The Secrets of a Successful College Student (Julia edition)
I'll be honest. I don't like how Murphy Paul characterizes learners so concretely into three categories. She obviously believes that "deep learning" is superior, and while I think deep learning is ideal, it is not always realistic.
For example: I really want to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. Here is some background information. You must have a master's degree to become an SLP. SDSU is ranked #30 in the country for their Speech-Language Pathology master's program. They receive an average of 400 applications and have spots for 30-40 students. The average admitted GPA is a 3.8.
If I want to become an SLP, I have to attend graduate school. It does not matter how passionate, or motivated or curious I am about the field. I committing a crime and doing a disservice to my patients if I tried to practice without credentials.
So when it comes to my classes, I have to prioritize. Last semester, I was in three speech, language and hearing sciences classes and one psychology class for my minor. Psychology classes are generally easier for me and do not count towards my SLHS GPA. I focused a lot of my time and energy on my SLHS classes because they were extremely challenging for me and I knew I needed to do well in them to attend graduate school. Unfortunately, my psychology class was put on the back burner for the majority of the semester. I ended up doing pretty well in my SLHS classes and got an A in psychology. Was I a deep learner in my psychology class? Absolutely not. Does this make me an "unsuccessful" college student? I beg to differ.
When it comes to my SLHS classes, I am a deep and strategic learner. I immerse myself in the material, I attend office hours to better understand concepts, I apply textbook concepts outside of the classroom, I pay attention in class, but I also strive for good grades. This is the only way I will be able to achieve my goal. There are definitely people in my classes who do the bare minimum to get by. But I don't know what their end goal is. Maybe they don't want to go to grad school. Maybe they have three kids to take care of at home so a quiz isn't their priority. Maybe they just need to get through this semester so they can get their degree and move on. Everyone's end goal in learning is different, and while their tactics may be different than mine, I do my best not to judge them for it.
Here is the advice I have for being successful in college:
1. Major in something that makes you excited to learn.
2. Surround yourself with people who have similar goals and aspirations.
3. Remember it's okay not to have it all figured out.
4. Not everything in college has to serve a bigger purpose - it is okay to do things "just for fun."
5. Everything happens for a reason, so try not to be discouraged when things don't go as planned.
For example: I really want to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. Here is some background information. You must have a master's degree to become an SLP. SDSU is ranked #30 in the country for their Speech-Language Pathology master's program. They receive an average of 400 applications and have spots for 30-40 students. The average admitted GPA is a 3.8.
If I want to become an SLP, I have to attend graduate school. It does not matter how passionate, or motivated or curious I am about the field. I committing a crime and doing a disservice to my patients if I tried to practice without credentials.
So when it comes to my classes, I have to prioritize. Last semester, I was in three speech, language and hearing sciences classes and one psychology class for my minor. Psychology classes are generally easier for me and do not count towards my SLHS GPA. I focused a lot of my time and energy on my SLHS classes because they were extremely challenging for me and I knew I needed to do well in them to attend graduate school. Unfortunately, my psychology class was put on the back burner for the majority of the semester. I ended up doing pretty well in my SLHS classes and got an A in psychology. Was I a deep learner in my psychology class? Absolutely not. Does this make me an "unsuccessful" college student? I beg to differ.
When it comes to my SLHS classes, I am a deep and strategic learner. I immerse myself in the material, I attend office hours to better understand concepts, I apply textbook concepts outside of the classroom, I pay attention in class, but I also strive for good grades. This is the only way I will be able to achieve my goal. There are definitely people in my classes who do the bare minimum to get by. But I don't know what their end goal is. Maybe they don't want to go to grad school. Maybe they have three kids to take care of at home so a quiz isn't their priority. Maybe they just need to get through this semester so they can get their degree and move on. Everyone's end goal in learning is different, and while their tactics may be different than mine, I do my best not to judge them for it.
Here is the advice I have for being successful in college:
1. Major in something that makes you excited to learn.
2. Surround yourself with people who have similar goals and aspirations.
3. Remember it's okay not to have it all figured out.
4. Not everything in college has to serve a bigger purpose - it is okay to do things "just for fun."
5. Everything happens for a reason, so try not to be discouraged when things don't go as planned.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was very well organized, articulated and compelling. Not only do I agree that not being a deep learner does not equate to being less likely to succeed, but you raised another issue which is the GPA requirement. Deep learners may not place a great emphasis on grades but surely they still wish to succeed or advance in their program? Suppose a deep learner wished to gain entry into your SLP program (GPA requirement of 3.8) but didn't care much for his grades? I'd wager he'd be unsuccessful in his field considering he'd most likely be absence from it. In this context, a deep learner would likely fail miserably and risk the time and money only to be met with rejection. My two cents anyway. Thank for sharing Julia, your articulate and succinct style is quite enjoyable to read over.
-Adrian Enriquez
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your advice on being a successful college student. I remind myself of all five of those tips constantly just to keep myself in check. I also agree with you that Murphy Paul believes that being a "deep learner" is superior and that is what makes the perfect student. When obviously that is not realistic. Especially in this day in age where there are higher and higher standards everyday for college students and so much work to be accomplished in school. When we still have work, families and ourselves to take care of outside of school and studying. I love that you touched on how some have other priorities, whether it is kids at home, or earning a degree is enough of a full plate. I really appreciate your outlook on school, and what it means to be successful because it definitely varies from person to person. As well as your advice on being successful in college!
Great work!
-Gabriella
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog! I also was thinking about the Speech Pathologist program at SDSU, but I deterred from it because like you said, you need at least a Master's to become a SLP, so I decided to take a different route. I agree with you with the pointers you gave on how to be a successful in college, especially on how you mentioned to major on something that makes you excited to learn. To me, if you are not happy with what you are learning when it comes to your major, you will not be happy in the long run.
-Kristine Joy Gasmin
Hi Julia
ReplyDeleteI really resonated with your post. Being almost on the same boat, I too have to go through extra schooling in order to put my degree into use. Every DPT program is very difficult to get into and it sucks. I want to be a "rich" learner, but sometimes it feels like I can't make mistakes because there's someone out there who will make less errors in college and get into the DPT program that I wanted. So yeah, I find myself having to put a lot of things on the back burner too. I even missed writing this blog from this class because I was slacking a little. Your tips were refreshing to read. I think it's something that I know but always forget about when I feel drowned in school work. But thank you for sharing!
- Desiree Dagdag
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing your post, it was really interesting to read and I very much agree with you. I like the way you argue that all students can be different and have different learning strategies without judging each other for not doing things in the same manner or in this case, for not all being "deep learners". The key factor to remember, as you mentioned previously, are our individual goals. And as long as we are working towards them we don't need to follow the same path or strategy to be considered "successful" students. I also believe that as students and as human beings we are in constant change and maybe we don't consider it necessary to be deep learners at a specific point in time, therefore we adapt and use either strategic or surface learning strategies.
-Angel Lopez
I really enjoyed everything about this! Your advice, especially that "everything happens for a reason" is something I cannot resonate more with. That is something I am constantly telling myself and others. Yes be hard on yourself, but not too hard on yourself when something doesn't go as anticipated.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you dispute Paul's simplification of learning styles. You're right. There are many ways to be a student, and that can depend on all kinds of things.
ReplyDeleteI really like your advice on being a successful college student. (The way you define success changes the advice!)