College: Time To Grow Up
By Bob Roth
When students enter college, they will begin to face a long
list of challenges. Whether they are ready or not, every student
will be expected to have the maturity to act responsibly, do their
best work and make good choices. This is a time when students begin
to operate on their own and take full responsibility for their
decisions, words, behavior and results.
Students who finance their own way through college, usually
take their education more seriously than those who don’t. It
doesn’t make sense for students to goof off, when they must
pay back many thousands of dollars in college loans. Mature
students know why they are going to college and understand what it
will take to graduate and get a great job.
Unfortunately, there are other capable students who are less
serious about their college performance. They aren’t ready
for the hard work that is needed to make the most of their college
experience. Having fun seems to be their main priority. However,
when these students fail to demonstrate their capabilities in
class, on campus, at work and in the community before they
graduate, they will find that job offers are few and far between.
That’s why it’s time for immature students to grow
up.
The most mature students:
1. Have a compelling reason
Mature students have a good reason for attending college and
strive to perform at the highest level. When students attend
college without a compelling reason for being there, they are much
less likely to devote the time, effort and enthusiasm needed for
success.
2. Have a goal and a plan
Grownups know where they want to go and have a plan to get
there. Because mature students are highly motivated to succeed,
they anticipate the stumbling blocks to a good education and a good
job and develop a plan to overcome them.
3. Display a great attitude
Adults display a friendly, positive and constructive attitude,
one that tells others that they want to be successful. They are
serious about their education and their performance. Mature
students enjoy college life but know what is most important.
That’s why they put their education first.
4. Avoid self-defeating behavior
Mature students don’t waste time, wait until the last
minute, hang out with the wrong people, skip classes, fail to
complete assignments on time, attend all night parties or engage in
illegal and inappropriate behavior. They know that these
self-defeating behaviors foretell poor grades, bad references and
low paying jobs.
5. Demonstrate their capabilities
Savvy students realize that employers look for candidates who
can perform well in a variety of environments (classroom, campus,
work, community and leisure activities). When students have not
clearly demonstrated constructive and productive performance and
behavior, employers quickly eliminate them from
consideration.
6. Handle problems on their own
Grownups take care of their own problems. They do this through
prevention, logical discussion, negotiation and by admitting their
mistakes, taking responsibility, making things right and accepting
the consequences of their words and actions. They don’t
whine, complain or cry, don’t expect their parents to come to
their rescue and don’t expect to be treated better that
anyone else.
If you hope to land a great job after college, you must grow
up long before you graduate. That’s because all employers
recognize the students who do little during the first few years of
college and then think that a last minute flurry will impress them.
It won’t. It takes consistently reliable performance, over
the long haul, to convince an employer to take a closer look at
you.
Employers are not baby-sitters. They are not interested in
immature, undisciplined, self-indulgent students who have wasted
their time and money in college and don’t appreciate the
learning and performance opportunities that exist.
Wise students act like grown ups. They use their entire time
in college to clearly and purposely demonstrate their maturity by
doing their best at all times. In that way, they put themselves in
a good position to be considered for the best jobs.
