Survival_Guide

Jennifer Richardson Gen/105 October 7, 2012 Survival Guide Essay This is my survival guide for my next few courses. Once I have chosen the college I want to attend, I will log into the site where I will begin receiving and submitting my course work. I will go familiarizing myself with the forums with which I would be expected to interact. I would also log into the classes that I will be attending so I can view the course requirements, overviews, syllabus, and both instructor and “graduation team” contact information. I will then print out this information for a handy contact list in case I do not have access to the internet and need to get in contact with the support team. The support team will be composed of an academic counselor, a financial aid counselor, and also a technical support person. I will also familiarize myself with the college or university policy statement pertaining to participation and attendance requirements, Student rights and responsibilities, use of class forums, and other resources. Before the first day I will survey my workspace which is to be my “classroom”. Whether this is my desk that is tucked into a family room, living room, or even if I have my own office space. I will prepare that space for the tasks ahead. By this I mean I will clean it up! Tidy away any stacks of paper or other materials that clutters my desk. I will establish a filing system for all of the papers and various articles that I need to keep on my desk. A tidy work space is quite important for these reasons: 1. a clear and neat learning center will help you to focus upon your social work and minimize distractions. 2. Psychologically it will aid will you in feeling prepared and on top of things. 3. An uncultured work space will also help to keep you from misplacing or misfiling the significant amount of paper work that you will need to print and file away for reference as you begin courses, and as you progress from one set of classes to the next. I will make sure my computer, printer and internet is in good working conditions and not to outdated. I will also purchase a three ring binder. This will contain my correspondence with the college, via email and regular mail and any other documentation pertaining to my collegiate career. I will also buy a whole puncher, and tab dividers for my binders. Being organized will give me the ability and the ease of locating reference documents that will help me better myself in the upcoming classes. I will also learn to set short term, median-term and long-term goals. My goals will be simple and attainable. Failing to meet or exceed the milestones that you have placed along your educational path can cause loss of self-esteem and feeling “left behind” by your classmates. One of the most important things I will do for the next few courses is managing my time wisely. I will set a time everyday to do my work without any distractions and make sure my work is submitted on time. I will also make sure I have answered each discussion post with the full max participation everyday that is required. In my conclusion when I enroll in a distance course these suggestions that I have made will help me to survive the experience that I am about to go through once again. Hopefully by using a few of my own suggestions in this guide I will not only survive my courses but thrive in the learning environment. This is a process, not an ordeal or a way to show you how much or how little you may know about a given subject. I gave myself a little bit of advice, I will take it easy on myself I will not become overly critical or if I start out well, I will try not to become overly confident in my performance. Each week is filled with new ideas and new challenges. Try to shed the highs and lows of the previous week and strive to give my best efforts every single week. I promised myself this time instead of not completing an assignment or turning it in late because I didn’t understand How to do it. I will not hesitate to ask questions and communicate with my teacher, advisor, and my classmates. The interactions of the classroom are one of the foremost learning tools that I can use to understand other perspectives and styles. Become a lifelong learner, learn to enjoy learning. The assignments that I am given are not to be driven only by a desire to attain a favorable grade, but to teach myself things about my courses of study, and more importantly to teach myself more about me. Everyone has a “support team” in their lives; this may be your parents or siblings, your spouse and family, your mentor or close friends. It is said “your friends are the family that you get to choose”. My mother used to tell me that all of the time. It is true you are the nexus of a group of people who will support your every positive decision. These people will be glad to hear the news when you tell them about enrolling in a distance learning course. I will let them know how excited I am about the prospect and some ways in which they may be able to provide me with help, or feedback, or advice on how to manage during all of that to also get some sleep. Whoever it is in my life I will find instrumental in helping guide me and or ground me, will more likely be willing to help me in ways that I may never have thought of.