By Rosella Eleanor LaFevre > Sophomore > Temple University, Photo by Catherine Finsness > Sophomore > The George Washington University
College Magazine asked seven students from seven different colleges to share what they think makes a college student a successful one. The consensus seems to be that successful students not only get good grades but have a social calendar as well.
The successful college student is one who takes full advantage of the opportunity to figure out who they are and what they want in life and knows how to go after those things:
“A successful sophomore is ultimately one who has made it through the worst and is now truly ready to complete the rest of the years of college. You’re no longer the young and lost but the young and found. You don’t have to worry about finding that group of friends you belong to. You don’t have to worry about finding your classes. You hopefully have become more financially wiser from the mistakes of buying textbooks your freshman year. You finally figured out how to balance the gym time, study time, friend time and alone time.” – Jennifer Loav, sophomore at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.
“Being a successful college student means starting to applying yourself now to prove to future employers you are responsible and when they hire you, they are making the right decision.” – Daniel Gallagher, sophomore at Lehigh Carbon Community College.
“I think to truly call yourself a successful college student means you have found that ever elusive balance between school work and having a social life. While it is all great to graduate with a 4.0, unless you have developed meaninful relationships during your college career you missed on of the best things about college. An average student with great networking skills will probably get just as far as a student with a perfect GPA.” – Sabrina Cook, a sophomore at Yale University
“Being a successful college student means finding a balance between yourself and your dreams. I have figured out that college can consume you if you don’t take a second to breathe. Being in college successfully means being able to follow your dreams but still have time for the little things in life and to remember that not every thing is going to go perfect.” – Ashley Andrucyk, a sophomore at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
“To be a successful college student is to be resourceful in all aspects of the word.” – Stephanie Boo, a sophomore at Rosemont College
“I’d say that being a successful college student does enough to not fail any classes, doesn’t skip enough assignments or class to be shed in a bad light with the teacher, and be involved with others in on campus activities (clubs, teams, events) and off campus activities (friends, parties, socializing).” – Pete Tarrant, a graduate of Ithaca College (May 2010)
“To sum up, I think that being a successful college student means getting the most out of your educational experience… Socially and academically. For me, it was basically about getting good grades and using all the resources available to achieve that goal, but for a traditional student [– I returned to college after starting a family –] it should be much more than that. Get involved and try anything and everything that interests you, whether or not you think you’ll be good at it. This is a student’s opportunity of discovery. They may never have the chance again!” – Meghann Godschall, a graduate of Cedar Crest College (May 2010)
