Paper 2: Comparison/ContrastRationale: Personal experiences are a good basis for writing, because it’s always easier towrite about something you know well. For this paper, you’ll get a chance to h

BaseHart

Dr. samulen

English 121

21 September 201

Tips for Being a Successful Student

The first year at a new university is often the most challenging for students, since they are confronted with a virtual menu of choices for courses and free-time activities. But if students fail to make the right choices, this could spell disaster for their academic success. Like many new students, I, too, have been overwhelmed bytoo many choices at the University of Indianapolis. Since it is important for me to get off on the right foot, I wondered what I should or shouldn’t do during my first semesterin order to be successful in my studies. To find out some of the secrets of successful students, I decided to interview two experts: one of my favorite business professors, Dr. Miller, and a student named Thomas, who is a senior this year and, like me, a business major. In my attempt to understand more aboutwhat I should be doing to be a strong student, in the following paper, I will compare and contrast the helpful advice I got from these two interviewees about navigating choices, succeeding in business classes, and balancing free time and studies.

Both Dr. Miller and Thomas told me to be open to all the options and choices that I have at an institution like the University of Indianapolis. Despite its small size, this university has connections with overseas partner institutions, and has talented instructors who offer classes on a variety of topics. For example, Thomas told me about studying abroad, and he encouraged me to explore the overseas opportunities with the University of Indianapolis’s partner campus in Athens. He told me that I could even take some of my business classes there. He spent last year in Athens, and really enjoyed learning about Greek culture and working to finish up his required coursework, while taking advantage of all the cultural offerings in one of the world’s most famous cities. In contrast, Dr. Miller told me to focus more on the “big picture,” and encouraged me to look beyond the required courses. She said that I should be open to taking all types of classes, even classes outside of my business major, in order to fulfill my electives, or just to take an occasional course for fun. For example, she said that Dr. Dynes, a professor in the English Department, offers a yearly course on science fiction literature that is popular with many students. Some of her previous students took the course and even dabbled in writing their own science fiction. I didn’t know about this class until she told me, so I’m now aware of yet another interesting choice on the menu of courses.

I was really concerned about how I could succeed in my core business classes, and fortunately, both Thomas and Dr. Miller gave me some useful suggestions for succeeding inbusiness coursework. Dr. Miller emphasized that I should always attend every class, because it’s important not to miss out on the information that the instructor provides. She said, “You don’t want to ever miss a class if you can help it, because the instructor will give you a clear roadmap for the course, the readings, and the assignments, and it would be foolish of you to purposely miss out onthese valuable bits of information in class.” She also said that I should always do the readings for class, no matter what. This way, I can let the instructors know if I have any questions about the readings or if I don’t understand something and need them to clarify it in class. If I have a question, she said, other students probably have that same question, too, so I shouldn’t be shy about asking it.

Thomas also offered me good suggestions for being successful in my business courses. Like Dr. Miller, he also said that I should attend every class, but in contrast, he recommended that I always look at the syllabus and work ahead of the schedule, just in case I get sick or have an emergency and can’t attend class or do the work when I plan to. Thomas also said I should stay on top of all of my assignments, start them early (especially if it’s a team project), and go to professors’ office hours to get feedback on early drafts of assignments, even if they don’t tell me to do that in class.He said that the best tip is to try to finish my assignments far in advance of the due-date. He said, “You don’t want to feel rushed and don’t want to pull all-nighters to stay up and get the work done. You’re just exhausted afterwards, and usually, the work isn’t any good anyway if you’re writing it at 4:00 a.m.!”

I was curious about balancing free time and my studies, and both Dr. Miller and Thomas gave me straight advice about the importance of finding the right balance. Dr. Miller said that it’s really important to make time for friendships, and that sometimes you meet fun people as a result of being in a club on campus. She said, “It’s not uncommon that you meet people who turn out to be your lifelong friendsthrough a club. In fact, I’m still in contact with some of the friends I met in choir club when we were undergraduates, and it’s been over 20 years! We toured Europe with our choir one summer, sang about 10 concerts, and had lots of amazing adventures together.” She really encouraged me to find something outside of business that interests me, be it a sport or another activity, because that can only enhance my experience as a student. She also encouraged me to venture off campus and explore Indianapolis, which is the 13th largest city in the U.S. and has a number of impressive museums, especially the Indianapolis Museum of Art on 38th Street.

Similarly, Thomas said that balance was a key to succeeding at school, but, in contrast to Dr. Miller, Thomas said that he had personal experience with learning this lesson the hard way. He said that he nearly failed his first semester in college because he spent far too much time socializing and going to parties, and didn’t think he need to study much, because he’d always gotten A’s in high school without really trying. He told me that what saved him after that rocky first semester was carrying a planner, making to-do lists, creating a schedule, and actually sticking to the schedule. By putting in enough study time and making sure that he also leaves time to exercise and be with friends, he says that he’s doing really well in his classes, and finds that he isn’t as stressed as he used to be. He said that having a girlfriend and a part-time job has actually made it a bit easier to stick to his schedule, and that he and his girlfriend have regular “study dates” at the library, which helps keep both of them on track with their workload as Seniors.

In conclusion, I got a number of helpful suggestions for embracing the wealth of choices I have here at the University of Indianapolis, succeeding in my studies, and balancing my many obligations from Dr. Miller and Thomas. While Dr. Miller’s advice was from the perspective of a professor, and Thomas’s advice was from the perspective of a student, this combination of perspectives offered me insights into staying on track and making sure that I also have time for fun. Interestingly, both Dr. Miller and Thomas managed to travel to Europe during their undergraduate studies, which is also one of my goals for the next two years. I am confident that if I take their advice and work hard, I, too, will have a successful first semester, and overcome some of the many challenges of being a college student.

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Interview Questions

1. What suggestions do you have for me for being a successful student in college?

2. What are some of the things I should do when I’m studying for a class?

3. What are some of the things I shouldn’t do as a student?

4. How can I balance free time and coursework?

5. What are (were) some of the clubs or activities you’ve been involved with as a student?

6. What do you think is the best part about being a student/professor at the University of Indianapolis?