You are not entitled.
You are not entitled to a job.
You are not entitled to a college education.
You will have to work hard to achieve either one.
You may be asking yourself, "Why are we here at this convocation? What is it they want me to see or hear?" Well, I am here to tell you. You are here because we know who you are, and we know what is likely going to happen to you, and we want to try to keep that from happening.
Here is what we know:
You have come here pretty much straight out of high school.
Most of you were B/C students, with some A's and maybe a few D's, but not many.
We also know that a good percentage of you will be on academic probation after this semester because of low grades.
Thirty percent of you will withdraw over the course of the next two semesters, many of you because you are faring poorly in your classes.
Most importantly, almost half of you will not be in school, either here or anywhere else next year.
It's those last three pieces of information that we are hoping to affect with this convocation. I wanted the opportunity to talk to you about being successful. I want to shake you out of a misconception you have: College is easy.
The simple facts are clear. I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, but you know if this applies to you. Many of you are already behind in your reading for your classes. You have already put off some reading, and just run out of time on others, but you are telling yourself that it will be okay. You have the whole semester to catch up, right? But of course, there is never enough time to catch up because there is always more reading that is added to the list. And besides, you probably made those B's and C's up to this point by reading at the last minute, by skimming the chapters right before the tests (the teacher is just repeating what's in the book anyway, right?). And if all else fails, you'll just do a book report for extra credit, right? I mean let's face it: College is easy.
It is just this misconception of what it will take to be successful that is going to sink you. The study skills and coping mechanisms that you have used up to this point are going to get you into trouble because they simply aren't going to work. The irony of it is that so far, you may have even gotten some reinforcement for that wrong-headed belief. The classes you are in in some cases have been going over things you already knew. How hard could it be? College is easy.
And look at that faculty there, all dressed up in their fancy robes. They are a really good faculty, smart, confident, and easy-going. They wouldn't give you a D, much less an F, would they?
No, they won't give you a D or an F. But our experience tells us that many of you in fact will earn D's and F's.
So here's what you need to know about that. These faculty will ambush you. They don't mean to at all. But by their friendly demeanor and easy-going attitude, you will get blown right out of the water when that first test comes and you see how hard it is, or when you turn in that paper that would have gotten at least a B in high school and it has marks all over it and a bad grade on it.
To be fair, a lot of you will not fail because after five, six or seven weeks of college you will see how behind you are in your studies, and how much these faculty expect and you will throw up your hands, and withdraw from the college. I thought college was easy.
So what can we do? These great teachers here don't want you to fail. The administration wants you to succeed. The dedicated staff wants you to do well. Here are some survival techniques. Number one – go to class! The first big mistake we see new freshmen making is that, without someone making them get up and go to class, they start making excuses, then they start thinking they can do it on their own, and then they start skipping class. In fact, last week as I was walking across campus, I overheard a young man, one of you, in fact, trying to get a girl to skip class and go to lunch with him and his friends. He was going to skip class on the second day of classes, why didn't she skip too? Your parents aren't here to make you go. But the truth is, skipping class costs you dearly. Many of these professors have attendance requirements, which, by the way, I strongly endorse. Go to class.
Number two: Learn new study skills and note-taking skills. The counseling office holds workshops on these topics. Go over to the student center to the counseling office and learn more about them. Do you know how to outline a chapter from your Anatomy and Physiology text? Do you try to write down everything your history professor says, or should you try to follow his organization of material? What is the best way to prepare for an essay exam as opposed to a short-answer exam? Again, do not think it will be like high school. It is not. And don't be bashful about seeking help. I promise you, every one of your professors and me included had to make an adjustment going from our high school days to college studies. And use the writing center to improve your papers.
Number three: Learn to manage your time. College is not a sprint, but a marathon. You have to pace yourself, you have to get work done all along the way, and you have to set both short-term, intermediary, and long-range goals to be successful. If you have a major paper due, do not wait until three days before it is due to start working on it and expect it to be successful. Contrary to popular belief, you do not work better under pressure. In fact, no one does. You may not be motivated to get it done until you are under pressure, but that does not make it your best work.
Number four: Stay on campus. If you are a commuting student, don't run out of your classes and drive away. Making friends, especially with people who you might study with, can be a huge advantage. Besides, going to college is about far more than just going to classes. Attend lectures and concerts. Go to soccer games and baseball and softball games. Enjoy college. And if you live on campus, don't run home every weekend. Stay around, do some extra studying, play some ball in the gym. Go downtown here in Barnesville. Enjoy these years of college.
Number five: get to know your teachers. Ask questions. Stay after class and chat. Visit them during office hours and find out why they love their disciplines. And seek out your advisor to help you plan for next semester. Give them the chance, and these great teachers will change your lives. And that is what it means to go to college – to change your life.
So that is what this convocation is about. College is not easy, and it is not something you are entitled to, but it can be a tremendously rewarding time, if you will work at it. Remember, a high school diploma means you will earn $25,000 a year the rest of your life. A college degree means you earn over a million dollars more than that over your lifetime. The choice is yours.
Thank you.