They Key to Success

Our discussion on motivation in class the other day really got me thinking about what motivates me to do well in school- is it more external or more internal? If you asked me before class, I would have told you that I am very intrinsically motivated to do well in school. However, getting good grades and a high gpa are external motivators.. so I'm not completely intrinsically motivated like I thought- but that's not a bad thing. I believe that having the correct balance of internal and external motivation is perfect, and you shouldn't have too much of one or the other. I am going to school to be a Special Education teacher. Now, while getting the good grades and the certification for my job are my external motivation, the love of working with children who have special needs is my intrinsic motivation. I want nothing more than to work with students who have special needs and watch them grow as individuals. This has been a passion of mine since I was in third grade, and my intrinsic motivation has kept me going this long.

Besides work, I am very intrinsically motivated in sports. During lacrosse, I play a mental mind game with myself to keep me going on the field everyday. However, I can't give myself all the credit. As much as it is me, personally, that motivates me to continue to step onto that field everyday, my team is a huge external motivator as well.

Is This Real Life?

Adjusting to college life can be one of the most difficult times of your college carrier. You go from the comfy high school setting of knowing everyone and being the oldest, to the little freshman in a big school where you know almost no one. From the high school teacher telling you five times about the test on Wednesday to the college professor who might not even tell you there’s a test because it was on your syllabus and you should’ve known. From your mom or dad making sure you woke up in order to get to school on time to sole responsibility of yourself getting to your classes.  From spending maybe 5 hours all senior year on homework to 5 hours a night of homework in one subject. College is a major transition in one’s life, and sometimes people are thrown back a little. Lucky for you, I’m here to help guide you and make your transition a simple one.

Your first few weeks in college can be very stressful.  The first week your main focus was to find all your classes and to make it to them on time. The second week was remembering where all those classes were and showing up with the correct notebook. Now you’re starting to settle into your classes a little more but you’re not necessarily feeling better. You have a ton of homework you need to get done, friends you want to hang out with, and events you want to go to. If you get only one thing from this blog post let it be this- PRIORITIES. I cannot stress the importance of your priorities in college, especially your freshmen year. That being said I’m not telling you that homework should always be your number one priority; you’ll probably go insane. Instead, think of what you have to get done and how much time you have to do it. Get the major assignment out of the way or maybe one of the smaller ones that is due tomorrow. Then take time to hang with your friends and RELAX. Don’t stress about everything you have to get done. Take some time to yourself to get your work off your mind and have some fun. However, don’t leave your work until the last minute and then scramble to get everything done.

The best thing about adjusting to college in the beginning is that you’re not doing it alone. For those of you living in a dorm, more than half the people living in the building with you are going through the same thing. They are trying to figure out that healthy balance between having fun and getting their work done. Even for those of you who are commuters, most of your classmates are trying to figure out how they’re going to get all their homework done and get some sleep before waking up for their 8am the next morning. My best advice to you- find yourselves a group of friends that will benefit you the most; friends that won’t pressure you to go out every night with them, and respect your decision to stay in and do work. A key element to adjusting to college life is finding someone to go through it with.

Two of my best friends and teammates