Hello incoming freshman! Welcome to what society calls the best years of our young adult lives, College. New experiences, new atmosphere, new faces, but somethings never change. There’re still all those same things you can’t stand, homework, exams, professors that make you want to kill yourself and lastly studying. Studying is the probably the biggest make or break aspect of being successful in college and how can it not be, “practice makes you perfect” right. Studying is an essential if you plan on succeeding in school. But how do you know if you’ve been studying right. How do you know if you’re using the right strategies or studying enough to retain the information?
Well I’d like to tell you about a few concepts that may help you improve your way of studying or your study habits. Have you ever been in a class and thought to yourself ” I have no idea what is going on” and continued to sit in silence and ignorance? This is a trait of a student with a fixed mindset, I recently realized that I have had a fixed mindset my whole life, meaning I believed I was only so smart and that I had to live with the limited intelligence I was given. I didn’t raise my hand even if I knew the answer was right because I was so unsure of myself and wanted to refrain from being looked at as “dumb” by my peers. Looking back on all my years in school I wish I was aware of such a thing as a growth mindset. A growth mindset is when a student/individual believes that they can become smarter or “grow their intelligence” by putting in the extra effort. Students with a growth mindset don’t hesitate to raise their hand, ask questions , or let it be known they don’t understand a topic because they understand that through putting in the extra time and working harder they can achieve a greater intelligence and success. In the video “Fixed mindset Vs. Growth mindset” by Brown University (link below) it was pointed out that students with a growth mindset see effort as the way to get smarter.
As freshman you must understand that college is incredibly challenging compared to high school. That minimum amount of effort that got you by in grade school probably won’t be enough to get you through college. Another concept that will be of great use during your time in college is understanding neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the act of the brain changing and adapting as we grow older. In the video “Neuroplasticity” by Sentis (link below) they explain neuroplasticity as the process of rewiring the brain and making new connections and weakening the old ones. So as much as you’ve told yourself you’re just set in your ways, you’re not you just haven’t tried to change. The more you say, feel, or do something the more it becomes a habit. When I first learned this, I thought wow if I just continue to resist procrastination, put more time into my work, reading, and overall learning I can create a habit.
Incoming freshman there are only so many things I can tell you about how to make your college experience and efficient one. I mean ultimately it is your experience. However, like I said studying is that make or break element that you should want to have down packed. So just remember however old you are your brain is always adapting and you can help it to adapt quicker by using neuroplasticity to your advantage. Keep that growth mindset, you are aiming for a higher success, so you’ve got to put in the effort as well. You’ve got this freshies!