Creating a Successful Environment
Now that we have a vision and a plan to create that vision, it is time to create a successful environment. This will ensure that you can make the most of your experience and master your academic career. I won’t get into specifics here, at it will be different for everybody, but rather a general idea of what a successful environment is and isn’t.
Multiple Outlets – One thing that will stimulate success is to have multiple outlets for all of your needs. If you need supplies, know of more than one place to get them. If you need a rest, have more than just your bed to take one. When preparing to burn the midnight oil with some books (study…), have at least 2 or 3 great places to study. You will find that Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong) seems to exist all throughout your college career. Combat Murphy with multiple outlets.
Choose Your Environment - When it comes to studying, don’t mess around. Don’t join study groups because the people seem cool or that one cute girl/guy is in it. This is a formula for failure. Instead choose an environment free of distraction. If you really need to get things done, your local coffee shop probably isn’t the best location. I have created a distraction free environment in my room. I have a big open desk, all the supplies I need, I keep a drink with me, some calming music (if I need it), plenty of good lighting, and quietness. Some of you won’t be able to do this (with loud siblings, thin walls etc), so choose a spot where you can achieve this. If I’m not studying at home I have the public library, the university library, university study rooms, empty classrooms, and many more places. I would rather get up and leave a distracting environment, and find another, than stay and try to study. Studying is hard enough as it is, don’t make it worse for yourself.
Sit Up Front - I know some of you wallflowers like to be in the back, at the edges, and anywhere but the front, but this is where success is, statistically speaking. The people that sit up front tend to make better grades. So surround yourself with A students, and some of that magic is bound to wear off. Also the teachers tend to recognize their faces better (at a larger university this really matters). If your teacher feels like they know you, they will treat you like a person instead of a number.
Work Hard, Play Hard - This is one that I had a lot of trouble with. I was the kind of person who loved to hang out with friends and attend social events, to the point that I would sometimes hang out with friends while stressing about tests, as well as sometimes study while thinking about my friends hanging out. It wasn’t until a friend yelled at me and specifically said “If you are going to do something, do it to the fullest, and don’t think about another thing until you’ve done it. If you are going to study, then study and think about nothing but studying. If you are going to hang out, then hang out without the stress about school. But don’t mix. Mixing will only lead to failure of both…”
A successful environment will lead to great success. We tend to be a ‘product of our environment,’ as I’m sure you’ve heard before. Create a successful environment, and become the product of it. It will lead you to greatness.
Back to Part 2: Planning and Organizing
Forward to Part 4: Tips and Tricks
