The Secret of your Success

[nissangirl74]

I need some input for a brochure I'm making for school. It's called "10 Steps for Success". It's supposed to apply to any class, not just for Biology. I was wondering if you guys would share with we some of the things that have helped you in your academic life, as well as things that didn't benefit you. This pertains to everyone: high school graduates, college students, students of life, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[windbooster]

um......
need someone give some instruction. lol.

[Jesda]

Academically? Passion for the subject. I excelled at music and debate in high school because I love the harmonious assembly of music and the command and control that comes from speaking in front of people.

In college, I developed a fondness for economics, business law, and philosophy and a disdain for marketing, mostly because marketing was too dry and unchallenging. Without a challenge, I am completely useless.

Set the bar high and I'll exceed it by leaps and bounds. Set it low and I can't be bothered to try.

[frapjap]

There is a quote that I like that I thought of fondly: "he who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had tried and failed" William James.

Being that I was given one shot at my academic go-round, I couldn't let anyone down, including myself. I hate to pull out the phrase, but 'failure was not an option' for any situation. There is always a solution, and while it may not be the most desirable solution available, it is certainly better than not trying to find a solution at all.

[Dattebayo]

Make sure if you drink heavily while studying for an exam that you also show up to the test drunk. It could save your grade.

Don't use that, lol.

[alms24sebring]

Drugs might be bad

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Studying in groups was helpful. Teaching others really burns something into your brain.

Things that were detrimental wear early AM classes, s*** parking, and classes that were uber far away from the rest of campus. A strong case of the "f*** its" was built on days of poor weather, and boring classes that were far away.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Do you want my input with Cynicism Mode turned on or off?

Too bad. It doesn't turn off.

--I agree that challenge is a big part of success. But I think ARTIFICIAL challenge is even more destructive than lack of challenge. The challenge needs to be something that matters to YOU, PERSONALLY. Which leads me to the next point:

--Success by any measure other than your own is meaningless. Don't mistake my meaning here: this isn't a proverbial lowering of the bar. A kid cooking my egg mcmuffin isn't successful no matter how much he tells himself otherwise. But driving a soulless Lexus to a soulless job to pay for your soulless house where you live with your soulless family isn't success either. Especially not when you did it because someone else told you otherwise.

--You can't make yourself care. You either care or you don't. So if you don't care, you need to reevaluate, and find another way. Like Frapjap said, there's always a solution. I use the saying to prove a different point, but it remains true. Trudging through unwillingly will not lead to success any more than will giving up.

--What you DO with your success is just as important as how you get there. Once again, being our stereotypical middle-aged Lexus driver isn't exactly productive application of achievement. DO SOMETHING WITH IT. You don't just "become successful" once and then stop.

--Most importantly: STOP SEEKING SAPPY MOTIVATIONAL SELF HELP s*** AND FIND SOMETHING THAT MOTIVATES YOU.

Stuff that killed school for me:
--Dispassionate instructors.
--Crappy curricula.
--Classroom environments designed to cater to the lowest common denominator (focused on the people who DON'T care if they succeed).
--Paying a lot of money for something that takes me away from MAKING money while promising nebulous benefits at some point in a nebulous future.
--Focus on "scores" over learning.
--Focus on rote over learning.

[darylzero]

As Sarah Connor once said, "No fate but what we make"

[alms24sebring]

Honestly that is a very valid point there Dr. Doom. There are tons of people in my classes that didnt give a ef and got by with skipping classes, when I strived to go above and beyond (in a few certain situations), and I am rewarded with hardly even any better of a grade or acknowledgement, even though I put tons of thought behind it and learned something I wanted to learn.

I hated people that asked 'how many pages does it have to be?', even though it may be a weak and worthless task. I almost always wrote a few more pages atleast than the minimum on bigger report. I actually compared and contrasted, posed key points, and did research. What I hated more was people that go back to school and just dont give a s*** or were forced to go by parents. It brings down the standard for learning and material for the whole class when some people enjoy the projects and want to get what they payed for.

Best example: You had to write about any animal you choose. I chose the Irukandji Jellyfish of Australia. I wrote 15 pages or so including everything from habitat, to its life cycle and biological make up, to its role as a living creature in the world. Got like a 48/50 (which was a weak point strength for a partial final grade anyways). Some a$$f*** writes about a dog and got like a 45/50. I read it and I swear it said "Also known as a K-9.... It has a tail and for feet.... Humans use them as pets." F*** my life and end this rant.



Anyways, I applaud the real teachers out there. If you have the dedication to learning and using brain power, you can really go far in your career. It takes the want to go above and beyond. It takes the want to be better than everyone else. Even though our grades on our papers were a few percent apart, that doesnt mean it wasnt very rewarding to know that I tried 1000% harder. AND, people forget that you can go to school just for personal gain!

[addicted4life]

Do what you love and believe in yourself, have confidence in your abilities and take pride in your work, it says who you are and what your about and may play a bigger part in your life in the years ahead. KCCO

[IBCoupe]

Converse with the teacher/professor.

This requires two fundamental points:
First, choose classes with professors you'll want to talk to. A crappy teacher can ruin a subject.

Second, forget about your classmates, and ask questions for your own edification. Your classmates might think you a teacher's pet, but eff 'em. It's your education, and it needs to serve you. In preparing for class, strive to understand the material on a level which enables you to understand what questions you need to understand the material better. In class, stay attached, mentally, to the lecture before you so that you might be cognizant of what you DON'T understand.