The Engaged, Successful, Responsible Student

"Engaged" might be the single word that best describes a successful student. "Engaged students" are not those planning to get married soon, but people who are actively in charge of their learning and education, not just doing as little as possible to get by, and not just passively receiving information from their advisor and instructors.

Engaged students know that you get out of your education - or any activity in life - about what you put in to it. Engaged students don't just cram for exams, they bring their learning to their work and life, and their life and work experience into their learning. When students are fully engaged in their education, they take responsibility for their education and are more likely to be successful.

Does this imply that a student should quit his or her job and abandon family and other commitments? Of course not, but it does suggest that each student must find his or her own appropriate balance between education and other life commitments.

In its simplest terms, this means carrying a course load that complements and balances one's life, thus making it possible to successfully address all the demands that life brings. An engaged student follows the tips listed above on how to maximize the advisor/advisee relationship. An engaged student takes responsibility for his or her own learning - and that also includes:

• Attending all classes - especially the first; arriving on time, coming to class prepared to participate, and staying for the entire session. If you are not there, you are not learning.
• Spending a minimum of 7 to 10 hours per week on homework for each 4-credit course. "Time on task" leads to engagement and success.
• Completing assignments on time.
• Asking for help, and using tutors and labs at the first sign of academic difficulty, including the Writing Center, and the Financial Accounting, Economics, and Math/Statistics tutors.
• Collaborating with fellow students by exchanging phone numbers to establish study groups and to get assistance when homework difficulties arise.
• Finding a study place and time, free of distractions, to make studying more effective.
• Scheduling blocks of time to study well in advance of the next class session.
• Learning how to make your study time more effective by addressing:
• time management
• physical, environmental and mental factors
• concentration and motivation
• note taking strategies appropriate for the material
• textbook reading speed and comprehension
• study techniques appropriate for particular academic disciplines
• vocabulary development
• presentation techniques
• research paper preparation
• exam preparation and test taking techniques

Your advisor can help you identify strategies for success. Call Metropolitan State's Student Counseling Services at 612-659-7220 for academic study publications, and free learning skills assistance.

Learning skills publications may also be available from your local public library.