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How Metacognition Can Make Starting College Manageable 

Posted on by

Amayah Jones 

ENGL 1102 

Dr. Weaver 

25 April 2022 

How Metacognition Can Make Starting College Manageable 

Many students stress over college, especially first-year students who are unaware of what to expect. One way for these scholars to get the best out of their education and succeed is by getting acquainted with metacognition. Metacognition is a form of self-awareness in relation to one’s thought process or how one learns, and the advantages have been shown by extensive research and experimentation. The use of metacognition can be of service to students in higher education, especially those in community colleges to develop their information processing as well as their sense of self. So, it is important to assert metacognition in higher education because it helps scholars succeed in their classes in turn easing the anxiety brought by starting college. 

Starting College Struggle 

In many cases, scholars starting college may begin to struggle because they are not completely prepared for this transition. Professors Richard T. Ward and Darrell L. Butler in their article published in Education journal mention research supporting that “college freshmen underachievement is related to poor study skills, poor time management, and an overall lack of understanding of how to tackle difficult challenges” (Ward and Butler 122). As a result of the impromptu approach taken by first-year students, they begin to struggle with college challenges. High school provides structure for the students working as bumpers on a bowling lane to keep them on a determined path. Issues such as poor time management and poor study habits stem from students not being used to the free system of college and the idea that once they fall there are no regulations set in place to catch them. However, metacognition has been shown to make the transition more fluid and allow scholars to manage these new trials. John Ottenhoff mentions in Liberal Education that a teacher “. . . came to see that instruction in metacognitive skills may be particularly important for first-year students as they adjust to the expectations of college-level work. . .”(Ottenhoff 3). Students will then be able to assess their understanding according to these expectations and adapt. If first-year students are not advised on cognitive strategies, they are less likely to improve their skills, so metacognition is essential in the progression to college. 

Furthermore, metacognition can especially help students advancing to community colleges who often find themselves at a disadvantage due to fewer resources. Brandilynn Villarreal argues in her dissertation titled When Ambitions Aren’t enough: The Role of Motivation, Self-Regulation, and Individual Agency in Higher-Education Goal Pursuit, “Compared to university students, community college students are less familiar with higher educational systems, less academically prepared, and face greater financial pressures” (Villarreal 29). This results in dropouts and resistance to seeking a four-year degree. These scholars are discouraged because of their circumstances and require self-regulation for long term success. 

Better Study Habits 

As scholars regulate and monitor their learning, they will need to acknowledge unhealthy habits that repress them academically and consider strategies that will help them thrive. This topic is presented in, psychology professor at Samford University, Dr.Chew’s series on how to get the most out of studying giving detailed insight on how metacognition can lead to academic success during the transition to college. Dr. Chew expresses that instead of believing misconceptions from high school such as memorizing isolated facts and thinking multitasking is effective, students should focus when studying and aim for deep processing (Chew 1). Developing awareness leads to better study strategies leading to deep processing. If you know how you learn whether it is through association of feelings or memories or application to another subject, you can enhance your understanding of a topic. Overall, self-awareness is a guide to managing the load of higher-level work, not to mention putting in the effort.   

Putting it into Action 

Another important concept of college success is note-taking, which is a metacognitive skill. The notes are what students study and absorb so it is imperative to use them according to how they learn, which demonstrates a need for self-awareness in test prep. Ward and Butler display the relationship by mentioning “Isaacson and Fujita (2006) found that undergraduate students with greater metacognitive knowledge performed better on tests compared to those with a lower degree of metacognitive knowledge” (Ward and Butler). It is known that proper studying improves test scores, but this further insinuates that the correlation between metacognition and academic success is positive. In other words, the implication of metacognitive skills benefit scholars with subjects as important as test prep. 

The importance of self-regulation is not made apparent to some students in high school so they believe in the end they are destined to succeed without applying ample work. Many college freshmen assume they can bring high school habits to college such as last-minute studying when they should understand that learning is not fast, so it takes time to properly process information which means legitimately learning it (Chew 1). Taking the time to study effectively is a more realistic way to prepare for a test than trying to remember facts the night before. It is also important for these students to realize college-level courses go beyond quick learning and require the use of metacognitive skills for a rooted comprehension of college material. Metacognition can create automaticity once scholars have produced habits for success. In other words, once scholars have established adequate study habits, they will become accustomed to these habits causing them to become active practices towards a successful college career. 

