Successful Student
John Brooks
Comp 1010-34
Dec. 12, 2011
Striving to be a Successful Student
What I knew about being a student had changed before I ever thought of attending college, I firmly believed my school days were long behind me at the age of fifty, but that belief turned out to be false. The event that changed my mind was the loss of a job due to a layoff. I knew that due to my advanced age it would be hard to secure further employment without improving my education. The logical place to start would be to obtain my GED. Thinking back to when I was a student, my attitude towards education was not a very good one. I knew little or nothing of the proper study habits that were needed to be a successful student. Most of my efforts were directed to achieving a passing grade; in hopes of not being left behind my classmates. My only thoughts at the time were of getting through school, and starting work in order to raise a family of my own. I didn’t realize how important an education is, and the amount of determination required in making good grades. With no formal training, I had no idea of the concepts involved in becoming successful in my studies such as being an active learner, thinking critically, and creatively, or how to sharpen my classroom skills.
When I first started thinking about my need to continue my education, I knew that it would not be easy. It had been thirty years since I had to drop out of junior high at the age of fifteen; due to my girlfriend being pregnant. At that time in my life all I had in mind was getting married and starting work to provide for my new family (this being the way things were done at the time). I soon found out In order to be hired at my first job it was necessary to mislead my future employer about my education; which made me regret my decision to drop out of school. After misleading my first employer, it became easier to do the same with the ones that followed. My lack of a High School diploma has not been discovered by any
Comp 1010-34
Dec. 12, 2011
Striving to be a Successful Student
What I knew about being a student had changed before I ever thought of attending college, I firmly believed my school days were long behind me at the age of fifty, but that belief turned out to be false. The event that changed my mind was the loss of a job due to a layoff. I knew that due to my advanced age it would be hard to secure further employment without improving my education. The logical place to start would be to obtain my GED. Thinking back to when I was a student, my attitude towards education was not a very good one. I knew little or nothing of the proper study habits that were needed to be a successful student. Most of my efforts were directed to achieving a passing grade; in hopes of not being left behind my classmates. My only thoughts at the time were of getting through school, and starting work in order to raise a family of my own. I didn’t realize how important an education is, and the amount of determination required in making good grades. With no formal training, I had no idea of the concepts involved in becoming successful in my studies such as being an active learner, thinking critically, and creatively, or how to sharpen my classroom skills.
When I first started thinking about my need to continue my education, I knew that it would not be easy. It had been thirty years since I had to drop out of junior high at the age of fifteen; due to my girlfriend being pregnant. At that time in my life all I had in mind was getting married and starting work to provide for my new family (this being the way things were done at the time). I soon found out In order to be hired at my first job it was necessary to mislead my future employer about my education; which made me regret my decision to drop out of school. After misleading my first employer, it became easier to do the same with the ones that followed. My lack of a High School diploma has not been discovered by any