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Building a foundation "Why am I wasting my time and money? This isn't what I came here for!" For returning students, the hardest part of any degree program is usually the beginning. You may be petrified by the thought of having to get through Algebra--once again, after all these years. "If I couldn't do it in high school when all this was fresh, how am I ever going to master it now? I can barely remember my multiplication tables!" You may doze through those first general survey courses. "Who cares? I want to design web pages, not write a history of western civilization." If you're already working in marketing, it can be a real struggle to sit through the Intro to Marketing course rehashing concepts that seem so elementary and self-evident…to you. This is the point where some students drop out (or at least think about it, right?). Don't. Try to stay with it, because it does get better. Once you reach the upper level courses, you'll be past the insecurity about your own ability, past the boredom, and deeply involved in pursuing your dream. But you can't get there without being here. And as long as you're here, why not make the most of it? The key to sticking with something is to be fully engaged in it. You don't have to lose sight of your goal. But to be thinking only of the future causes you to dream away the present. It's what you do at this moment that determines your ability to reach your goal. If the course is intimidating, get help -- from the teacher, from a tutor, on your own. Find other books on the subject to give you a different perspective. (Sometimes one sentence can help you "see" it.) Practice with extra exercises beyond the assignment. Now you'll start to understand, not just memorize, so the next course will be much easier. If it's material you think you already know, use your expertise to help a classmate. You'd be surprised how much you can learn by teaching others (even if you only learn how much you still don't know!). If you feel the course material is irrelevant, challenge yourself. Pick the one topic you have the most interest in and run with it -- research it, debate it, have fun with it. It's in your hands. You can make it a success. You can make it enjoyable. And you'll have a solid foundation from which you can build in many directions. 12/13/00 TOP |
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