Uncertainty and Anxiety 

As previously discussed, the first year of college can be the most stressful for college students because of their uncertainty in the unfamiliar environment. Among students “. . . enrolled in American colleges and universities, anxiety was by far the most commonly reported mental health problem” (Komfeld 562). Uncertainty triggers anxiety leaving students in academic limbo. Freshmen face mental breakdowns as well as panic brought by a fear of failure so what they need is a way to cope with this stress. Self-awareness generates certainty since it provides a solution to college stress; it is a way of clearing an otherwise obscure trial. Moreover, the lowest-performing students can improve if they take the time to consider where their anxiety is coming from and establish skills to combat these emotional hardships. 

Conclusion 

In retrospect, the distress endured by college freshmen can be expected when facing any new experience. It is understood that there is a possibility they will arrive with years of implanted rules and expectations from high school, but what is important is that they are introduced to metacognition. This is a way for them to shift their perspective and learn that study strategies are most effective when analogous to self-awareness; so, if a scholar knows how they learn they can apply it in their notetaking and studying. Thus, developing these metacognitive skills is crucial for components leading to college success and overall self-development. 

 

 

 

Work Cited 

OTTENHOFF, JOHN. “Metacognition in Liberal Education.” Liberal Education, vol. 97, no. 3/4, Summer/Fall2011 2011, pp. 28–33. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=fth&AN=67148637&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

Chew, Stephen. “How to Study.” How to Get the Most Out of Studying, www.samford.edu/departments/academic-success-center/how-to-study. 

WARD, RICHARD T., and DARRELL L. BUTLER. “An Investigation of Metacognitive Awareness and Academic Performance in College Freshmen.” Education, vol. 139, no. 3, Spring 2019, pp. 120–26. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=a9h&AN=136190808&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

Komfeld, Eve. “History and the Mental Health Crisis: Preparing University Students to Live with Uncertainty through Authentic Research and Metacognition.” History Teacher, vol. 53, no. 3, May 2020, pp. 561–85. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=a9h&AN=145299669&site=eds-live&scope=site. 

 

Drexel University: The Research University

Posted on by

Amayah Jones 

ENGL 1102 

Dr. Weaver 

9 March 2022

Drexel University

Summary: 

Drexel University was founded by Anthony J. Drexel in Philadelphia, PA in 1891 as a school for higher education in the world of constant innovation. While dedicated to finding solutions to the world’s problems through extensive experiments and research, Drexel University allows its students to participate in potential discoveries. This makes the ideal Drexel student someone willing to positively impact their community and the future. The website uses the APATSARC strategy assumptions aligning with the large rhetorical strategy imagining ideal readers to persuade the audience to become students. All in all, Drexel University works to improve society and give students practical experience in their career pathway. 

 

Analysis: 

The Drexel University website expresses what students will be exposed to in this urban-based school from major projects to individual advancement. On the website, the school uses assumptions along with imagining ideal readers to capture audience’s interest. They attempt to apply to as many individuals as possible, mentioning their contribution to various fields. The website is complemented by the school’s continuously growing reputation and presence in the academic world. So, while the website uses the aspects of the school to attract many individuals, the target audience is those interested in research and creating a major impact on the world. 

The Drexel University website looks to use its location and prestige to grasp the audience which is where assumptions are introduced. As mentioned, it is in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a “world-class comprehensive R1 research institution and a global leader in experiential education” (Drexel University). The website assumes that the audience is responsive to life in the city and being a part of the reputation and discoveries offered by Drexel University. Therefore, the university highlights elements that they presume will be appealing based on their ideal audience. For example, the website expresses that Drexel is “. . . putting students on the front lines of innovation alongside the visionaries shaping the future of their fields” (Drexel University). In other words, Drexel works to give students hands-on experience, ultimately building their resumes while allowing them to assist in potential groundbreaking discoveries. The Drexel strategy is based on the expectation that those reading are revolutionists and bear extensive goals. Overall, the school is looking to pique people’s interest when mentioning its domination in experimental education. 

