Personal Responsibility

Personal Responsibility as it Relates to College Success

Even though whether a student is successful in college is all up to them as an individual, personal responsibility is key to being a successful student. Responsibility is a learned behavior that the average college student will have to develop through one’s life. These habits take dedication on the part of the student to perfect. There are ways a student can set priorities in life and develop the discipline needed to do well in college.

Personal responsibility is a person’s capabilities to take care of himself or herself by means of keeping a sound mind, staying healthy, and managing his or her emotions. Responsibility starts with taking charge of one’s own learning and being held accountable and understanding that consequences are the direct results of his or her actions. When learning mistakes are made the initial reaction is always to make excuses or point the finger at someone else. When students shift blame the students are only moving farther away from his or her goals. Students have to learn to take responsibility for their education and identify his or hers educational goals. If students hold themselves accountable for their actions they are more likely to move toward college goals.

Being responsible is a learned behavior; it’s about developing ways to be successful in college. An example of how students can start to build a successful foundation would be setting priorities such as making it to class on time, turning in homework and studying for tests. The traditional college student has many challenges when adapting to college life as it is. As noted in Study Guides and Strategies, “Higher education can seem like a strange, new world and an overwhelming challenge.” Joseph Landsberger states in his study guide if students follow his exercise they can walk themselves through the “Big Picture”. The first part on the student is to determine goals. “Follow the English SMART acronym:...