t just for use in college, but in life as a whole. People who are younger and entering the college environment for the first time had trouble coming up with thoughts on how to be a successful student; through multiple mini-interviews with friends and family, I only managed to bring out a few factors in each person. Freshmen, aged 18-19, would usually repeat the same aspects: dedication, diligent working, and a brain. Similarly to older, more experienced students, a willingness and desire to learn seemed to be the common ground of being successful. One could say that with age comes experience; therefore the younger you are, the less you may know about the world and how the system works in order to become a successful, happy individual. Yet, with that being said, only freshmen pointed out a certain aspect that is vital to have: time management. Without time management, organization flies out the window along with the loss of dedication. Being unable to plan when to do certain homework, activities, and socialize, I feel that one’s life could be turned into an egg scramble. Though a decadent scramble, filled with gracious knowledge, ethics and morals, and a touch of care, without organization it would all be impossible to find within the goopy mess.

              

  In the past, professors even seemed to be put back by the question: what makes a good, successful student? Which makes me wonder, is there such thing as a truly

successful student? How is success measured exactly? Is it by personal possessions obtained along the path of life? Or is success measured by the growing of an individual themselves? Either way, people thought that pursuing something that naturally interests them would be the right path to take; after all, working hard for something that means nothing to you isn’t very useful. Along with interest, comes attendance and dedication. To be ‘successful’ in class, there are many study strategies that can be used, but change from person to person. Some review notes right after class to engrave them into their mind. Others spend time reading the book and taking notes from lectures, leaving it at that. Others don’t review at all.

Everyone has their own personal way of preparing for this world that we must inherit, and society would tell you that there is only one way of living within it. At the end of the day, people will do what works best for them, regardless of what others tell them to do. One day these habits may change, but in order for change to come there must be enabling stimuli. Until then, we all will carry along with our lives, success and failure, figuring things out one day at a time.