The school also uses its reputation when imagining ideal readers, because they are looking for people that are persuaded by the thought of attending an esteemed school such as how some people go to Harvard based on its prestige alone. As a result, this school website includes its ranking and achievements such as being “Awarded the designation of “R1 Doctoral University — Very High Research Activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions (2019)” and disclosing 43 total inventions (Drexel University). The website looks from the perspective of students who want to be associated with a school well known for immense success. Drexel also imagines ideal readers to be swayed by potential scientific relevance. For instance, people who may want to become recognized for being a part of a remarkable scientific breakthrough will want to attend a school that finds itself in the center of innovation. 

In retrospect, the Drexel University website expects to gain the allegiance of the audience with its influence in the community and its triumph in inventive academics. The city aspect is an accent that may be a finalizing factor for many readers based on their outlook on life in the city. Drexel makes it known that the goal is for the students to develop as individuals and succeed in their passions. They are driven to go beyond merely being engaged in class activities to apply what they learned at Drexel University to enhance the community around them. In the end, Drexel University goes beyond life on campus and individual advancement. 

 

Response: 

After learning about Drexel University’s place in the academic world, I did consider adding this school to my college list, but the main reason I would not want to go is because it is in Philidelphia and Philidelphia is not my ideal city. However, it promotes many attractive features such as its dedication to advancing knowledge and its urban location. 

The absence of barriers such as money, test scores, or distance would also make me attend the school such as if it were located somewhere like New York. That is my ideal school location because I love the north, especially the New York atmosphere. I do not want to stay in Georgia for higher education so, if Drexel were in New York, I would go there, or it would be an option. I am primarily interested in attending a research university and Drexel sells its prestige in that department. This school aligns with some of my essential values in life; it promotes success, freedom, learning, and reputation. The school is focused on helping their students learn resulting in their overall success in their lives. In addition, students are offered many freedoms such as time to explore many facets of the college, participating in various experiments, and promoting student involvement. As mentioned in my analysis Drexel attached many accomplishments to their website and they are building their prominence in society and for that reason, I would want to apply to this school. Drexel University has proven to be a school worth the application because of its dedication to involving students in the betterment of the world and I want to be a part of something bigger than myself, so this school has me sold. 

 

 

 

Work Cited 

 Drexel Home, 7 Mar. 2022, drexel.edu/. 

The Trang Nguyen

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I met and conversed with Trang Nguyen to discover many fascinating aspects of her character. She is from Vietnam, where she went to school for k-12. Based on her intellectual past, she describes her academic self with the words motivation, schedule, and mathematics, using the word mathematics because while it is her favorite subject, it is also one of her skills. After graduating from high school, she decided to choose the US to study abroad, choosing the US for its diversity and the opportunity to experience things outside of her home country, such as people of various cultural backgrounds. 

Showing person interviewed

Photo of Trang Nguyen taken by her boyfriend

 

This is Trang’s second year at Georgia State, and after graduating, she plans to do an internship in the US for two years and then return to Vietnam to help her country. Her major is Health Science Professions, and after graduating from the 2-year program, she plans to major in Public Health. She says she chose to study at GSU because she has a cousin who used to study at the school leading to her doing more research. She then found out that GSU was suitable because it aligns with her appeal to diversity. The most influential person and her academic mentor is her cousin, who went to GSU and is currently a student in medical school. 

Like all students, Trang is not just a scholar; she is someone caring and sociable. Her major reflects her love for helping people and attraction to work in the health field. Her hobbies include going out with friends and watching one of her favorite TV shows, The Suite Life on Deck; she says, “I often watch it to improve my English.” Overall, I noticed that Trang inside school is in harmony with her personal self , which she plans to develop after Stephen Chew’s lesson on how to study. 

While not captivated by the reading as much, Trang found herself enjoying the lesson on how to study because of the principles she has grasped, such as “successful learning requires planning ahead” and figuring out the reasons for ineffective studying. She has enjoyed her time so at GSU and learning new things but mentions that one frustrating thing about college is difficult professors. However, she is not letting that get in the way of her goals. When you have plans or a vision for yourself like Trang that keeps you determined and likely to accomplish these goals. 

 

 

Work Cited 

 

Nguyen, Trang, Personal Interview, January 2022 

Steven C, Ph.D.; Developing a mindset for successful learning, Samford University, AL