Anderson College offers this advice to all of our students to ensure you get the most out of your College experience:
1- Get organized!
Write everything down. Write down assignments, appointments, trips to the library, shopping lists, phone numbers, classroom numbers, everything and anything that crosses your mind.
2- Know your Instructor!
Get to know them on a personal level. Find out something about their work, what their professional interests are, what sort of stuff they’ve done, what their teaching philosophy is and find out where your interests intersect with theirs, and what they have to offer you that might be outside the scope of whatever class you’re taking.
3- Find a mentor
Seek out someone (or more than one, if you can) whose success inspires you. This may be an Instructor or it may well be someone outside Anderson College altogether. Contact them. Tell them who you are and ask if you can meet with them some time. Offer to buy them a cup of coffee. Tell them why you admire them or the work field they are in, and ask if they have any advice for you.
4- Speak up
Stop being shy. When an Instructor asks a question, raise your hand—regardless of whether you know the answer or not. Step forward whenever the opportunity arises.
5- Read for pleasure
This means two things: 1) learn to find pleasure in the reading you’re assigned, and 2) read stuff that isn’t assigned. Read entertainment books. Read literary magazines. Stuff them in your backpack for the random quiet moments that happen during breaks and lunch, standing in line, on the bus or subway or just waiting for an appointment. Cultivate a thirst for knowledge above and beyond the subject matter of your classes.
6- Set goals
Make a list of goals, both short-term (this month) and long-term (over the next year, within the next five years, etc.). Look at what you’re doing with your time; is it helping you reach those goals? Is it detracting from them?
7- Fail
A little failure is often the best lesson you can learn, at school or elsewhere. Push yourself to do things that are well beyond your comfort level, if for no other reason than to assess the distance you’d have to cover to succeed at them.
8- Find balance
Call home. Hang out with friends and family. Laugh. Be Silly. You need to relax and have fun sometimes if you’re to be successful. Remember, you’re at Anderson College to grow as a person, and that means doing things that are personally satisfying even if they don’t come with a grade, paycheck, or certificate attached.
Good luck to all of our students! We are behind you and wish you the best!
For more information, visit our programs page or contact us to meet directly with our Admissions Team.
