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Marina: Education Perspective from a Freshmen

Marina's thoughts on transitioning into college as a freshmen.

Education is a big part of my life for many reasons. Transitioning from high school to college is not easy, there is much preparation, and actions to take. To prepare myself mentally I had to become aware of knowing that the easy stuff was gone, that I was not going to get extra time and half points for late work. I had to conclude that I needed to study more and work harder. To handle the heavy workload of a new college student I have focused on improving my work ethic. The reason I have chosen to improve my work ethic was to ensure that I wouldn't become overwhelmed by the high workloads that college students typically have trouble enduring. One of my focuses for my work ethic is to stay on task, this allows me to stay aware, and leave room for when I do not have time for school work. To stay on task, I have put together a school calendar for myself. This entails what my classes are and what they start. In addition, I have included the time I am in class so I can see where my extra time may be. The second aspect to my work ethic is time management. This includes making sacrifices for school and to know when to say no to my friends when they want to hang out. I must to set aside time at night to read my books for class and takes notes. Notes in college are the key to success in class, but without any organization they are less effective. In my notes I use bullet points, abbreviation, highlighting, and underlining. For example, highlighting is for key ideas or key words so they can stand out, and be easier to read. Bullet points to write my notes in an outline format. Some people prefer to type notes on a computer, while others prefer to write notes out on paper. Studies have proven that if you write your notes out they will be more memorable, and a student will likely have more knowledge overall. These are just some ways that I have organized my school schedule.

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