Assignment #1: Academic Success Proposal

     Our first big assignment of the semester was this Academic Success Proposal. I chose "Maintaining Good Grades and Mental Health" because a lot of college students struggle with both, and I thought writing about it would motivate some of my fellow classmates. My classmates and instructor were the intended audience, but I'd be happy to share with anyone that needs some type of positivity and advice!

BreAnna Kennedy

Professor Nall

English Comp. II

6 February 2023

Maintaining Good Grades and Mental Health

I struggle with meeting the academic standards I have for myself along with creating self-doubt that I won’t make the grades that I intended to when I applied. For me personally, every semester I plan to make nothing less than an 85% in all of my classes, however when life throws things at me, I can find it difficult to focus on my schoolwork. For instance, since I’ve started college, I’ve had less time to hang out with my friends and less time to do things that I would like to do in my free time. So last semester, I would put off studying in order to go out with my friends on a Saturday night, knowing that I had work on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and my assignments were due at 11:59 PM Sunday night. I made a few bad decisions academically instead of sacrificing the time I had when I had nothing to do, I let it get in the way of getting a good grade. Which caused me to create that self-doubt and feel bad about myself because I didn’t have my priorities straight.

Instead of missing time with my friends and family to do homework or study, I make time to study in a place like the library, Barnes & Noble, and my house when everyone is at work or at school. That way when it comes time to hang out with my friends and family, I’m able to without allowing myself to endure the stress of just figuring it out. “How To Get Straight A’s In College” states that in order to make all A’s “you’ll have to put in time and effort” (Wallis). That’s what I was failing to do was make an effort to try and make time for my academics. So, now with me starting a new semester and having more classes I changed my work schedule from Monday through Friday and some Sundays from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, to Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This new work schedule allows me to set aside time for the things that are most important to me which are school and family.

Another thing that I struggled with even in high school was finding a good study habit, however, in high school I would just use Quizlet and study them over and over. I tried doing that last semester and it didn’t work out very well. I was missing key information, the things that I needed to remember weren’t stuck in my head, and I would find myself wasting time trying to search through my memory and try to find where I saw the answer on the Quizlets. According to “How To Get Straight A’s in College” it says, “it is essential to understand how different subjects require different study methods” (Abdi). Since starting college I have realized that it’s easier to take handwritten notes for every subject that doesn’t involve math. You can study formulas or examples for math but trying to memorize an answer from an example can’t really help you figure out how to show your work on a test. When it comes to taking notes by hand I like to make them exciting to look at by using some color and sometimes stickers, it also helps me remember when and where I wrote something in my notes that way I don’t have to read through every bullet point trying to find the answer needed.

Finally, stress can take a huge toll on your performance in and outside of the classroom. Last semester I was working all the time, and it seemed like school and work was all I was doing, or all I could do. So, when the opportunity came up for me to do something other than that I would choose to be irresponsible, whether my assignments were done or not. I thought that doing outside activities would help me cope with the stress of it all, however it just made things worse. “How to Reduce Student Stress and Excel in School” states that “stress can impair your ability to learn and remember facts” which is true, because the more stressed I was with school and the more I let it take over, the worse my grades would be (Scott). The article also mentions some helpful stress relieving techniques such as “taking a walk, developing optimism, and doing breathing exercises” (Scott). I do breathing exercises often and it helps slow my heart rate and calm me down, I try to be optimistic about most things, but sometimes it can be difficult depending on what it is.

As a college student it can be difficult to keep up with the hassle of all the challenges that life throws at you, and while dealing with those challenges keeping your grades up can be just as difficult. Not only do I have to keep my grades up to meet my own personal standards, I also have to maintain a certain grade point average in order to keep my scholarships and financial aid. It is easy to forget about assignments, make plans with friends instead of making plans to study, and it’s even easier to just wing everything and accept your fate. However, getting an F on a test is not an option for students like me. So, it’s super important to find good study habits, maintain good time management, and reduce my stress levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Abdi, Anwar “How To Get Straight A’s in College” University Magazine, 17 October 2022, How To Get Straight A's in College - University Magazine.

Scott, Elizabeth “How to Reduce Student Stress and Excel in School” Verywellmind.com, 10 June 2022, How to Reduce Student Stress and Excel in School (verywellmind.com).

Wallis, Ashley “How To Get Straight A’s In College” Southern New Hampshire University, 10 October 2018, How To Get Straight A's In College (snhu.edu).