2.1: You as a College Student (Yes, You!)

The Differences Between College and High School

Even if high school seems like it was a long time ago, you have probably already noticed that being a student in college is quite different than being a student in high school. This is true because in college most of the coursework is expected to be done outside of the classroom; college students must be self-motivated and organized to study for their courses and to complete and submit the assignments on time. This contrasts with high school where, in most cases, students do much of their coursework in the classroom, with less outside homework to independently manage.  The roles of college professors and high school teachers are different, too. While high school teachers may take it upon themselves to track down students who miss class or forget assignments, college professors expect their students to take full responsibility for managing themselves and getting their work done on time.   

This does not mean that college professors are uncaring—in fact, at Butler Community College you will find many excellent, caring professors—but it does mean that college students, like you, must step up to take responsibility to organize your study time and to communicate with professors about anything you need regarding your courses.      

It takes time to adjust to these differences, but you can do this by using strategies to develop new habits. Be patient with yourself as you grow. It helps to share your new habits and goals with others who are on this journey, including your professors!  

Establishing a Growth Mindset

Often students worry that they really don’t belong in college and that others must certainly feel this way about them.  In fact, it is very normal to feel like you don’t have what it takes to meet a big challenge such as college, even to feel like you are “not college material.” Actually, this is a common self-deception that many others struggle with as well. However, at Butler, we want you to know that you do belong here!  We accept you for who you are as you begin at Butler and who you are becoming while you are at Butler.    

Does that mean that you don’t have to change anything to be a great college student? No, of course not! No doubt, you will need to use new strategies and develop new habits to “up your game” to meet what college requires of you.   

Don’t let this intimidate you!  Rather than thinking that you are “not good” at all the areas you need to be good at, work to adjust your thinking to “not yet.” This is called Growth Mindset, researched and written about by psychologist Dr. Carol Dweck. For example, maybe you are “not yet” good at writing essay introductions, but with practice and over time you can become good at this. Repeated practice over time is how we all get better at doing things—it is how our brains work, change, and grow.     

Take a minute to think about things that you do well. If you happen to be good at pitching a baseball, taking care of small children, or cooking for your family, how did you get to be good at that? Likely, this was by doing it repeatedly over time, giving you practice. Of course, we all have strengths that we are naturally better at than others, but even those take time and repeated practice for improvement and mastery.  In the same way, doing your college assignments and homework helps your brain develop new connections so that gradually you become stronger at skills, even writing and reading.  

You could use “not yet” thinking to help you face challenges in this English class this semester. For example, if you earn a lower grade than hoped for on one of the first essays that you submit, you could think that you have “not yet” achieved a strong score but that you are growing in your skills and habits as a college writer.   You could even break this down into specific categories that involved your essay score. If you look at the rubric your professor used to grade your essay, what categories did you do well or better in than others?   Stop and give yourself a pat on the back for these! For the categories that you did not do as well in, think about how you could improve on these in the future. (You could even discuss this with your professor.) These are the areas that you are “not yet” strong in, but you are going to improve in with practice, time, and determination. Using this Growth-Mindset thinking over time can help you change how you think about yourself. This can be life changing!  

Hard work, motivation, and determination are essential to keep up the repeated practice over time that helps you improve in anything, including being a successful college student.   You will need to work hard and make time for studying in college, probably much more than you did in the past. No one else can give you the motivation and determination and do the hard work— it must come from you. But the faculty and staff at Butler are here to provide support, models, and instruction for you as you do this—you will not be alone!  The next section (2.2) will provide some strategies and information to help you get started.  

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York City, Random House, 2006.